Special to The Dorchester Banner/Diane Vincent Employees of the Preston Ford Automotive Group thank the local buyers and community for helping make them 72nd among the Top 100 Ford Dealers in the nation for the fourth time in five years.

PRESTON — Preston Ford of the Preston Automotive Group has broken its record during the 2014 Top 100 Sales Drive. This marks the 4th time in the last 5-years that the local business has been able to break the Top 100 Ford Dealers in the Nation in a small town with an estimated population of 803. New Ford products, strong marketing, and loyal customers helped make 2014 Preston’s best year yet.

As one of the most talked about brands in the U.S., Ford has certainly displayed its prominence on the Delmarva Peninsula with Preston Ford showing the way. “Since 1975, Preston Ford has offered one of the largest Ford inventories on the East Coast, low Ford prices, and one of the best buying experiences any dealership offers,” said Diane Vincent, assistant to Preston Ford’s owner. After Ford Motor Company declined to take the government bailout money back in the fall of 2008, Ford restructured and began putting out a better selection of Ford vehicles.

During 2014, Preston Ford was able to become the 72nd Ford Dealer in the Nation. Previously, Preston Ford was able to finish 93rd in 2010, 89th in 2011, and 90th in 2013 in Ford sales. This past year has been the best finish ever for the Ford dealership. “Sitting outside of a town with about 803 people, Preston Ford owes its success to loyal local buyers and to Ford buyers from over 18 states in December alone,” said Ms. Vincent.

The Top 100 Sales drive has been running for the past 5 years with tremendous success for Preston Ford. Most recently, David Wilson Jr. began the Mission Possible sales event where they set goals and objectives for the month of December for their store to achieve. These goals were to be #1 in the Region and a Top 10 Ford Dealer for the month of December. Each year the dealer has been able to achieve these goals and this year Preston Ford ended up as #1 in the Washington D.C. Region and 5th Ford Dealer in the U.S. for December 2014.

“The final month of the year is always the busiest time of year for us,” said Dave Wilson Sr., president of Preston Automotive Group, “The showroom fills up and everyone is busy with two or three deals at once. You can feel the excitement and energy; I love this time of year.” This past December, Preston Ford was able to sell 444 new Fords. “Marketing strategy included deep price discounts and a huge build-up of new Ford inventory. However it was the local community’s support that helped them skyrocket December sales,” said Ms. Vincent.

Top sellers during 2014 and December were the Ford F-150, Ford Explorer, Ford Fusion, and Ford Escape. So what’s next for Preston Ford? “2014 was our best finish yet and I think what is next is to continue with the largest Ford inventory on the East Coast, keeping our prices the lowest, and providing our customers with the best buying experience of any Dealership,” says David Wilson Jr,, vice president of Preston Automotive Group.

As 2014 ended, 2015 gives birth to a whole new year of sales and expectations to be met. Ford Motor Company recently introduced new 2015 models that are expected to raise sales over the next year. “The all-new 2015 Ford F-150 is currently at Preston Ford with more inventories on the way,” said Dave Wilson Jr.