This is just one person’s suggestion…thanks for reading.

Amen, brutha.

At least GM has made the majority of their lineup more than competitive and worth considering for the past 5-6 years
Ford and Chrysler has consistently underwhelmed the market, so they have never had market share to lose

IF GM’s product initiative is a factor in their problems, at least they made a last stand
Chrysler always has one foot in the grave

I’ve been hearing Ford say they will build competitive vehicles soon for decades
There is a VERY good reason why they always have 15% of the market (about 25% of that is fleet), and nothing more

Back in the late 80′s, early 90′s, they conned the market for a little while
But the true crap always sinks to the bottom
Kinda like RoadAMS’ posts
DrFill

No Cross Overs are replacing SUVs not Mini Vans the are not in the same League at all, Chrysler Leads All in Mini Vans Always have and from Volkswagen who Actually Invented the Mini Van Field Chrysler’s Mini Van

-Sarge

Ford has very few competitive products, at least compared to companies like GM
They need to worry about competiting dynamically with the market, before worrying about how much money to throw on the hood

The next Taurus wil compete with cars like the Passat and Maxima, not Camry and Accord
The F-150 is still a year from being truly competitive
Ranger and no minivan show true failure
Escape and Focus haven’t improved in almost 10 years

Ford has a lot of work to do
But don’t they always?
DrFill”

@DrFill

I think we need to back up the proverbial truck and take another look at things here.

The first of which is that Ford has legitimate concerns about favoritism popping up with the government owning part of GM and the Chrylser group. I was listening to a public radio show here that made legitmate points about government contracts which are currently filled by Ford Motor Co. going to Chrysler or GM as it’s in the governments best interest for those two companies to succeed in business.

The second thing is what you’ve said about Ford catching up. Ford’s current lineup as of the beginning of this year was easily on par with what GM was producing at the same time and well above competing products from the Chrysler group. The difference is in the plan of attack. GM and Chrysler’s plans of attack at the moment seem scattered and unpreppared while Ford obviously seems to have a leg up on them — afterall they seem to have avoided bankruptcy pretty well.

I do agree with what you said about Taurus. Taurus will be a full sized vehicle. Fusion is the competitor to the later vehicles in your statement and while it’s not the top seller I can tell you first hand that the new Fusion is a fantastic vehicle that can easily hold its own.

Next, the truck market. If I remember correctly, Ford has a pretty good replacement for the Ranger in the works and it’s a good thing. If they’re as smart I think they are, they’ll start removing focus from the F-150 and other full sized trucks. Let’s face it, the large truck market is shrinking and I don’t see it growing any time soon.

No minivan? No problem. Aside from Honda, Toyota, the Hyundai/Kia group, and the Chrylser group, everyone is jumping off that ship. Why continue to produce minivans and SUVs when Crossovers are easily poised to replace both genres?

While I can’t speak for the Escape, I can speak for the Focus… Specifically that there’s a new one in the canon based off of a global platform and that’s where the trick lies. Watch for Ford in the near future to release much of it’s vehicle base based on global platforms which will lower costs and increase it’s ability to meet changing demands on a wider basis. How many years have I heard about people wanting Ford vehicles from Europe to be imported here? It looks like the time is finally coming.

The point of all of this being if “Ford has very few competitive products, at least compared to companies like GM. They need to worry about competiting dynamically with the market, before worrying about how much money to throw on the hood” were a true statement, then the financial woes here would be reversed and it would be Ford filing for chapter 11. Let’s face it, regardless of the recession, GM was headed “throttle to the floor” toward chapter 11. The recession may have just gotten them there a little quicker.

I will say though that I hope and pray that both Chrysler and GM come out of this much leaner and prepared for a new market. I look forward to seeing Mopar and the GM performance division rise from the ashes and prepared to start a new, and look forward to seeing the fantastic new products that will be on the streets from them.

