It’s not secret that the U.S. minivan market is on the decline. Ford and General Motors have already abandoned the segment altogether and minivan sales were down 23 percent through the first two months of this year when compared to the same time period in 2007. Ford is preparing to launch its all-new minivan-esque Flex crossover this summer, but the Blue Oval thinks it has come up with a plan to distance the Flex from the negative minivan image — tell people that it’s actually a cool vehicle for people that don’t have kids.
Instead of going down the family hauler road, Ford will position the Flex as a hip vehicle for people that want to make a stylish statement. “There’s much more to this vehicle when you look at it rather than just narrowly defining it as a family crossover,” Kate Pearce, Flex marketing manager, told Automotive News. “It is the style that draws people to this vehicle. Good or bad, it evokes an emotion.”
Although the Flex’s largest customer base will likely be those with a family, Ford’s new marketing chief, Jim Farley, made the decision to shift the Flex’s position from a family hauler to a chic mode of transportation for trend-setters.
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