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Automotive News & Views What about the future of Ford Inc?? 
1858 messages, Last post on Oct 16, 2006 at 6:25 AM
You are in the Automotive News & Views Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & claires
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I'm worried about Ford, I'm confused about Ford, I'm thinking the best thing for Ford would be for ALL of the Ford family to get out of management altogether and let some new talent run that company. It's all over the place!! You have a mega-hit with the Mustang, AGAIN, creating the retro market in other companies now. And the product is very very good. They still produce IMO, the best pickup trucks and SUVs in the market (by design, at least). Then, they produce the 500 and the Fusion. I'm at odds with the world on these, because I rather like the 500 on the inside, and I hate the Fusion on the inside. Both need an engine they just can't get going. Both are butt ugly cars to me. The Focus is languishing like an old old lady in a rest home. Mercury and Lincoln are a sad parody of their past now. Probably one decision I think was a good one was holding on to the Panther cars, since the rest of the world gave up RWD sedans years ago. Ford has made a haul off of taxi and police cars and livery service for the Town Car. These cars are indestructable, cheap to buy, cheap to run, dead bang reliable, and fully depreciated so the profit margin on them is terrific. I see Mr. Mullaly, as one of his first edicts, put his hand up to stop the sword of death that Bill had imposed on this line of cars, and saved them from being killed after 07. Smart move, since they are a major provider of income for the company. When Jacques Nasser was President of Ford, contributions to the Republican party were large, nothing to Bill Clinton's party. Now, Bill Ford supports the Environmentalists and every gay cause he can find out about. So, the politics have certainly changed. OTOH, Nasser was a diversity king, and got rid of as many white male engineers as he could, in favor of "diversity". Unfortunately, some of these engineers knew what they were actually doing, and now work for Toyota, who is looking for more Anglo faces in their otherwise Asian crowd of employees. As I said, this company is schitzophrenic. I can't figure them out. I still have a soft spot in my heart for them, but I don't know who they are anymore..... 
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Replying to: marsha7 (Oct 10, 2006 9:26 am) I thought the banks had gotten the congress to change what could be discharged through bankuptcy and credit cards weren't part of that any more. So if someone charges lots of auto accessories on their credit card it will have to be paid? |
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Replying to: marsha7 (Oct 10, 2006 9:26 am) That's too harsh. I wouldn't say that workers "shirked" their responsibility to plan for retirement...it's more like the company put forward proposals relating to pensions, medical benefits, etc., the union agreed to them, and the contract was created. The workers depended on the contract. What happened is that no one - the workers, union or company management - foresaw the day when non-unionized transplant operations would capture a siginificant share of the market for brand-new vehicles in the United States. Now GM, Ford and Chrysler must shrink to reflect their reduced status in the U.S., but their obligations aren't shrinking in tandem. |
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Replying to: fintail (Oct 10, 2006 10:00 am) |
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The bankruptcy laws did change as of Oct 17, 2005, last year, but an analysis was done and it seems that about 90% of the folks who qualified under the old law for Ch 7 still qualify under the new law...it did place income limits on those filing for Ch7, but, most of the folks needing a 7 come in well under those income limits...once you lose your overtime or your job, coming in under median income limits (Georgia...all numbers approximate...household of 1, $36,400; HH of 2, $43,000; HH of 3, $49,000; HH of 4, $56,000...so, here in semi-rural Georgia, if a husband/wife/2 kids earn combined income under $56K, and have under $20K home equity, they easily qualify for a Ch7 in about 30 seconds...  ) So, some folks are forced in 13s, but not really that many...I think the hype was much more than the substance, altho the work for the atty has doubled, so fees have increased and they raised the filing from $274 to 299, added $100 for credit counseling fees, so filing now costs almost $400.00... So, for the person who has no money to pay bills, he now must spend almost $300 more than last year...what a country...
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Friends of Clinton spearheaded '180 in 180' campaign http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061011/AUTO01/610110363/1148- Rocky
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As workers decide whether to take buyout, automaker plans to hold workshops, job fairs. http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061010/AUTO01/610100366/1148- Rocky P.S. Glad to see a bad situation, have at least some good.
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