llog215

I think a lot of it also has to do with servicing the CV. The CV has changed so little it's relatively easy to repair. The mechanics are familiar with the car and the repair parts are already present. People generally don't like change.

What's more pathetic are the people that buy them.......

The point you're forgetting is that there were two plants making strictly Tauruses, Sables, and wagons. Now you have two plants making Fusion, Milan, Zeph, 500, Montego, and Freestyle. Both plants making about 240K units annually.

I'd have to disagree. In a short amount of time on the market, they've accounted accounted for about 20K units in the month of April. Secondly, they're moving without much in the terms of incentive. Thirdly, they only have about 50 days on hand for the Fusion and Milan and about 30 days on hand for the Zeph (industry standard is about 60-70 days on hand). Also, they're already planning updates one year after launch in terms of standard safety equipment, upgraded engines, and AWD (at least for Zeph). And lastly, how come the 300 sells 150K units annually and it's a homerun by all accounts but the Fusion is on track to meet or exceed that and it's a "single".....

Link doesn't work...

What does that mean? Do you have any numbers that support Caliber sales? Personally, it reminds me of an Asstec....I saw two next to each other and I couldn't believe the similarities. As stated many times before, the 500 and Fusion are positioned to make up the loss of Taurus sales and they will sell a greater retail percentage.

Here we go again......Ford is shrinking and Toyota is growing in North America, agreed. However, Toyota only assembles about 60% of the 2 million vehicles sold in NA, compared to Ford building 83% of the 3 million vehicles Ford sold in NA. I'll let you do the math. Secondly, there is a difference in assembling and building. Ford employs significantly more people indirectly than Toyota. I'm not trying to tell you what car to purchase just don't try to make it sound like you're doing the US workers a favor by doing so.....

I don't know. 300,000 sales in 25 months doesn't sound like they're setting the world on fire. Don't get me wrong, it's not bad just no worthing of a lot of praise, especially considering the percentage going to fleets.

Below is one of your previous posts: "Second, forget about the talk about profits. If it ain't in a workers wallet, then I don't give a damn about it. The Ford profits go to the stockholders and the overpaid executives in the form of profit sharing." My point was that when Ford makes a profit, so do ALL of their employees, not only the executives. Therefore, by buying a Ford you are supporting the workers. Ford supports a far greater percentage of this country and thier communities than Honda. Your post made it sound like by buying a Ford you weren't supporting the worker....not true. Glad you're finally able to admit it. That's the hardest step..... :bandance:

All defective tranmissions are from Livonia, nothing from Batavia. I believe the supplier is Linemar. Everyone "should" be back up and running on Monday.

Hyundai, BMW, Mercedes, and soon Kia also have more employees now than they did in the past. What's your point? Ford employs over 110,000 US people directly and countless others indirectly. More than all other foreign companies combined (not including DCX). Since auto sales are finite, it only makes sense that as foreign name plates grow, the domestics will shrink. That's simply a matter of consumers exercising their freedom of choice. Again, I'm not trying to tell you what you should drive. Just don't try to make a case for ANY foreign car company being as significant to this country as Ford or GM. If you're looking to make a patriotic purchase, Ford and GM are your best bets, regardless of how many billboards Toyota erects. FYI - Profit sharing goes to all Ford employees, not just the "overpaid" executives.

All countries may have some sort of social safety net but not all to the same degree. I don't have the exact figures but I'd venture to guess the level of government support in Japan is much greater than the US.

That's not true. The statistic is a 3yr old domestic is equivalent to an 8yr old Toyota, according to CR. Still not good.....

Only 43% of Honda vehicles sold in this country are made in this country. 83% of Ford vehicles sold in the US and made in the US. So, which company would you rather support? You can't cherry pick from the lineup, you have to consider all the vehicles. Also, how many employees does Honda support compare to Ford? How much of their engineering, design, etc. done in this country? It is your right to buy whatever vehicle you like. Just don't try to make it sound like patriotic purchase, because it isn't.

Honestly Bec, it was a joke but I was kind of curious to see how long it would take for you to come to their defense......Less than two hours. Not bad.

Also, Honda insisting that CR-Vs are burning due to improper maintenance by the owners......I wish I had that picture range loves to post...

I've yet to see one in SE Michigan or SW Ontario.

Bottom line is profit. The American based companies are all in trouble but out of the 2 1/2, Ford made the most moeny last year. That's all that matters. GM lost $10billion, DCX made $600million, and Ford........$2billion. All the other speculation and bitching is meaningless. Ford still has a long way to go to compete with the best in the world in terms of profitability (Nissan and Toyota) but they are making progress. FYI - Fusion sales will exceed 11K this month. Another month over month increase.

I think you're missing the point. Too many people have this view that once you buy a Toyota or a Honda you'll never have any mechanical problems whatsoever. That is not realistic. All cars have problems, some more than others. I don't think the intention is to say Ford doesn't have issues that need to be addressed. Just that it's not only Ford and GM that have these issues. Of course, people are going to have worse experiences with GM and Ford, since they accounted for more than half of the vehicles sold in North America the past 50 years. It's interesting to me to see that as Toyota, Honda, and Nissan sell more vehicles, their quality seems to decrease. This is evident by the increased number of recalls.

I'd have to agree with you on the 7-Series and the S-Class. Both BMW and Mercedes have messed up their styling, except for the CLS. That has to be one of the nicest cars on the road.

I wouldn't expect to see much of an increase in retail sales of Fusion or 500 due to Taurus going away. Almost 100% of Taurus sales are fleet sales. Fusion and 500 will increase their fleet sales to compensate for the loss of the Taurus.

The LS was a success at launch. Everything was great on the car. All they needed to do was make continual upgrades and keep it fresh and it would have been more successful. I agree with your position in terms of not fitting the Lincoln mold. The sales guys didn't know how to sell a luxury sports sedan. I don't think it would of faired better as a Mercury.

I also don't get it. Just because this is the third generation, doesn't mean we can't critique their efforts. The domestics constantly get blasted for badge engineering. Why should Honda be immune from criticism? This is a much worse than the sharing of components between the Fusion and Zephyr. At least Lincoln has changed the interior.....What a joke.

I disagree. In '96, the Camry was already beginning to threaten the Taurus. Besides the "unique" styling, the Taurus trailed the Camry in quality, comfort, and convenience features. This is due to cost cutting efforts to try to maintain a profit margin on the vehicle. The difference in cost of production could have been used to improve it in these areas and keep it competitive. Instead, it kept being decontented and relegated to fleet status.

It all comes down to cost. If your cost structure is significantly greater than your competitor, than you are at a serious disadvantage. Bad engineering and poor designs, in terms of badge engineering and infrequent updates, are due to cost pressures. Cost needs to be taken out somewhere and since they can't take it out of labor, due to contracts, it comes from other areas. It's one big vicious circle.......