jpd80

Waste of time when the market has tanked so far, it's better to trend on adjacent months. May '08 was a bumper month, the Focus sold over 32,000 units and Fusion did over 18,000.

And the fun hasn't even started yet, I think a withdrawal from Iraq would be easier to organize.

Yeah, it's sad when you have to "American proof" your vehicles.

I'm getting tired of hearing about GM...period.

And then before we know it, all change hands to the C1 Kuga/Escape. Probably a much better mouse trap and possibly gets the 32mpg as well.

Here's what I like to see happen with the Capri: Give the Capri project to FoA and have them do a Focus based but RWD Retro styled Capri. complete with extended front rails and hockey stick body style Focus struts and falcon IRS. Ecoboost 2.0 and 3.5 engines are all that needed to complete the picture. What could be better than Capri, the European "Mustang", it would probably sell the house down...again.

The way the product mix is going, trucks and SUVs are being pruned for sure but not certain Sedan numbers will as great as Ford wants. I think Ford is emphasizing US Focus production ahead of the Mondeo/Fusion and wonder if this is a mis step..... Fusion,/Mondeo /Taurus should all be joined at the hip and built in one or two US plants, all Focus products should be built in Mexico.

The easier it is to build a car, the easier the quality comes. I'm sure the engineers could find lots more ways to make painful line jobs easier and quicker to accomplish, it starts with having design and production workers getting together on the job, not section heads at meetings.

Pretending that a 3-door Focus with Fiesta styling is a Capri won't work, there's not enough differentiation. it's the same problem that afflicts every sedan trying to be a coupe, think Mustang of a Falcon sedan

1) Opel is in the hole for $4 billion, predicted sales won't cover that. 2) Gm gets divided in to good assets which are sold off debt free to a new company in which the government becomes 75% stake holder in the new company. The new GM emerges debt free, sanitzed and ready to take on competitors. All the unwanted assets and debts stay with the "bad GM" in Chapter 11 until it's resolved or liquidated.

And the beginning of the end of the old GM is in sight.

And that's why Ford is resisting putting the Falcon and Mustang on the one platform just yet, weight and suspension. There's a lot the two can share but even true derivatives share less than 40% of parts, most of them are hidden.

Congradulations America, you're about to purchase a $40 billion money pit.

Business as usual. well, 86% of their export market went bust USA - Gone, Middle East - very slow. Abject lesson why Ford couldn't see Falcon exports as viable, Holden got stitched up big time with currency shift. Ford instead chose to go for Southern hemisphere RHD Focus contract and won it, looks like they may pick upa few S/E Asia LHDs as well. Holden will add a locally built Cruze to the production line in early 2010 - that's their viability plan, a Korean Opel.:rolleyes: Last true Zeta will be 2010 ZF Commodore debuting this time next year, after that the Holden goes to the lighter merged Sigma / Zeta platform sometime in 2012.

I think that was a given after Ford announced 14 plant closings in the original Way Forward. The emphasis has mostly been getting Ford North America back on its feet and in fact, the Way Forward was derived from successful restructuring plans used in Europe and South America.

And that's with the outgoing engine series. If Ford made a 4.6 Coyote, that would still towel up the V8 Camaro, how embarrassing would that be.....

Sometimes playing chicken with the steam roller works, other times you should run......

Nooooooooooooooo, it was Jim Farley saying that so it would be a Falcon, most likely a Falcon Sports wagon.

Bastard things had a funny cruise control, Driving in LA I came up to slower traffic on the free way and just touched the brakes, well the thing kicked down and proceed to ram a Datsun up the ass - terrified Aussie!! So I did a quick lane change and cut off "Oprah" in a Buick, God she gave me a serve.....

But there in lies the terrible irony, if the government favors Ford on a contract, it hurts the public's $50 billion investment. If they help GM, it punishes Ford and sends the wrong message. The government needs to get through this and start selling down its stock in the new GM ASAP. Governments should not be in the private sector, nationalization is a slippery slope.

Pity there wasn't a chapter 11 for divorce.....

We know the V6 Mustang is about 300 lb lighter than the V6 Camaro which gets 29 mpg. So maybe the when the new 3.5 V6 and 6 speed auto show up, fuel economy will be +30 mpg. I can't see any light at the end of the tunnel for the Camaro, too much weight will do that.....

OK, I'll order my new reading glasses then......

I agree 100% with you on this point. Why is everyone so focused on workers employment contracts when they are at best responsible for measly 10% of the build cost in cars and trucks? I cannot fathom why working people get mercilessly flayed in and by the media. No pay increases for near five years and told replacement will be on half your rate - really sux.

It's like watching a nightmare unfold and the government is preaching a quick bankruptcy. God, I hope so for all the employees and suppliers sakes. Everyone else pays when the irresponsibles are not kept in check FJM. Bankruptcy is not punishment of the wicket, it's a way for them to slip off their debts and leave everyone else owed money tied up for years in bankruptcy.