BlueSky

Go to www.fordboldmoves.com and watch the episodes.

I think that what they are doing with this documentary is quite admirable.

On the other hand all of the Ford cars pretty much suck. What they lack is attention to detail which the Japanese excel at. Have you ever been in a new Mustang? I plopped down in one a few weeks ago and felt like I had trapped myself in a tupperware nightmare. Terrible quality of materials.

They are talking about change in the documentary...when is it gonna happen?

swoope

iTrader: (5)

yep,

they suck.

but your

bad brakes
bad alignment
marbles in can
rattle in dash
bad gas mileage
rattle in door
rattle in glove box
clutch noise 1
clutch noise 2
rear end noise
syncro noise
clutch noise 3 in neutral
broken nose

did i miss something here????? yep them pacific rim cars are much better than the fords..

just keepin it real... crossfire.

beers

swoope

iTrader: (5)

sorry,
i missed your 6th gear issue. but that was 6steelstrings wasent it???

riiiiighhhht..

beers

GotBass

I rented a mustang convertable in Hawaii a few months ago. I thought it was pretty nice. Would never buy one but I thought that it was the nices american car I have ever been in.

Secondly I think that the Euros still blow the japanees cars out of the water in interior quality. My previous car was a 95 volvo and everything about the inside of the car was nicer than any Japaneese Car.

BlueSky

The episodes are very entertaining to watch actually. They want to turn a profit by 2008. If they can totally revamp their model lineup, I think they can. They obviously have some smart minds.

N rider89

swoope is funny

saturn

I personally think that this is an interesting move by Ford. If they are genuinely interested in making cars that people want and not just using this as some stupid marketing gimmick, it may have a chance to work. However, knowing what people want is one thing -- having the ability, knowledge, and business strategy to do it is another.

The only thing Ford does right is their pickup truck line (sales speak for themselves) and their European cars (at least the look of them). The American market is so broad that trying to make cars that satisfy everyone is impossible. They have to pick a segment and attack it.

It should be interesting to see where this goes. I don't hold out a lot of hope, but it would be great to see them succeed nonetheless.

mysql101

So I guess dropping SVT is part of their bold move.... kick ***!

Clavius

Saturn said it best they need to pick a segment and attack it.

Clavius

I thought they just rolled SVT back into Ford and stopped using the title hence the Shelby name plate and not SVT. Though I do know alot of people who are sad they are not making any new Lightings

mysql101

last I read, they killed SVT, but there's still a car coming in 2007 with SVT because it was too late to remove it.

edit: first google match: http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do...ticleId=109512

Clavius

Maybe this is part of their plan by scrapping SVT?
I always liked how each company usualy had their own special limited company backed racing development team produced car. SRT is taking off, TRD is well known, Nismo is slowly picking up steam. Hopefully Ford realize's this and lets SVT sit for a year or two then bring it back with a full line of SVT cars. Though not a ford guy myself I did have respect for their products.

BlueSky

They tried that with the SUV segment. Look where that got 'em.

I agree with the idea of going after one segment, but they need to make sure to pick the right one.

Merc63

Look where that got them? Yeah, the number 1 selling SUVs (even if they weren't the best ones out there, they did rake in the sales on Explorers and Expeditions). Hell, the term "SUV" was invented by Ford to sell the Explorer in the '80s... (even though vehciles that could've been called SUVs had been around for decades at that point, the term itself was an invented marketing tool. And an effective one at that).

I'd say they picked the right segment there. So what if it's time to move to another segment now? Maybe they can invent another segment...

zoom44

they need to attack the b segment. it appears they are positioning to doing that already with amove to manufacturing them in mexico. but it needs to be an all new design soemthing beter than the current Ka. more like a mini

BlueSky

No. Look where that got to where they are now. SUV sales are on the decline. Japanese car sales are up, especially Toyota's because they are fuel effecient and high in quality. Ford is in trouble primarily because they put all their eggs in one basket: SUVs and Trucks. They totally ignored the passenger car market: sedans, compact sedans, sports coupes, etc.

