630land

Well, to average car buyers who don't remember the old hot rod Fairlanes, the name is too familiar with Fairmont and also sounds like a "1950's appliance or sit-com". Like it's Ward Cleaver's town or Donna Stone's kitchen decor. I do agree the F names are getting boooooorring. First, rename Freestlye to 'Five-Hundred Sport Wagon'. Then sales #'s for 500 would double, and analysts will shut up.

I do know that if this was Ford, they would be called again, "Evil" and "Child Murderers" by the left wing. Also, shows that Japan Inc. is NOT going to 'steal the Last Bastion from Detroit' as predicted.

Well, next time someone says "Toyota is faster to market and knows what people want", point to this. And mention the Tunrda air bag/child seat issue, and the poor Sequoia sales. They may be doing well, but they F up also!

Snippet from Autmotive News: "Toyota delays Corolla redesign" "Toyota has delayed the redesigned Corolla for U.S. showrooms a year, until spring 2008. The delay is surprising because Toyota adheres to a disciplined redesign schedule. The current Corolla will be on the market six years, not the typical five." HAHA! :happy feet: When Ford/GM does it, it's "Detroit is slow" and "Shows they are dying" This shows they are not as 'perfect' and "In Touch" as thought. Other sources say Toyota went back to the drawing board when the 2006 Civics took off. Nissan got flack for the 7 year long Sentra, now this. JPN isn't as 'fast' as they used to be. Hmm, now the Car & Driver/Edmunds spin will now be "Well 6 years is the new 5 year cycle", [like in fashion "This is the new black"]. Well, Ford then isn't so bad keeping the Focus longer after all, lol!

Allpar can go F itself. They can dream all day about the return of K cars, badge engineered Plymouths, and how the Dodge Dynasty was the greatest car ever.

Isn't the Focus powertrain that long also? And it gets 5 more MPG, wich is way, way more impartant these days than stupid HS boy racer penis [HP/TQ] measuring contests.

The good thing is VW finally realized they are not a luxury brand at all. Bad thing is cars the same size as the Jett-abbit [Civic/Corolla] get 30 mpg city, which is demanded in the C class now.

The RSX, nee Integra was jsut a Civic hatchback anyway, with a different 'top hat' body. Boy Racers buy used ones, so the new ones are not moving. No sales = death.

"Well, since Chrysler is the only one of the Big Three that is showing any gains in market share..." Ahem, they are on downward trend. Only the Caliber is hot, they have thousands of unsold vans, SUV's, and Pickups. And a lot of Sebrings/Statuses to unload. Also, the 300 was below 10,000 last month, it is cooling off. Magnum is nowhere and Charger is no 300C.

"No one wants SUVS anymore, they all want cars!! Ford has very little to offer at the moment!!" Corrections: People want crossovers, still, just not BOF hogs Also, ever hear of the Fusion? Five Hundred? Mustang?

they are not a home run as predicted.

PT's are made in Mexico, not at the Neon plant. Have not had too many issues in the past. And they are still selling at over 10K a month, pretty good for what some presumptuously called 'a dead fad'. Calibers are made in old Neon plant and hope they re-tooled and retrained the workers. But, the Rockford IL paper got it wrong, it isn't coupe at all

IRS is for uppity magazine racers, who think everthing mags say is gospel. And they will never buy a Stang since it isn't foreign, anyway, so why bother for Mustang? Some makers are going back to beam rear axles. In fact, VW may do so in the next generation Golf. But, does anyone from the US even know what an Aussie Falcon is realy like? Ever driven one? Some look at stats and drool, but nver even touched a "dream car". Better to have a car designed for US buyers. Look at how "successful" the Holden GTO was.

Who said it was dead? Never, ever was there any official declaration of 'SVT to be closed'. Just the pessimists who spread rumors.

