The automotive industry is in turmoil right now as President Trump rolls out his tariffs against every country in the world other than North Korea and Russia, and because of this, most car companies are planning to raise prices to make up for it. However, not everyone is carrying that tune. Ford is standing on its own right now, and actually bringing back employee discounts for all of its customers for the next two months on most of its vehicles through its “From American, For America” campaign. It’s giving everyone access to “A Plan” pricing through June 2 on nearly all Ford and Lincoln vehicles. Unfortunately, some high-dollar vehicles like the 2025 Expedition, Super Duty pickups and Lincoln Navigators are excluded. Savings will, of course, vary by model and trim level, according to Automotive News.
Ford’s A Plan typically allows employees to pay less than the dealer invoice price, but it’s not immediately clear exactly how big those discounts are going to be. A Plan pricing usually amounts to $1,300 off a $28,700 Maverick, $3,500 off a $48,200 Explorer and $6,800 off a $66,500 F-150, AutoNews says. The discounts will also be applied on top of any additional incentives, which is always nice.
This isn’t the first time Ford has offered employee pricing. It also did so in late-2008 during the beginning of the Great Recession, according to a 17-year-old MotorTrend article. If that isn’t an ominous sign of things to come, I don’t know what is.
Nobody knows what’s next
The automaker has remained quiet about whether or not it would eventually increase prices because of the tariffs. Though it does produce the most U.S.-made cars in the country, the Maverick, Bronco Sport and Mustang Mach-E are all built in Mexico, while the Lincoln Nautilus comes to the U.S. by way of China, AutoNews reports.
Here’s what Ford’s director of U.S. sales told the outlet about the program:
“There’s a lot of uncertainty right now,” Kaffl [said]. “What we think this program provides is more certainty to an uncertain situation and stability, frankly, and support to those U.S. consumers. It’s a way to give back to the communities that have supported us for generations.”
[…]
“There’s no question that obviously prices are going to rise as more things come out,” he said. “We’re still trying to understand the impact of the tariffs. We think the opportunity is now to make the offer with our customers, and we’ll also have to weigh in what happens with these impacts.”
Just to sweeten the deal and get more people into electric cars, Ford is extending its offer for free home EV charger installation through the end of June. It was originally supposed to end on December 31, 2024, but it was extended through March.
It’s far too early to tell what Ford — or the rest of the industry — will do when it comes to pricing, but at least it’s nice to see Ford doing a little to help out the average consumer. What happens beyond the two month promotion remains to be seen.
