Ford Motor Company Swot Analysis Essay

A SWOT analysis is used to assess a company’s strengths and weaknesses found within the company, as well as opportunities and threats that emerge from the external environment. In this analysis, the main strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats facing the Ford Motor Company will be discussed to provide a powerful analysis tool that supports the planning process for marketers.

Ford’s research and development capabilities act as strength to the company as customer wants and needs constantly change. Ford currently operates fifty-six research and development centers focused on improving the quality of Ford’s vehicles. Also, Ford invests billions of dollars every year to improve quality, performance, and overall customer satisfaction.

Ford competes with other automobile industries on many factors such as price, quality, reliability, appearance, available features, and fuel economy just to name a few. Such intense competition within the automobile industry tends to put downwards pressure on prices, making it harder for Ford to put a price on vehicles that are similar to other cars produced by competitors. The challenging price environment puts pressure on Ford to increase value to customers while trying to dramatically reduce costs to achieve the similar pricing of competitors. Ford must be able to reasonably price vehicles so that customers still feel as if they are getting the best car for their money. Competitive pricing is a threat to Ford because it must increasingly rely on customer perceived value to differentiate its car quality from its competitors. Ford must be able to justify its pricing in an industry where resembling cars have similar pricing and nearly identical features. Ford’s pricing objectives must somehow be achieved as other competitors are cutting costs and improving their vehicles. Negative pricing pressure threatens Ford’s ability to provide outstanding value to its customers for smaller or comparable pricing within the competitive automobile