Harley Lover

Igor, would you mind speculating on the reason for the lead time? Is it emissions testing? Supplier lead time for parts? It seems like we've known about Ecoboost since the beginning of 2008(?), so given that we are 6 months in to the lead time, why 3+ years to get the full lineup (excluding the V6 in the MKS)?

You should start giving Toyota less credit, since they've lost their appeal at the U.S. Supreme Court. Apparently, Toyota is the one stealing the ideas of others: http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/artic...0402/1148/rss25

Wizard, might the engine for the forthcoming Fiesta be the correct size? I think it's going to be built in Mexico (the engine), but I can't remember the displacement.

With the merging of several NA and EU platforms, I can envision a reasonable argument for moving ahead with this sale. Also, if Ford can net the $6 Billion dollar figure that has been mentioned in the past, they might have to make this deal to ensure their ability to finance their ongoing turnaround in NA. Thoughts?

I hope you're kidding. The Focus/Mustang mockups are a joke.

Does the addition of a third shift for Wayne pretty much 'seal the deal' that the next Gen Focus will be manufactured there?

This is great news:

Embedded in a Ford announcement delaying the intro of the 2009 F-150 for 2 months is the following nugget: How does this timing alter what we think we know about the overall changes envisioned for Ford's manufacturing plants? More: Wow! And: This is, of course, for the current Focus model.

BMW designed and builds the MINI, and it's certainly FWD. And, word is that the forthcoming MINI SUV will share its chassis with a BMW - the X1. Not sure if that qualifies, or not.

Does the domestic auto industry have any plans of this magnitude? Of course this begs the question of whether or not they need to plan this big, but when I see the competition going in this direction, I worry that we won't have an answer in terms of quantity. This isn't meant to bash the good guys, I'm just curious if we're missing the boat here, or this isn't a boat in which we're interested...the units they are planning seem to make this a segment too large to ignore in terms of volume sales.

http://jalopnik.com/391922/lincoln-in-same...ord-flex-either What? I hope this means no badge engineered Flex for Lincoln. I dearly hope it does not mean that the MKT is dead. Thoughts?

Igor, any thoughts about the production site for the Focus (the article says the U.S.)? Will the platform mates be manufactured alongside the Focus at the same plant?

I haven't seen a thread elsewhere that addresses this article: So, on the one hand Fields would not be quoted regarding other C cars to be available in the U.S., but in the next paragraph the article flatly states that we're expected to get the Kuga and C-Max. The inference seems to be at the next freshening for them, since we've missed out on this round of intros. I know there's been quite a bit of discussion about this, thought it was very interesting to see something in print from AN, which is usually reliable. Also note the article states the Focus will be built in the U.S. (not generic North America).

It's a Mazda Biante. As far as I know, it's JDM only. I think it's significantly smaller than the MPV (take a look at the tires/wheels).

YORK DID NOT SAY HE'D "DUMP" MERCURY. HE SAID HE'D SELL IT! Sorry for the caps, but the stupidity and ill informed nature of the guy makes me angry. Here's the quote from AN: If he meant close it, then he should have clearly stated so, indicating that he understands Mercury's place within Ford and its dealerships. Since he didn't clarify his comments, I conclude he doesn't have a clue.

Honda recalls 353,000 Accords: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24161487 Timing is such a bitch!

Yep.

It might be noteworthy to compare how much pollution the 1985 Caddy is producing from its V8 versus a 2008 V8. The current model V8 probably produces a small fraction of the pollution that the 1985 model produced, yet still produces amazing power and economy. And, as others have noted, if the current V8 were detuned to the power levels of the 1985 engine, I 'think' it would produce superior mileage numbers.

I'm pretty sure the production version is slated to have 3 rows of seating. Does anyone recall?

I don't think the percentage has any implications for the Focus being unique to the US market. Kuzak was quoted in AN as saying (by way of contrast) that the new Fiesta only shares 66 percent of its parts globally - yet we know that it essentially has the same appearance in all markets. Kuzak was pointing out the progress that has been made by the globalization of the development process in terms of commonizing the parts being used (the Fiesta was engineered prior to the implementation of the global approach).

