Indeed, Ford, Lincoln and Mercury brand dealers finish at the absolute bottom of the latest National Automobile Dealer Association satisfaction survey. Fulfilling Nasser's ambitious goal suggests that consumers will embrace Ford's blue oval. But guess where consumers are getting their initial impression of this storied trademark. Consumers' point of contact is the dealer. Inglis concedes that a lack of trust characterizes the history of Ford and its dealers, which is why they together created the Blue Oval Certified program.
Compliance is measured by a third party in order to avoid quibbling.
About 80 percent of the nation's 3,000 Ford brand dealers so far have qualified or are in the process of qualifying. DaimlerChrysler AG has a program similar to Ford's, called Five Star. About 2,400 of the automaker's 4,400 U.S. dealers qualify. GM is working on one as well. He sounded quite pleased and vowed to spend some of the windfall for a new cappuccino machine or whatever his clientele demands.