Special correspondent.- On the occasion of Summer Experience 2025 held in Pinamar and Cariló, Ford introduced the new Everestthe SUV that shares platform with the Ranger and which will be officially released during the second quarter of this year, to eat with its presale in March.
In the stand mounted in Cariló, scope He spoke with Martín Galdeano, president of Ford South America, Who reviewed the expectations of the oval brand for this year, the challenge of being a competitive company in the automotive industry and internal and external pressures that they have when producing and selling a vehicle.
In 2024 “the first quarter was rough, I think it was 30% fall against 2023,” he recalled Galdeano, although he acknowledged that “later he recovered throughout the year.” “We think of an industry of 500 thousand or 530 thousand units. It depends on how pessimistic or optimistic it is with whom you talk about Ford, but it would be a growth of 30%. And we can be conservative, we know it. January started very well,” added the CEO on brand projections for this 2025.
The desired one Tax decline for the purchase of vehicles in Argentina It became a constant and a recurring theme among companies in the sector. On that point, Martín Galdeano He said: “We are seeing a very interesting dynamic in the industry in Argentina, by the hand of credit availability, of the cost of credit for the purchase of cars. I think there is something tax leave. Very shy. At the national level there is coming working. madness.
“Last year there was progress. Not only with the decline of country tax, but with internal taxes. It seems to me that there was progress. Progress is still at a provincial and municipal level, “he said.
As for this problem, Ford president He argued: “It will take time. Because there is a series of impressive taxes. Internal taxes, VAT, check, gross income, municipal. All that will be regularized to the extent that the order of public accounts allows it.”
On the financing of cars in our country, Galdeano He said: “In Argentina, there are usually 30% of financed vehicles. I worked in countries such as the United States, England, and also for Europe. There is the other way around: it is 80% financed. And so it should be, that you have a ease.
With the objective set to position Ford at the top of the market, Martín Galdeano He pointed out: “Before leaving taxes, labor legislation, whatever, I need to be competitive within the factory. That I have technology, that I have processes, that I can compete not only with the neighboring brand or the brand that It is close, but competes with the same factory that makes Ranger elsewhere in the world. So we for that we invest 600 million in Pachecoto have the last level of technology that allows us to compete with Thailand, South Africa and the United States. “
“They do the Ranger, then we are competitive in our processes. When I look at the union agreements we have, the quality of manufacturing of Pacheco It is very competitive. We need to work, but we are competitive, “he said.
How Ford is positioned before the elimination of the country tax
The CEO of Ford referred to the elimination of country tax And he explained: “When I look at taxes to produce and export, until before the elimination of the country tax we had 25 tax points, not to sell in Argentina, but to produce a truck that goes up a ship and goes to An export country. Chili. Chile should be imported Ranger from Thailand. Not of Pachecothat we are next. So that’s why I told you that we need to work a lot in competitiveness. “
In addition, Galdeano He stressed regarding labor agreements “that compensation is not the problem.” “The problem is labor judgments, the interests of judgments. You have to attack each of those things to justify 600 million dollars of investment,” he added.
The disparity in the car prices With neighboring countries (Chilifor example) is one of the challenges with which the automotive industry in Argentina is. In that sense, Martín Galdeano He indicated: “Our calculation depends on the vehicle, but if you pay internal taxes you can reach 150%. How can this vehicle be half? Yes, it is worth half. But in USA It has 10%sales taxes. “
Launch of the new Everest: competitive price and expectations of fighting up
After the launch of the Everest, Galdeano He was optimistic to position this new model in the market in the best way: “When we launch Ranger We said that it was a product that redefined the segment, for the technology it brings, security, and performance. What we wanted to do with the Everest It is the same. We brought an engine that has almost 300 horses has the Ranger platform, but it arrives with the badge, obviously, of the squares, “he said.
And he redoubled the bet: “We want to compete above, we want to go to fight for an important part of that segment. We need to announce the price (it will be in March). But we want to be competitive. We understand that also marks what that segment has to be , what a customer has to expect from that segment, “he concluded.
Source: Ambito
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