Hmmmm….do they know about the new 250hp 3.5L V6 that’s coming to replace the 3.0l? Have they seen what else is in the pipeline? I think the future looks brighter than ever.

While 71 bhp / liter is an improvement, that’s hardly worth tooting about. Something that seems to be lost to the American public and corporation is that a car is more than just the engines output and how fast it is in a straight line. The build quality, tactile feel, the durability, the way the car corners, etc… are all integral parts on the ‘total car’ experience.

Jon.

Yes, Ford does lack Focus, namely the Euro edition which should be sold here.

Sorry, cheap shot and bad pun, but someone had to say it!

Joseph Barker, senior manager of global sales forecasting for CSM Worldwide, said Ford badly needs “edgier cars and trucks that exude passion.

C’mon..! Does Toyota have much ‘passion’? ..but they make money. Does Honda have much ‘passion’? You can’t make Ford into Porsche or BMW; it’s not their customer.

I want Ford to make a solid car. I want ‘passion’ in the quality of materials like VW… I want ‘passion’ in the quality of engineering the assures me of a problem-free vehicle for 100,000mi+. I want Ford to make a F-150 car. ..the companies that make money do.

Maybe it’s because Ford does not make a linear presentation. They bounce around from the passion of the Mustang thru the utility of F-350 without capturing any attention in the middle. Who knows…

j i m

Im going to copy what I said a couple days ago…
I have a great idea for Ford.
How about they stop neglecting the U.S.A and bring over some of their cars from Europe. It seems like they either have better talent there, or they are just focusing all their attention to the Europeans.
Take a look at the following models…
-Ford S-max (not available yet)
-Ford Focus (their version)
-Ford Focus Cabriolet
-Ford Focus ST (very nice compared to SVT)
-Ford Focus RS (no longer produced)
-Ford Fiesta
-Ford Mondeo
-Ford Iosis (not available yet)
-Ford FPV Line(Austrailia only, makes mustang look like a kia)
ALL of those cars aren’t available in the U.S.A and would be flying out the showrooms if they were. All we have that they want overseas is the Mustang & the GT(which is NOW available) Wooptie doo!
(BTW…all you people who love the mustang(i do), take a look here and see what Ford ISN’T giving us…
http://www.fpv.com.au/

You can see where all their “passion & focus” are.

I love analysts. Whenever an analyst suggests something to you, do the opposite. This guy is about 6 months behind on all his information. If anything, I am very bullish on Ford’s outlook over the next year. They will be introducing several new big sellers.

1) Ford Edge. The Edge should help recapture all the lost Explorer sales.
2) Lincoln MKX. A true domestic competitor to the RX. Sales should be better than the MKZ.
3) MKZ with AWD and 3.5. AWD is a big hit for Ford. Expect the MKZ to improve on its already great 40k a year sales pace.
4) Volvo C30. A great entry level car for Volvo. The S80 is also finally segment competitive.
5) LR2. Judging from what I’ve seen of it, it should be an even bigger hit for Land Rover than the the Sport.
6) Light duty truck diesels. The Super Duty 6.4 is a vast improvement over the problem riddled 6.0. The 3.6/4.4 CGI motor that will see duty in the F150 and Expedition should likewise spur sales.
7) Redesigned 500 looks to be a winner this time around. Expect vastly improved sales.
Redesigned Escape. The market is getting hot for small utes and the redesigned Escape should hit at the right time to take advantage.

Problems I see:

1) Ford Ranger. Right when the full size segment is beginning to see weakness, Ford has managed to let the once class leading Ranger fall into serious disrepair. A damn travesty of piss poor management.

2) Ford Focus. Saturn is bring the Astra. Hopefully Ford will come to its senses and follow with the Euro Ford. But from what I’ve seen that won’t happen til next decade. Right when other car companies are seeing increases in sales in the most frugal models, Ford has let their competitor languish unloved. Shame on Ford.

