More Mustangs=More Money=Not a great plan

That Ford Focus needs to changed.

I can see Ford’s Mustang market managers in a room right now…

Bill: So how many different Special Edition Mustangs do you think we can produce before we beat the horse to death.

Bob: hehe funny pun there Bill but in all seriousness our market research shows that with the widspread ADD among most mustang buyers they won’t remember from year to year what special edition mustang was released the year before.

Mary: Ok so if we just change the name and the interior and exterior colors every year without doing anything substantial to the vehicle we can sell a different special edition every year then.

Bob: Exactly Mary profits should be substantial as the only changes to each special edition will be minor comsmetic ones that the majority of buyers won’t notice.

Bill: Well it is settled then get a team together to go through all of the mustang history and pick out all of the names that have any signfigance and we will just start going through them till we run out then rinse and repeat.

Mary: But how should we decide which name to use first?

Mark: Hmhh well I know I have been kind of quiet back here but I think I have the solution to this problem. It is the same way I pick all of my stocks.

Mary, Bob and BIll all lean in to hear the genius idea.

Mark: We will put all of the names up on a large board and have monkeys throw darts at them. The first name they hit we will use first and then the second second and so on and so forth.

Mary, Bob and Bill stunned by the genius that is standing in front of them can only gape in awe.

Mary: Mark that is brillian can I have your children?

Bob and Bill in unison: Yes Mark can we have your children too?

Mark: There is plenty of me to go around.

Hey people, they are doing something positive and trying to react positively to their situation. Call it what you will … it’s better to fight and that is what they are doing.

Go Ford!

TALK IS CHEAP

This is a good step in the right direction. Ford’s problem has always been a ridiculously long redesign schedule. The press release addresses that. Now as long as they can nail these new & redesigned products and in a timely manner, they will be ok.

From the press release:
1. Five Hundred/Freestyle/Montego Redesigns (2007)
2. Focus Redesign (2008)
3. NEW B & C sized small cars (2008-2010)
4. NEW Lincoln MKS (2008)
5. Escape/Mariner Redesign (2007)
6. NEW Fairlane-derived crossover (2008)
7. F-150 Redesign (2008)
8. NEW Edge/MKX (Now)

I also noticed that the Town Car will NOT be discontinued, as originally thought.
Time will tell!

Heelarious British_Rover! Thanks for so creatively saying how ridiculous it is for Ford to create a “Special Edition” for EVERY year. A special edition should have something truly special about it not just a stupid emblem or tacked-on piece of plastic like a hood scoop.

Great. Go Ford Go!

“A revised Focus”?? How long can they continue to revise the same old thing. Bring over the attractive Euro Focus already, or something. If it’s broke, fix it.

a special edition each year generates alot of buzz. as long as it is a limited run. Scion releases a special edition each year for each model with anywhere from 1900-2500 for the whole country. i have the xB RS3, 80% of them where sold before they got to the dealers lot. i had to wait nearly 3 months for mine. when rumors of the next release series start to surface the scion community goes nuts. a limited run of say 2500-3000 Mustangs would be huge, look at the buzz around the GT500. Each years package needs to be totally unique, one needs to be performance oriented (no back seat, lightweight body panels yada yada) the next should be an all show kinda thing with a nice appearance package and wheels. Make the exterior a unique colors one that cant be found on any other model. it can, and should be done. it will give ford the attention they need. it will get ppl into the showrooms.

All you need to do is log into FORD.UK and see what we’re missing. Those of you stuck in 1970 will certainly say; “Not F’ing much!” … but Ford would have a whole new customer stream that they don’t have with warmed over 150’s and Excursions. …and the UK makes a profit; how hard is that to ignore?!

j im

Agreed regarding Mustang overexposure.

They should *focus* their efforts on a true redesign of the Focus, heh.

