PAG's Fields urges caution on incentives.(Marke Fields, chairmand and CEO of Ford Motor Co.'s Premier Automotive Group)(Interview)

Automotive News Europe, June, 2003 by Wernle, Bradford

Byline: Bradford Wernle

Ford's Premier Automotive Group is spending more on incentives because larger competitors such as BMW and Mercedes-Benz are dictating the market, said Mark Fields, Premier's chairman and CEO.

"Our incentive levels are being driven by our larger competitors," Fields told delegates at the Automotive News Europe Congress. "We're not driving the market."

Competition in the luxury sector has become brutal, just as earlier in the mass-market sector, and incentives are greater this year than last year, said Fields.

US incentive activity remains higher than in Europe and is more predominant at the compact executive end of the market where cars like the Volvo S60 compete, he said.

But Fields said Premier...

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