FORD Won't Introduce Luxury Models to Australia.

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"The blue oval will remain a blue-collar brand in Australia, ignoring a push to gentrify Ford in Europe.

The carmaker is looking to cash in on more profitable premium segments in Europe with a new Vingale sub-brand that adds luxurious extras like quilted leather seats to cars such as the new Mondeo.

It unveiled its vision for a Vingale Lounge at the Paris motor show, a contemporary showroom defined by soft-touch leather chairs and tailored services led by a personal "relationship manager".

Roelant de Waard, vice president of marketing, sales and service for Ford Europe, says the lounge could change the way people think perceive Ford, by offering "a quiet and luxurious environment, furnished with high quality materials".
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"The Vignale Lounge ensures that from the moment a Vignale customer first steps into the dealership they are immersed in a world that complements perfectly our new Vignale model range," he says.

The lounge areas will be separate from Ford's regular sales floors.

The treatment also includes a free monthly car wash and a valet service for planned maintenance.

Ford's branded merchandise arm has been bolstered by the new Vingale collection, featuring silk scarves and ties or handbags to match a car's leather trim.

But Ford Australia isn't interested in taking on established luxury brands.

Company spokesman Neil McDonald says the Vingale treatment is not likely to appear locally as the manufacturer has no plans to sell luxuriously appointed models in Australia.

McDonald says the Vingale Lounge will also remain on the sidelines.

Instead, Ford will work to spruce up its sales arm with a range of strategies that include concierge staff in dealerships, intuitive tablets loaded with information on the sales floor, online service scheduling and increased personalisation options.

"We're working to build our customer relations as we transition to becoming a full-line importer in Australia," McDonald says.

"We've commenced a raft of new initiatives to improve our customer relationship and dealer experience.

"We're concentrating on that in the short term."
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