Ask Ford where the next Taurus will target the market
The SHO will approach $40k
Taurus will match, or exceed, the Ford Five Hundred target market
Think Maxima, VW CC, Passat, Genesis
You have to work to get a Camry up to $30k!
The Fusion is Ford’;s answer to the Camry/Accord

Ford Fusion Hybrid is better than the Malibu Hybrid
But I’d take a Malibu over a Fusion in a hot second
I hate the IP of the Fusion. Way too low. Poor ergonomics.
That’s just me

Gizmo
You can be a top-seller and be non-competitive in power, features, safety, performance
Inside Line just tested the F-150 against the other trucks in it’s class, and it came in last because it can’t run with the other trucks. It can barely tow itself, much less a stated 11k load.
A full-size truck is only as good as it’s engines.
When they someday get the new engines, then the F-150 will be competitive

Fusion is at least competitive
And the F-250
I can’t think of anything else worth considering at Ford
They talk about the future, because there isn’t much happening there presently
Lincoln is worse off than Ford
Almost as much of an embarrasment as Mercury

Ford is all talk, has been since I worked there 10 years ago.
Back then they made low-quality crap
Now they make higher quality crap
It’s craptastic!
I’m proud to be an American
DrFill

If you Ford Motor Co. have $1Billion for “ADVERTISEMENT & INCENTIVES” for the year, and Chrysler & GM has $3 Billion each for “ADVERTISEMENT & INCENTIVES” for the year also.

Don’t you all think that is the concern that Ford Execs. are expressing on.

A unfair advantage that YOU AND I are paying for with our TAXES!!!!

Put your self’s in that position, won’t that be your concern also???

That is the point of this topic, not all the BLAA-BLAA-B.S. everyone has posted….

the government is there to save companies when that company’s complete failure would be a greater evil…what you’re arguing is that AIG should have been allowed to fail, which may have lead to a crash of global financial markets…i repeat *global* financial markets…great depression stuff here, man…

let me put it to you this way…you’re standing on the precipice of economic instability that hasn’t been witnessed in 80 years…there is the potential for a crash of huge proportions…your argument would have it that the government should stand by and watch as the AIGs of the world implode and extreme damage is done to the global economy…my argument is that while it may be distasteful, it is better to step in and put the government’s money in there than risk the consequence of doing nothing…

companies are generally more valuable in bankruptcy if they’re allowed to operate…you net less profit by selling a company in liquidation than you do by letting them continue business…i don’t have a reference for you for that, but i heard it on npr the other day and it makes sense…liquidating GM today won’t net as much cash as siphoning the money back out of GM when it’s profitable in 10 years, although that future scenario is definitely not assured…the risk is worth it because it lessens the destabilization of the economy right now…

This is an Excellent Read:

The Chryslertakeover Guy Speaks (2001)

http://www.allpar.com/ed/chryslertakeover.html

That is what happens when you have a group of Greedy Idiots Running a Automotive Company

-Sarge

They already do, GM has had a Strangle Hold on the Government Fleet for at least 50 Years !

-Sarge

You are 100% my issue is that in regular Economic times it would be fine, this is an Extra Ordinary time in America when 650,000 Americans are losing their jobs. Letting GM and Chrysler die would have added Millions more on the Streets. which is not good for anyones business at all.

-Sarge

-Sarge

Ford has a business plan that was created a couple years (or less) ago, and they are sticking to it. They are trying to react to the current situation and not give away cost advantages to the “NEW” GM or Chrysler… why is this wrong?

Some people will never buy Ford or GM or Chrysler, but all three are trying to win over new buyers from everyone else… but don’t say that Ford is not competitive compared to GM. Both companies make great products, some are newer in certain segments than others. This will always be the case due to product development cycles. The sales and market share (+/-) will be the evidence of who is competitive, not our opinions.

BORAT- I think I am losing my mind, because I have found myself agreeing with you once in a while lately.
To the 1st sentence: especially when Obama switches the government accounts to his car company.

