Brooklyn, Mich. — In the year after Ford Custom Garage launched, offering special vehicle packages outfitted by dealers and upfitters before delivery to customers, sales have more than tripled this year over the last.
The channel, one of three under the Ford Customization division, offers personality and performance at an affordable price point with quick-to-market offerings, warranty protections and pricing included in financing, said Matt Simpson, Ford Customization’s executive director. Ford Motor Co. is growing its 150-plus-member customization team as the company seeks to grow its revenues from the aftermarket and the 46% of Ford consumers personalizing their vehicle. Plus, it’s positioning Ford to support the next-generation of buyers who are modifying their vehicles at higher rates.
“For a long time, getting to this level of personalization meant doing it the hard way,” Simpson said during a Ford Customization event Wednesday at the Michigan International Speedway. “Weekends in the garage, hours on the forums every night trying to figure out if your lift kit is going to fit, … you’ve got three receipts from different jobs because no one’s going to touch the whole job.
“It gives enthusiasts,” he continued, “the freedom to build their vehicle on their terms, without worrying about what happens to it.”
With Ford Custom Garage, the modifications are done before delivery to customers with a three-year, 36,000-mile warranty. Engineers and designers look at the changes with a holistic view — how a new engine can require tweaks to suspension, tuning and brakes. Dealers then install the package kits themselves or opt for upfitter partners Penske Corp. and Fox Factory Holding Corp. to make the alterations. About 70% of Ford dealers go that route.
“We call it the easy button for them,” Simpson said, “because they check a box and then they get the full bill that shows up already done.”
A Bronco Raptor can get more power and torque with a Ford Racing calibration for $895. A Super Duty can get a star-spangled appearance. And a base Mustang GT can become an 810-horsepower beast with the $18,500 FP800S package, plus installation.
“It is the only way that you’re going to get an 800 horsepower via sports car with a manual with factory-backed support,” Simpson said.
Boosting customer satisfaction
Ford Custom Garage has allowed dealerships like Lebanon Ford outside Cincinnati, Ohio, to grow its 12-year-old customization business. The service shop expects to do more than 200 jobs this year with customers looking for supercharged engines and demand for custom Bronco jobs ramping up over the past year, said Cameron Scott, performance director at the dealership.
“Before the whole Ford Custom Garage thing,” he said, “if somebody wanted their F-150 supercharged, which we still do it this way, if need be, but we would have to pick out the supercharger, then separately pick out suspension, then separately pick out wheels, and there could be delay times for ordering things and getting things in stock, and a customer might be on a time crunch.
“So, we’ve got to wait for X, Y, and Z to come in, and it might not pair up the same. We’ve had issues in the past where a certain suspension kit didn’t fit the wheels, because the control arms were hitting or something. So, Ford having all-in packages where it all comes together, and it’s all just fully done, it just makes it super easy.”
Usually, he added, the kit arrives within a week after being ordered.
Simpson didn’t share details about sales, revenues or profits from the customization department, but margins in aftermarket are fatter than core vehicle products. Custom Garage exceeded its annual sales goals in the first half of the year. Ford CEO Jim Farley has said that area is a growth priority as the company emphasizes high-margin, passion off-road products, trucks and performance vehicles that lend themselves to customization and offer Ford greater opportunity in this market than many competitors. For the Ford Pro commercial vehicle unit alone, the Dearborn automaker is expecting the aftermarket to represent 20% of revenues by 2030.
Similar to Custom Garage, the automaker introduced for 2026 trade packages for the Transit commercial van that features shelving, hooks and other set-ups geared toward different tradespeople like electricians, general contractors, plumbers and heating, ventilation and air-conditioning workers.
Because Ford Custom Garage products are more niche, they may not generate significant sales voluems, but this kind of effort can help companies to connect with customers and generate extra margin, said Stephanie Brinley, S&P Global Mobility associate director of AutoIntelligence.
“If you can connect with a buyer emotionally and sustain that, it’s significant for brand loyalty, and it’s significant when you show it off to your neighbor. You’re raising the brand impression and image. Your buyer turns into an on-the-street brand ambassador.”
Blue Oval welcomes new thinking
Ford Customization and Custom Garage’s work represents a shift in thinking, Simpson said. Customers don’t see accessories as add-ons, but something that becomes a piece of the car. Spurred by the launch of Bronco for the 2021 model year, vehicles are being designed at the earliest stage of developments with the aftermarket in mind.
“It’s: make sure a supercharger fits,” Simpson said. “Do you have an attachment point? Do you have the wiring you need?”
Custom Garage also is an area that allows for nimbleness and fast response. Its products differ from other special editions and packages that are from-the-factory. Those tend to have a longer lifespan and higher volumes, Simpson said. They also can take years to launch in an assembly plant.
Because Custom Garage packages are added after the vehicle is built, they can launch within months compared to the process of equipping Ford assembly plants for a new model. It’s a competitive advantage in attracting customers who want something different than what else is on the road. As a result, many Custom Garage products have limited volumes.
“It’s the ‘I want something with a story,'” Simpson said about the popularity of customization among the under-30 demographic based on a recent study from the Specialty Equipment Market Association. “I want something to mean something, not just treating it like a commodity product. Not everybody wants the same white crossover on their way to work that we kind of affectionately joke about, and so we’re translating for that.”
The first launch was the Matte Black Package for the Bronco, available for $7,300, which remains one of Ford Garage’s most popular offerings. Several packages for Bronco and F-150 have been added since then. One for the Super Duty supporting Blue Star Families, a nonprofit serving military and veteran households, launched earlier this year. The Mustang package is just releasing now, and a Maverick option is coming later this year. Simpson envisions Custom Garage packages for every model in the lineup, and Ford’s next-generation electric vehicles offer new opportunities, too.
“We spend a lot of time with the F-Series team or the Bronco team: ‘Where do you want to go as a Bronco team, and what are the markets that are out there? Let us help you fill in those gaps,'” Simpson said. “We’re complementing the main lineup more than we are cannibalizing it.”
bnoble@detroitnews.com
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This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Ford Custom Garage grows as ‘easy button’ for personalization
Reporting by Breana Noble, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Breana Noble, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
