Sales of Ford's F series trucks are down 25 percent over the past two years, Wolkonowicz said.
Ford readily admits that it focused too much on the larger vehicles and not enough on the smaller ones.
"We lost our eye on the car market," said company spokeswoman Marisa Bradley.
The decline in market share and overall sales has also led to a strategy of consolidation. The company has been counseling area dealerships to give up operations if they're at all inclined.
"We have too many dealers," Bradley said. Last year, 211 Ford dealerships, about 5 percent of the total, closed down, selling their operations to nearby competitors that offer multiple brands from one retail location.
Ferd H. Onnen sold Towson Ford, which he had owned since 1981, early last year after realizing he could make more by developing the York Road property than by selling cars.
"In metro areas, what's happened is the value of the real estate has surpassed the value of the franchise," he said. "Ultimately, you have to be pragmatic about your future and what makes best sense for all involved. In reality, I just did not see a future selling domestic products in this metro area."
General Motors kicked off the consolidation trend years back, analysts said, combining Pontiac, Buick and GMC. There's also the Ford, Lincoln and Mercury trio, and earlier this year, Chrysler said it planned to combine Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge at dealerships. This month, Cadillac, Saab and Hummer announced plans for a similar triple play.
"The mom-and-pop dealerships of days of old is not the model anymore; it's the mega-dealership," Wolkonowicz said. "The guy who wants to be an independent can't anymore."
Consolidation is often accompanied by other adjustments meant to stave off failure. Many companies are focusing on selling less-expensive used cars, letting staff go and cutting other costs, including their electricity use.
But it also takes a certain love of the business and the product - the kind that borders on the obsessive - to bother to survive.
"It's a business that's concentrated in two interests: One's cars, and the other's people. I would say you need a passion for both those areas to be successful today in the car business," said Chip Doetsch, who owns Apple Ford in Columbia.
He used to own Apple Lincoln Mercury on Belair Road, but he sold it last year after considering the declining market share, management changes within the operation and how best to spread his resources.
