Ford offering orphaned Chrysler customers cash incentives

It seems like Ford is picking up Chrysler customers that have been left out in the cold. In one scenario, Ford is helping an owner of a Chrysler/Jeep/Dodge store in Hartsville, S.C., that Chrysler has targeted to close.

Owner John Isgett received a letter from Ford shortly after Chrysler announced his store as one of 789 dealerships it will be closing. The letter offered Isgett’s Chrysler owners an extra $500 to $1,000 if they purchased a Ford.

“I thought it was genius, a great idea,” said Isgett. “It’s all business. As a Chrysler dealer, I can tell you there are customers who feel like they’ve been left out in the cold.”

However, Ford is doing its best not to portray a negative image of gloating.

“We’ve been very cautious and certainly not predatory with regard to this,” Ford spokesman Robert Parker told Automotive News.

Parker said that Ford is expanding the incentive to Chrysler owners into some western markets and is only offering extra cash in select regions. He said that incentive is helping dealers like Isgett who have franchises in both automakers and are trying to retain their Chrysler customers by moving them over to Ford.

– By: Omar Rana