A really good article from the DN that lays out the potential costs in fines for the European manufacturers under the forthcoming CO2 laws: http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/artic...304/1148/AUTO01 This article is an important read, as the issues faced by the manufacturers (and the solutions they select) will be illustrative of some of the approaches that might be selected by manufacturers in the US market to meet the 2020 levels decreed by government.

Take a look at this Ford video: http://www.ford.ca/english/humancar/defaul...ory=&Model= The first model is a Fusion, the second is an Edge, but what is the third model supposed to be? Could this be a another leak of the new Taurus (just kidding)?

I just read an article in Automotive News Europe regarding negotiations between Germany and France (actually representatives for the leaders of both countries) to resolve the impasse over CO2, and the meetings were ended with the two sides at polar ends in their positions. In fact, a meeting between the leaders had to be cancelled, as its purpose was to ratify the agreement that was never reached. There is a tremendous amount of posturing going on from both sides of the issue - the EU leaders insisting that the limits will be imposed, that there is no reason to not proceed...while the Germans in particular are just as adamant that the limits as written are not doable for their product lines without undermining the essence of their product's heart and soul. Fun times in Europe in the auto biz!

Tstag, for the last time, Ford is not a European company, so there's no "board revolt" to even consider. This is not a BMW, Mercedes, or VW situation. The Ford family owns the majority of the stock - plain and simple. The employees in Europe are just that: employees. They do not have a seat on the board. If they're not happy, they are welcome to hit the door. Please don't introduce speculation that has no basis in fact. OTOH, your observation that FOE is considered to have more talent might just be accurate; I don't think it is argueable that FOE is far ahead of Ford NA in having revamped its product lines and the processes that produced those products.

This article is similar to the one that appeared in the Detroit News, but I don't recall seeing the details of who was assigned to the vehicle programs. From Automotive News: DETROIT -- With the deal done for the sale of Jaguar and Land Rover to India's Tata Motors, Ford Motor Co. is reorganizing its global product development and purchasing operations. Ford said today that its new structure designates global product development centers in specific regions for vehicle segments. The goal is to reduce the amount of time it takes to bring a new vehicle to market, cut development costs and reduce duplication in engineering and purchasing. For instance, small cars -- such as the upcoming Fiesta -- would be designed, developed and engineered in Europe. Big pickups, such as the F-150, would be created in North America, while compact trucks would be developed in Asia and Africa. Ford spokesman Todd Nissen said that last week's sale of Jaguar and Land Rover accelerated the changes to product development and purchasing. Derrick Kuzak, Ford's group vice president of global product development, said in a statement: " These changes will allow us to fully leverage Ford's global product development and purchasing organizations to create more customer-focused vehicles faster." Ford says it will start the new structure this month and roll it out with new vehicle programs. No layoffs or large-scale relocations are planned, Ford said. Ford will rely on Europe for a large portion of its future car development and has named the following European executives: • Marin Burela, B segment, vehicle line director. A B segment vehicle is a small car such as the Ford Fiesta. • Gunnar Herrmann, C segment, vehicle line director. A C segment car is a compact the size of a Ford Focus. • Steve Adams, CD segment, vehicle line director. A CD segment car is a mid-sized car the size of a Ford Fusion or Taurus. • Phil Collareno, commercial vehicles, vehicle line director. This includes the Transit Connect small van coming to the United States in 2009. Nissen said all of the vehicle line directors report to Joe Bakaj, vice president of product programs and product development. Tony Brown, group vice president of global purchasing, said the changes will improve Ford's relationships with its global suppliers. Ford last year ranked last in two studies of how well automakers work with suppliers. " Better alignment of our resources not only helps Ford -- it will also improve the way we do business with our global supply base by simplifying our sourcing process," Brown said in the company statement. " This is consistent with the principles of our aligned business framework, which is strengthening collaboration with our key suppliers."