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New vehicle brochures have been a staple in the auto industry for decades, but that long tradition could end at Ford starting July 1. The automaker is reportedly ending production of brochures in both print and digital formats, leaving Ford’s official website. as the only source of up-to-date vehicle information.
Ford sent communications to its dealer network in the final days of June announcing the changes, according to Live Car. The letter allegedly cited budgetary constraints and a long-standing shortage of microchips as reasons for the decision. Motor1.com contact Ford about the situation; a spokesperson is investigating the matter but additional information was not received prior to publication. We will add updates as new details emerge.
An error in printing a brochure for the Mustang Mach 1 resulted in a hefty fine and a payment of more than $3 million from Ford last year in Australia. The brochure mentions features on the car such as adaptive cruise control, rear parking sensors and Torsen limited-slip differential, but those items are not offered on the Mach 1 sold in that part of the world. In addition to payments and large fines from the Australian government, Ford had to incur costs to reprint the brochures. four times before all the details are sorted.
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A shortage of chips has forced nearly every automaker to remove some technology-focused options from vehicles to keep production going. In some cases, the feature is scheduled to be added later once the chip becomes available but in other cases, the item simply disappears. Given Ford’s recent troubles in Australia and its enduring supply chain woes, dropping brochures that may not have the correct information can be a significant cost savings for the company in more ways than one.
Ironically, the news comes just weeks after Ford launched a new website dedicated to, among other things, decades of archiving vehicle brochures. The Ford Heritage Vault is the culmination of years of efforts by automakers to digitally archive photos and brochures of old vehicles. The current archive includes more than 5,000 items, some of which date back to the late 1800s.
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