That’s right — for the first time in years, The Blue Oval has more dealerships than Chevrolet in the United States. At the end of 2010, there were 3,131 Ford stores compared to Chevrolet’s 3,084. Both numbers, however, saw a decline of 62 and 372, respectively compared to 2009.
The age-old rivalry between Ford and Chevy is all too familiar to American automotive enthusiasts. At one point in 1912, when the Model T was (literally) the hottest thing since sliced bread, Ford had as many as 12,000 dealerships — many of which pumped gas on the side. Having beat Chevrolet’s 1,563,963 units sold with its 1,726,349 units last year, Ford is on a roll that’s unlikely to stop anytime soon.
The question now, however, is whether Ford has too many sales points with its 3,131 dealers. “I wouldn’t say Ford has too many,” says John Frith, Vice President of automotive consulting firm Urban Science, adding that Ford is continuing to assess dealership numbers and throughput (sales per store).
Source: Wards
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