Blah Blah balh, only magazine boy racers care about HP #'s. With high gas prices, bragging about HP is out. Camry buyers don't care and most midsize cars buyers really don't either. Only sports coupe, truck, or specialty car segments. IF a buyer wants a four cylinder base model, they could not care less about what the top motor offers. The CD3 will get the 3.5L in time, it is selling fine now. If can be added to prolong sales growth. "We need to squeeze as many products form each platform " Who is 'we'? If you work for Ford, then do something, all the posting here doesn't help much. And why should all products the same underneath? Cost cutting can go too far where it gets 'cookie cutter' and then the products suffer. Example, Windstar [Freestar].

Looked at Rabbits yesterday and they are nice, but they get 22 MPG city. While Civics and Corollas get 30 city. What MPG would a heavier C1 Focus get? Also, even if Ford sold C1's, they would have to put lower sticker prices than someone proposed, [18K]. VW offers lots of STD features, bt no 18K price.

Allpar wants Plymouth back, selling stripped Dodges. As if. They think the Neon was the best small car ever made, and the Intrepid should be still around. Not to mention that they think K cars, are 'classics' as Hemi Cudas!

LS, Smell S. D3 cars are safe and I don't know how some can say "Ford is killing off all it's safe cars". The CD3's get side airbags this fall. Some will just never get over the LoSer, thinking it 'could have changed Lincoln'. Well, it didn't, and no BMW driver was interested in it. Only Stang drivers who craved BMW's, but had to have something with a Ford brand name on it. It was a compromise car that appealed to very small # of people. Import owners were not swayed, and domestic owners couldn't afford one, until the current $8000 rebates.

Yeah, wtf? Maybe old Henry 1 wanted the Tin Lizzie to never change, but after that, com-on! If BORG were in charge, they would still be trying to sell the LS and 96-99 Taurus with no changed ever planned. JK

Umm, the Edge is a Ford brand car-UV, and who said it was targeted for that low volume? Getting 1995 era sales #'s for an Explorer is not gonna happen again. Have to get some other products out there and not wait for the BOF SUV gravy train to come back.

"Chrysler is down 13%...how is that possible??? But they have the HEMI and rear wheel drive??? Com'on I thought that huge V8 engines in full sized rear wheel drive cars is what everyone says Ford needs?????" LOL According to a Systems Engineer and pals, all Ford needs is to put a 5.4 in the Panther, and put on more TV commercials. Because everyone watches the Big 3 Networks and never changes channels right? And every American is dying for a full size BOF car, but doesn't know they still exist since there are no 1 minute TV ads saying so, right? Oh wait, it is not 1966!!! It is 2006!

Back in the day, Car and Driver and mags routinely praised the 1st Rabbit as if it was the 2nd coming. But they hated the US made ones, and claimed the interiors were too Chevrolet. They coined the phrase 'Malibuization' of the Rabbit. But when the 1983 GTI came here, C&D did cartwheels. Never mentioned the reliabilty problems however. The Golf name was added in 1985 to try to make VW look 'back to German roots'. So many auto wrtiters made a stink about the return of the name. But to an under 30 y/o buyer, the name reminds them of the good old GTI's, not the crap diesel cars that died easy. The car is nice, but the price point shows that in the C class, makers cannot force buyers to pay more.

The Freestar minvan, [no not the Frestyle SUV], outsold the Expedition in June. Now how bad is that? The truck line Ford bet the farm on in 1998 is lower than the much mailigned Windstar rehash. :happy feet: I wish Mr Trotman, who said "I don't care" about car customers were alive to day to see what he and Jac have wrought.

Taurus doesn't make any $$, and the plant is closing. By BY. Can cry all day about the CD3 cars made in Mex, but they are bringin in more retail buyers than cheapo ass rental firms.

Yeah, all to fleets smarty pants. And probably for a loss, too. [Want an '06/07? wait and get a used one in 6 months for 50% off. Anyone who buys a Tortose at retail now, is just throwing $$ into a fire. Taurus is down 23% and looks like the start of the phase out. The corporate welfare train of making cars for a loss and dumping into rental fleets is dead. As soon as this welfare system is killed off $$$ maybe can flow in and new prodcut can be put out. Instead of old modly stuff that no one in the retail market wants to buy. Fusion and 500 combined now outsell the old Bull, something people harped on. 500 was Up! Looks like the car can hang on til the 2007 1/2 3.5 V6 and new trim.