But, the problem with the “importing” is that the whole world has different emissions and crash test standards, and to make a global car affordable is basically impossible (examples of attempts: dodge caliber, 1st gen ford focus, saturn astra).

Yes it was a mistake that entire auto line had and average of 40 MPG plus, true Gas was cheap and it was low profit but it was an Entry/Economy line anyway. The problem was they transfered production to More Full size SUV. They had Chevy,Olds,Pontiac,Buick,GMC,SATURN and SAAB in the State side Auto Market many more Car Lines during that point in time they should have. During those years cutting Olds and GMC, would have been a Smart Move. Having Chevy take over the complete Truck Division while keeping GEO as pure Economy vehicles with small production numbers. If the GEO Line was still active GM would have made a Killing ! Quality well GM never really pushed quality and The GEO Prism was a Toyota Correct?

-Sarge

Ford has huge accounts with government(s) state and federal and big corporate sales. Can they survive on those? No, that is why Ford “importing” European model. And it takes Ford to “import” longer then for Honda and Toyota to build form scratch.

Your F-150 comment is the best, though. Not competitive until next year? It has continued to be the best truck from any manufacturer for generations. It has been the USA’s bestselling vehicle for 23 years in a row.

I won’t comment on the Ranger, but it still sells. Pretty well at that…

There is no doubt that Ford has a long road ahead, but not competitive?

Companies are created to make a profit and when they don’t, they fail, whether it be market postioning or poor product planning. It’s like a war, you don’t plan it right, you lose and it’s everyone who is under that general’s control that loses. Companies grow and prosper by trying to become more profitable – that’s how job’s are created, that’s how GM became so large.

~Greed is Good~

Looking at April top 10 retail sales Impala (which is very old and sorta replaced by excellent Malibu) was number 9 with 17,500 sales. The Malibu sold almost 15,000 for spot 10. Chevy also had number 3 spot with Silverado (26k). So Chevy had 3 in the top ten retail sales. And GM had the GMC PU’s not included in the above.

Ford had number 2nd place F series with 29,000 and Fusion with 18,000 sales.

Very soon the OLD Cobalt will be replaced by the Cruze which has been getting excellent reviews overseas where it is already on sale.

In looking at all of GM’s “new” GM vehicles there is not really another dog in the bunch except for the Aveo which is a subcompact and sales of ANY sub compact are very low. STS/DTS are old and hopefully replaced but Ford does not really have much to even compete in those segments. But every other vehicle, I believe, are very competitive.

I just do not get your analysis.

Ford Co. CEO Steps Down Amid Record Losses

Day to Day, September 6, 2006 · Bill Ford has stepped down as president and CEO of Ford Motor Co., the car manufacturing giant founded by Ford’s great-grandfather. The giant car manufacturer has struggled through a period of slipping profits and shrinking market share.

Jean Jennings, editor-in-chief of Automobile Magazine, talks with Madeleine Brand about the implications of the move.

So before everyone has knee jerk conclusions the truth is Ford was in Dire-Straights before The economy went bad and Fuel Prices Sky Rocketed. They reorganized in a much easier economic climate. I find it quite disturbing that it is so easy for Americans refuse to by a product because the President Of The United States refused to let over a Million of Your Fellow Americans to loose their jobs, because of Greedy/Dumb CEO’s and Management. Yes GM made a huge mistake by dropping the GEO Line and having Twice as many Domestic Car Lines than made sense it todays Automotive World. Chrysler was Raped by Mercedes because of a move made by a greedy Board Of Directors.

-Sarge

Ford has very few competitive products, at least compared to companies like GM
They need to worry about competiting dynamically with the market, before worrying about how much money to throw on the hood

The next Taurus wil compete with cars like the Passat and Maxima, not Camry and Accord
The F-150 is still a year from being truly competitive
Ranger and no minivan show true failure
Escape and Focus haven’t improved in almost 10 years

Ford has a lot of work to do
But don’t they always?
DrFill