Click here to view the Infographic "The Vignale Story"
Rome, May 11, 2015 – Ford Motor Company is introducing a new retail experience across Europe -- opening 200 flagship FordStores in 2015 with plans to confirm a total of 500 FordStores by the end of 2016.
FordStores will offer Ford’s most demanding and discerning customers a new way of discovering, buying and owning the full range of Ford products and services. This will include the all‑new Ford Mustang, performance vehicles such as the forthcoming Ford Focus RS, and the full line-ups of Transit commercial vehicles and Ford SUVs.
Located primarily in metropolitan areas, the new FordStores also will include the new Vignale Lounge, a special area for customers of Ford’s new upscale product and personalised ownership experience.
“Our ambition is that FordStores provide a seamless best-in-class customer experience both in store and online. FordStores represent the very best of Ford and will be the new face of the company in Europe’s largest towns and cities,” said Gaetano Thorel, vice president, Marketing, Ford of Europe. “Many customers arrive at the car dealership already very well‑informed, and increasingly expect the retail experience to be just that – an experience.”
A new customer experience
Customer needs are at the forefront of the new FordStores that are designed to be welcoming environments, which are easy to navigate, catering for customers who are browsing for the first time and those who have researched online.
Each FordStore will be divided into clearly visible zones, with easily understood names. The “hello” zone, with “ask me” signs is a welcoming reception area. Servicing enquires will be handled in the “care” zone, and an inviting “discover” zone will offer easily accessed information from tablet devices, brochures, samples and a 3D one-to-one video wall enabling customers to configure the Ford of their choice, and see it actual size. Dedicated areas for Transit and business customers will be integral to the FordStores.
Ford vehicles also will be displayed so that they are easy to find and compare. For example, Ford’s line-up of SUVs, Kuga, EcoSport, and the forthcoming all-new Edge, will be displayed alongside each other. Performance vehicles including the all-new Ford Focus RS, Focus ST, and Fiesta ST also will be displayed together.
FordStores will be where customers will find the all‑new Ford Mustang, the first Mustang to go on sale across Europe in more than 50 years of continuous production; and the new Ford Mondeo Vignale, the first vehicle in the Vignale line-up, available from July.
Vignale Lounge
Within FordStores, the Vignale Lounge will offer a dedicated Ford Vignale relationship manager and a personalised service, for a model range that combines traditional coach-building, contemporary design and cutting-edge technologies.
The Vignale Lounge provides an environment designed to ensure customers feel valued and respected, relaxed and comfortable. Luxurious, sensorial, and demonstrating a high level of attention to detail, each Vignale Lounge complements perfectly the vehicle range.
Ford Vignale Relationship Managers will assist customers in configuring vehicles, displaying information on a specially designed touch table, and tablet devices. Among the special services available will be collection and delivery for vehicle servicing* – from a home address or office location – alongside servicing scheduled to suit the owner. Ford Vignale vehicles will always be handled with greatest care and returned to owners having received a full valet.**
Customers also will be able to browse the high-end Ford Vignale Magazine that will offer features on Vignale, other Ford products and services, and lifestyle content; with a planned circulation of around 50,000 copies across Ford Vignale markets.
“FordStores are the ideal platform from which to launch our Ford Vignale experience. Ford Vignale is designed for discerning individuals for whom time is the jewel and who demand quality experiences,” Thorel said. “Vignale ensures personalised service tailored to the customer’s needs and makes them feel special from the moment they walk in the door.”
Exclusive Vignale services
Ford’s new Vignale Service smartphone app – offered as a download by Ford
Vignale Relationship Managers – will support customers with GPS-enabled services including Vignale Park Me, which allows drivers to record an exact location and time elapsed since parking their vehicle. Using online map data, the app also can help drivers locate fuel stations, and provides a one-touch connection with emergency services or Vignale One Call.
Ford Vignale consumers also will be able to call upon knowledgeable Vignale One Call advisors 24 hours a day for additional support. Customer interactions will be a priority, whether answering a technical question, arranging a FordStore visit, resolving a customer concern, or managing a service booking.
Available across Europe later this year for Apple and Android operating systems, the free Vignale Service app enables owners to directly access the Ford Vignale website for video content, or to create an accident report. Driving tips and information, including traffic regulations for countries in the European Union, are included – as is a dealership locator.
“Today’s customer demands more from their brands than just the product alone and want personal attention that reflects their needs,” Thorel added. “Ford Vignale provides an important opportunity to extend and strengthen our appeal to this type of customer. The Vignale product and ownership offer is a refined and relaxed driving experience with quality and craftsmanship taken to a new level.”
Signature collection
The signature Ford Vignale Collection, also created by the same Ford Design team behind the Ford Vignale model range, is available to experience and order from Vignale Lounges and via a dedicated online store. The 2015 Vignale Collection, which takes design cues from the vehicle range, includes the Vignale Weekender – a luxury overnight bag awarded a prestigious iF Design award – that reflects the distinctive Vignale trapezoidal shaped grille, quilted pattern of the handcrafted seats, and the contoured bonnet.
Also presented is a shoulder handbag, handmade from exclusive, high quality leather; a purse, money clip, iPhone sleeve, and business card sleeve; and a handmade silk scarf and silk tie crafted by artisans in Milan, Italy.
“The Vignale Collection encapsulates our passion for design that sets us apart from other brands while echoing Ford’s unique design DNA,” said Erika Tsubaki, creator of the Vignale Collection and design supervisor, Ford of Europe. “The latest Vignale Collection features distinctive design elements of the Vignale models, paying special attention to the high quality leather material and detailing that makes them as beautiful as the models they reflect.”
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* Free service at dealer discretion
** Optional and available at customer expense
About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Michigan manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 194,000 employees and 66 plants worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford and its products worldwide, please visit www.corporate.ford.com.
Ford of Europe is responsible for producing, selling and servicing Ford brand vehicles in 50 individual markets and employs approximately 53,000 employees at its wholly owned facilities and approximately 67,000 people when joint ventures and unconsolidated businesses are included. In addition to Ford Motor Credit Company, Ford Europe operations include Ford Customer Service Division and 23 manufacturing facilities (15 wholly owned or consolidated joint venture facilities and 8 unconsolidated joint venture facilities). The first Ford cars were shipped to Europe in 1903 – the same year Ford Motor Company was founded. European production started in 1911.
