Share Button

In order to boost sales of its 2011 Explorer SUVs, Ford is offering sizeable financial incentives to current Explorer owners. With $750 on the table in exchange for lease agreement, and $1,500 available for buyers, the temptation could prove tough to resist.

Four million letters will be sent to consumers who already own Explorers, according to Amy Marentic, Ford car and crossover manager for North America. She described the existing Explorer owners as the company's "secret weapon."

While Ford has already begun shipping the 2011 Explorer to dealerships across the country, the Detroit Free Press reports the company has been hesitant to push its offer too hard before a suitable amount of inventory is ready to move. This could indicate the automaker is expecting a widespread reaction to its incentives, although it is already available to Explorer owners who ask dealers for it specifically, the paper adds.

Marentic told the newspaper the company estimated 140,000 consumers buy an Explorer each year but do not return to Ford afterward. The incentive program, she added, is aimed at correcting this problem by increasing customer loyalty.

According to the Free Press, the newest model Explorer will feature the same towing and off-road capacity featured in earlier iterations, despite being built on a car chassis. The 2011 Explorer's main selling points will be increased fuel economy – around 20 mpg, the newspaper says – and enhanced handling characteristics. The latter quality, should it improve the vehicle's handling, could help drivers avoid accidents, experts say. Fewer wrecks and better safety records often translate into decreased car insurance costs for motorists.