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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
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Rebates are put on vehicles produced at not Flexible Factories. The rebates on cars but at Flex Factories was never more thatn $1,500. Mustang, Fusion, Milan, Zephyr, 500, Freestyle. I know that Ford is hevily backing the Zephyr leases but no more so than other car lines in this catagory. Also rebates result from some Idiot refusing to put the MSRP inline with transaction cost. If you are a current Town Car owner, right now you can get an 07 TC with almost $10,000 in rebates. Obviously stickering the TC at $50,000 is just a joke. Same with Focus. The Focus launches every model year with a $2,000 rebate. Why can't they just lower the MSRP? Mark. |
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nippononly: Having said that, they DO seem to be the discount brand. There's lots of cash on the hood of many models. How can they be giving cash back amounting to almost 20% or more of the total sticker on the Focus and Ranger? That's the DEFINITION of discount, on two of their more popular models, in two high-volume segments of the biz. I agree, and Ford needs to take action, because in the long run it cannot compete against the Koreans. Look at Honda - when it updates one its models, the top-of-the-line version is more expensive than any of the previous generations' versions. The new Civic, CR-V and Acura MDX all seem to be much more "upscale" than the previous generation. The Fit, meanwhile, is being sold on the "cute" factor, its overall competence and versatility. Notice that, for its size, it really isn't all that inexpensive. This tells me that Honda is trying to move away from the Koreans, particularly Hyundai. Fighting over the bottom of the market, especially in view of Hyundia's lower cost structure, is a battle that Honda obviously believes it cannot ultimately win. How will Ford compete?
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Replying to: mschmal (Oct 15, 2006 4:07 am) The Five Hundred. This car has no clue what its trying to be. Five Hundred - the Edsel of Bill Jr. You're right, it's pretty conflicted. It's actually a very versatile car, huge back seat, hugh trunk, tall seating, very comfy. But they tried to give is old Avalon styling, with a Passat roofline. Talk about a car designed by committee. That is what you get when you do that and have no courage. Imagine the courage it took for Donald Peterson to bring out the 83 Thunderbird, which actually started the road back for Ford. I knew they had a winner there, when I was in Maui in 83, and rented a Red Thunderbird to drive, and the guy behind me, who owned a Mercedes back home, (I owned a Fairmont at the time) told me, "Ford made that one right". And after driving it, I agreed, and went home and ordered up a Gold 84. Then the Tempo in 84, and the Taurus in 86 changed the automotive world. Those were Bold Moves. They should scrap the Five Hundred entirely, and the name too. Mulally should dump the Alliterative Naming strategy and bring out a new Crown Victoria that is fully updated. That car still has a good reputation, even in it's current neglected condition. The Five Hundred is irreparable IMO. |
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Replying to: grbeck (Oct 15, 2006 4:51 am) How indeed will Ford compete? Honda has clearly mapped out a strategery to add value to their cars over the Hyundai, which is what Honda used to be. Hope that works. But Ford? This is why I feel Ford and GM are doomed at the bottom market. Discounting your way to profitability worked for Walmart, but nobody else has figured that out so well. And this is why I feel it would be a mistake to sell the Euro nameplates, because if run correctly, they could end up being what Ford becomes. It's a niche that won't go away. Nurtured properly, it may be their salvation. Ford can still be a truck maker for now at least, but they haven't done small cars in America right ever. They lose money on every Focus as it is. All it does is squash the CAFE rating for them. I would quit trying to compete with the Japanese and now Koreans in the small car biz. You can't win. |
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I have seen a lot of people point to the five hundred as a bad bad car. I haven't driven one, so i don't know, but it doesn't *seem* that bad. I mean, granted, it's not an enthusiast car, and this is an enthusiast forum. But aren't a lot of people in the market for a big car with upright seating that gets decent gas mileage and doesn't cost a lot?
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Replying to: dhanley (Oct 15, 2006 4:53 pm) The 3.0l that is in there now is a stop gap until Ford was happy with the 3.5. I think that will do a lot to address its major shortcoming. I also thought I heard they are switching from the CVT to the GM/Ford 5spd auto. Perception is a fickle thing. |
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mark on this, but somehow, deep in the recesses of many of us, me included, we all WANT Ford/GM to come out with great products that we are proud to buy, run well, last long (at least as long as the imports seem to have the reputation for going), but many of us see the imports as better because of friends or personal experience... I had two Hondas, both 1988s, that lasted 165K and 180K respectively, both with basic maintenance, oil, tires, brakes, and the major tuneups every 75K miles...I am sols on Honda... Yet, I have been buying American since 1998...a Regal, Intrepid, Sable, and now Crown Vic and Ram 1500...they are good vehicles, altho the Regal was not, and I do feel that import dashboards do not look like they are from the 60s, because they did not exist in the 60s, whereas my Crown Vic could be updated at least to the 90s, if not the new millenium... I will probably stay American, altho the Santa Fe/Veracruz SUVs do intrigue me...but after my Honda experience, I can truly see why folks who try Toyota or Honda desert the Big 3 forever... |
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This car is about a B- when Ford really needed an A+ Mark |
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| The excitement that existed with the Ford Taurus from 1986 until the disasterous re-style of 1996 will not happen with the current Ford 500- too plain vanilla. But I always thought that it would make a swell taxicab or fleet vehicle- heck, maybe a police car. At some point the old Crown Vic has to die, I doubt if Ford wants to replace it with another big V8 rear drive car. But the room and trunk space of the Ford 500 would make it seem like a fleet dream car. | |
| Let's talk more specifically about Ford's most recent issue in our Ford Recall Woes discussion. This one's gotten a bit general, but specific new topic ideas are welcome! | |
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