Ford wants to sell 100,000 Flex units a year

Ford launched the 2009 Flex at the New York Auto Show in 2007 and the company has big expectation for the crossover: they expect to sell around 100.000 units a year!

The 100,000 threshold " absolutely" is possible for the 2009 Flex, said Jim Farley, Ford group vice president of marketing and communications. " That’s what we’re looking at production wise," Farley told reporters at a press event here.

The Flex goes on sale this summer. Ford is counting on new products such as the Flex, the 2009 Lincoln MKS sedan and the revamped 2009 Ford F-150 pickup to help lift sales in the second half of this year.

Industry sales are shaping up to be toughest of the year during the ongoing second quarter, Farley said. Flex will benefit the natural traffic historically generated by Ford’s Explorer and Expedition SUVs, he said.

" Flex will find a lot of full-size SUV customers, and a lot of people who haven’t bought Fords are going to buy it," Farley said. " So I think that will really help us in the third quarter."

Flex is powered by Ford’s award-winning 3.5-liter V-6 engine and is mated to a fuel-efficient 6-speed transmission. The powertrain is expected to deliver more than 260 horsepower, 245 lb.-ft. of torque and good fuel economy.