In the UK the new S-Max is getting people who wouldn’t buy an MPV or Wouldn’t buy a Ford to buy a FOrd MPV and in big numbers too

Im buying a GM now that they have the 100,000 mile warranty. That really sold me. Focus sucks

Special additions could be a good thing. I agree with Mitch that the Mach 1 and the Bullit are cool. A Boss would be cool, too. The Cali Special is blah. Nothing but an appearance package. The new Shelby GT500, to me, is more than just selling a name. Being the most powerful mustang ever, and actually having Carrol Shelby involved makes it more than just a name to me. I’m glad the GT500 made it into production. The Shelby GT’s are ok, but if it were replaced with a Boos that’d be cooler. To get a good idea about how cool a Boss could be, check out the special edition Parnelli Jones Boss that Saleen makes. If only I had the money for one…

I would love to see European Fords over here, especially the Mondeo, but the economics of building cars in hi cost Europe and selling them in the US just won’t work at that end of the market while the Dollar is so weak. VW is losing money at the moment on every car is brings to N America from Europe.

Meh…I drove my uncle’s Mondeo back in 2003, and I really don’t see what’s to like. The steering is “stiff”, the clutch is a PITA, it has ugly styling… :-/

I think the Focus is going to be like the fox Mustang, 25 or so years before we get the one we should of had 10-15 years ago. By the time we get the current Euro Focus the lucky bastards in Europe will be driving around in gen IV Focuses (Foci?). Ford should also think heavily about importing cars from Australia if it wants people to by its cars. There’s a reason Americans are not buying Fords when it gives its home country crap while it gives everyone else the good stuff.

The Mondeo’s styling is a matter of opinion, I had a mondeo in Ireland it was the best car available in its class at the time, when I came to the US I got a Passat, I would have bought a Ford if there was a similar one worth consideration. Sure we would all like to be driving BMWs but mortgages, kids, schools, 529s blah blah blah

The MKS only gets a V6?! Thats a big no-no Lincoln! Better make a turbo performance edition or a future v8 better be in works.

Where’s the Lincoln coupe?! We want a Lincoln coupe! The Cadillac CTS coupe is going to blow the BMW M3 away. Ford needs to be in the mix.

Ford needs to start sticking to its concept vehicle. They design the nicest vehicles only to water them down on the production models.

Why Ford even make 7 different Mustangs I don’t know. Leave that for all the aftermarket divisions. Cervini makes a nice GT500 kit for it already. Offer 3 different trims and just update the engines every year. The new Chevrolet Camaro is looking NICE by the way. Don’t see the need for all the different types every year.

Ford vehicles are just looking boring lately. Their cars don’t really have personailties. The exterior design can make or break a car. If it doesn’t say “I was put together by the best”, people wont buy it. It can have all sorts of gadgets in it and performance can be great, but if its ugly people dont want it in their driveway.

I really hope that revised Focus will mean “The chassis isn’t still based on the old one or we have significantly changed it to update for the new model year” and not “It’s got a new bumper and the headlights are now 5mm further apart”

Ford says it’s cost-prohibitive to bring the Euro Focus to america, yet it’s not cost-prohbitive to keep a car with the same design for too long? And I’m with the people who wonder exactly why there needs to be a special edition ’stang for every single year. What gives, man?

LOL BritishRover.. perhaps the discovery of all those monkeys on the payroll is what forced Billy Ford to step down? Hehe!

Forget about the Ford UK website.. all you have to do to see the key to US Ford’s future is to go to the Ford.MX Mexico website.. aside from the old Focus being sold there too, there are several B-class vehicles that could easily be brought here to fill the void.. and rumor has it that the 3rd-gen Focus will be built in Mexico as well as the UK, so we should get it here when they do.

Ford really needs to get their global act together and pool their resources to build true “World Cars”.. the next Mondeo and Fusion should share platforms, as should the Crown Vic and the Aussie Falcons. And of course, ONE Focus for the WORLD!

lee oswald, i personally can’t wait for the 2008 F-150 either, but only so that I can see the new 2007 Tundra kick the redesigned F-150’s ass at its own game.

What the MKS is getting is not just any V6, you all will just have to wait and see. I’m excited to see what the future holds for Ford.