This is why Ford is in trouble. Nobody wants their SUVs anymore. People want quality passenger sedans that are comfortable and refined and get good gas mileage.

The one hit they did have was the Focus, and mainly because it was very European. I think that should have been a big enough hint to them.

Sephiroth

Very well said Merc63.

Toyota is not what it once used to be. They were at their best i think in the early to mid 90s and then downhill from there.

It's clear that Ford and GM are turning it around, it's very good to see.

Merc63

So? You talk about them getting in the right segment NOW. Nothing's stopping them, just like nothing was stopping anyone ELSE from jumping on the SUV bandwagon. It was not the wrong segment for them, and they rode it for TWO DECADES! So what if it's NOW time to move on? It got them to the top of sales in a segment, which was not a bad place to be.



I agree that they ignored the other markets. But that's not because the SUVs were a bad market to be in. Toyota did both cars AND SUVs, while Ford did rentals and SUVs and trucks. That does not make the segment the wrong one to be in, simply that they should have done BOTH.


Actually people are still buying their SUVs and trucks. The probelm is that they don't have a large range of small cars to go along with them. or, more accurately, they do, but people aren't buying them in the same numbers.

It was also a quality strike against them. Or more to the point,a percieved quality strike against them, especially in the later years when actual quality had gone way up. But, the Focus is still around, the Fusion is avaiaoble and a good quality car, the 500 is slightly boring but better styled than the Accord or Camry, but the real fact is, no matter HOW good they are, or how good they become, people will not buy them. Why? Because they aren't Japanese. Simple as that. Toyota can have just as many recalls, and have just as many quality problems (and they are lately) but will always get cut slack, and retain high sales. Ford could make a perfect car and stil not sell as well in those basic car segments, because perception is everything.

The Contour (and especially the SVT version I had) was an excellent car, and COMPLETELY European. And it's sales were modest at best.

OTOH, Ford ownes Volvo, Range Rover, jaguar, Aston Martin and a plenty good chunk of Mazda. They've made their premium brands profitable. Maybe they just don't feel the need to make a vast quantity of economy cars, that don't make much money anyhow. That's a question only they can answer.

bascho

^ well put Merc.

snizzle

I was wondering when you were going to show up bascho.

Nothing else to add to Ford's Bold Moves campaign?

bascho

I have a lot of thoughts about the 'Bold Moves' advertising campaign and they are all negative. Ford is really ******* up right now IMO by talking-the-talk and not backing it up by walking-the-walk. I am not saying the Ford doesn't have some amazing product coming in the near future.......but it's what we don't have coming that will hurt us. I think Ford is playing the 'American made' card a little too much for a company that has so much imported content. In Playboy this month they showed the Ford Mustang next to the Toyota Sienna with regards to % of build using domestic content......the Sienna was 90% domestic content and the Mustang was 65% For a company that is living off of the 65% US content Mustang and the Mexican Trio for 'car segment' market share, I wouldn't be waving any flags.

I think Ford needs to put less money into advertising "what we're gonna do" and just ****** do it. If Ford was to say nothing and let the products speak for themself, I think they would be a lot better off. Offering up a bunch of empty promises is only going to hurt the already fragile public perception of the blue oval.

Don't even get me started on the "Way Forward Plan".........which is just fancy talk for BAU.

BlueSky

^^^right on.

Merc63

I agree. For a while, right after Nasser, it looked like Bill Ford was going to be the car guy he used to be and really move the company forward. I'm wondering how much of the problem is in a lack of vision, in really clueless advisors, or in something that we can't even begin to see from the outside.

Japan8

^ Ditto.

bascho

The biggest problem with Ford is middle management. These are the guys that have been making the same mistakes for years and they are considered untouchables around here. I've seen so many talented young people leave the company disgusted by the 'egos' making all the decisions. I have definitely given a lot of thought lately about my future with the company as well. I feel like I'm wasting my time and talent on a shitty company that just doesn't get it. I can't tell you how many of these middle managers are retiring in the next 5 years and they only seem to care about what happens with the company in that short time frame. Anyone with any long-term thinking/ideas usually becomes disenfranchised or downsized around here.