Ford sent out a bulletin to dealers providing them with a letter template to send to F-Series customers, offering those who are experiencing delays a $100 Amazon e-gift card as compensation for lengthy production delays.
“The Ford F-Series Team is providing a letter template for select customers who are experiencing an extended delay on Retail Orders due to the global semiconductor shortage,” writes Ford in the Bulletin seen by Cars Direct. “The letter includes a special link to redeem a $100 Amazon E-Gift Card to offer appreciation for their patience and loyalty.”
Read Also: Ford Will Pay You $1,000 To Patiently Wait For Your New Car
Ford production was hit particularly hard by the semiconductor chip shortage. Last month, its sales faced a steep decline and were lower than June 2020, despite last year most of the world being in the depths of the pandemic. Although all automakers are struggling with semiconductor supply shortages, GM and Stellantis have seen sales increase by 19.8% and 17% so far this year, while Ford’s sales have risen just 4.9%.
To help combat the supply shortages, Ford has tried this kind of thing before. In June, it started offering customers a $1,000 “Retail Order Bonus Cash Certificate” on new cars in order to try and get people to buy new Fords despite the production delays.
Yesterday, though, reports emerged that the Blue Oval had found a new supply of semiconductor chips and would be completing F-Series trucks that it had mostly assembled but were missing chips.
“We’re prioritizing building our customers’ vehicles that were assembled without certain parts due to the industry-wide semiconductor shortage,” a spokesperson told us yesterday. “This is in line with our commitment to get our customers their vehicles as soon as possible and consistent with our forecasted supply.”
The company suggested that new supply would slowly start coming in the second half of 2021 and that dealer inventory could start building up again.
