Auto Talk: Ford Launches 'Mass Customization'

Coming to a Ford showroom near you - the model of your choice, with performance tires, powerful sound systems, bodyside cladding and other goodies generally reserved for the aftermarket.

Ford Motor Co. has figured out that if young car buffs are eager to spend most of their paycheck to make their cars unique, why not ship the car from the factory already zooted up?

With an eye on the lucrative aftermarket, the No.2 automaker announces at the Specialty Equipment Market Assn. (SEMA) trade show in November that it will add these accessories at the factory.

Ford calls the new initiative "mass customization" and says it is a new way to provide consumers with fresh and exciting products faster and more efficiently.

Mass customization benefits the consumer, Ford says, because the special wheels, electronics and trim packages all are covered under its standard warranty. Plus the cost of these expensive add-ons can be included in the new-car financing package.

The attraction to Ford, of course, is that these expensive, high-margin items can yield thousands of dollars in extra profit per car.

A set of custom wheels, for instance, can easily cost $2,000. Special "ground effects" plastic trim packages can cost more than that.

A special customized Ford F-150 SuperCrew will be available in January, and a Focus custom package is slated to be introduced next fall.