People will flock to Ford to buy internal combustion cars if they do it correctly. Start by Developing a contemporary and desirable American design language. The ovalesque 2nd generation taurus and the skull numbingly mundane J. Mays follow-up attempts were not desirable. They did not represent anything definable as even style, much less American style. To making the running gear “right”, start with European chassis dynamics with some lightweight materials used for construction. Saving weight is less expensive and more practical than technology that doesn’t really exist. Add IC engines that are competitive and practical. Make HP ample but not excessive. Today’s family sedans can out accelerate most 60’s era muscle cars and Ferrari’s made more than 20 years ago. I’d rather have my car lose a little bit of time in irrelevant magazine slalom, roll-on and 0-60 acceleration tests than pay lots of money to haul around batteries that only get charged during deceleration. Factor in the requisite narrow, high pressure, hard compound tires that makes stopping this mass in an emergency so much fun and hybrids become even more of a car for those who don’t get physics.

By the way, UAW people, you have to be competitive in cost with employees at the non-big three domestic plants. All of us who aren’t nuts (dang, I hope that’s me) want to see you survive. Your standing in heavy traffic, you have to take of the blinders to not fall out of the occupational gene pool. You have proven that you can be as productive and as successful at quality as any other employees in the world. Now you have to cross the competitive cost threshold.

Get real Ford and the UAW.

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