3) Mercury. Not sure what Mercury is for. Its a drain on resources currently. Ford needs to follow Saturn’s lead and let Mercury be a brand for Ford Worldwide.

4) Jaguar. Wow, what a continuously floundering marque. We’ll see if they can manage to follow through with their effort to follow Porsche’s lead.

I’m with mooseman on this one. The analysts are hopelessly behind on Ford’s current designs and vehicles. Also, which market segment are they talking about? Yeah, many enthusiasts may find some of the designs a bit boring (e.g., Ford Five Hundred, Escape, etc.) but we’re a niche market, purchasing exotics like the GT and even the Mustang. No, Ford’s aiming at the consumer who buys the “boring” Camcords, the number one and three best-selling vehicles in the U.S.

While I think Ford is in far better shape than Merkle, I do agree with him on one point. Ford seems to lack consistency and focus. Their product plans seem like darts being thrown at a board, and renaming all the Lincoln brands with forgettable alphanumerics (ala Acura) is just a waste and can only do more do make people forget the Lincoln, America’s most neglected brand, exists. The 3.5 can’t get here soon enough, and it alone won’t solve Fords small and midsize power train needs.

What else is new?

Has this not been the case of teh entire domestic auto industry since at least 1980?
IMHO GM and Ford have been nothing BUT reactionary for the last 3 decades. There has been on focus in Detroit except to attempt to imitate what the foriegn competition has been doing. That is why Ford and GM are in the position they are in today. Both companies droped every unique quality about their products whether it be RWD or large V8s to chase after Toyota and friends.
That battle has been fought and lost. The competition has won leaving FOrd and GM as two identity less companies looking for a purpose.

Pssht, we needed analysts to tell us Ford is behind? Heck, I could become an analyst then!

wow Andre Neves…

you just opened up my eyes. I’ve known on the Focus SVT but that link you provided hammered it home.

come on ford, don’t neglect us

If Ford Europe follow their new design (S-Max and Iosis based) and make the new Focus edgier than ever, I think Ford NA will have to sit up and pay attention. The current flow of Ford Europe’s design is nothing short of exciting.

As for powertrains and engines?

Take heed, you don’t need a big engine for big power.

Even a 1980’s 2 litre YB Cosworth engine can be T66 Turboed for 650bhp.

Handling is something that should be sorted over the pond… Control Blade suspension is very nice stuff, and aussies have put it on their big power v8 RWD monsters, why not our US friends?

Totally agree with the (3) analyst and I’ve been saying the same thing for some time – Ford totally lacks long-term planning. (vs. Toyota’s 20+ year planning and strategic direction)

1) The renaming of theZephyr to the MKZ will do nothing for sales. The Zephyr is selling only because of $4000 incentives and a transaction price in the high $20K range while the market is in the low $30k’s. Thats not a success and the MKZ will do no better because it already has a poor residual value based on these pricing actions. Just look at the value of 2-3 year used Acura TL’s, Infinity G35’s or Lexus ES300’s. Thats because these competitors have a long range plan for their products and Ford is just a price-based seller.

2) The new 3.5 V6 is 2-3 years late to the market where all other major competitors are coming out with upgrades to their 3.5’s to the 300HP range – Ford continues to lag behind.

3) The Range is a perfect example of lack of planning. While fuel prices are reducing sales in the full-size truck market, mid-size trucks are growing, just look at Toyota’s 5th generation Tacoma as the new segment leader following years of continuous improvement and brand investment. While Ford will probably kill the “Ranger” name because they have already destroyed its image as a rental fleet icon and wasted $Millions on marketing.

4) Product design is poor (500, Montego, Free-of-Style, Navi-grator, Explorer, Focus, etc.) when you consider the talent Ford has with J Mays and his group. They should be designing world class product instead of copycat Audi ’s. The ONLY thing that looks good and “orginal” is the Fusion, the Mustang had 40 years of heritage to draw from – they could’ve screwed that up too.

Bottomline – I’ve written Ford off and predict they’ll be #3 behind DCX by 2010.