JM

The Fusion Challenge ads are pretty good & it's good to see Ford talk smack about Toyota/Honda and have backup. Fusion Challenge

I think this is just a rumor....Autoblog: LVMH says it's a rumor Plus how could AM go to LV, and have a relation with Richemont through Jaeger-LeCoultre: AMVOX and lets not forget the the 117 jeweled $300,000 watch

AutoBlog/MotorTrend: AM not sold to LVMH Private Equity Firm to buy AM

Kind of pointless poll, it's all opinion. The only thing worth noting is Ford needs to do a better job at pointing out where Asian companies miss the mark and do a better job of showing how Ford hits it. Reputation for what? Seems to be Ford's bad reputation for laying people off and Toyota's good reputation for quality. Apples & oranges. The reality is, Ford gave generous buy outs and college educations, but when asian companies lay off their workers are they this generous? Nope. Are they as generous as Ford was with benefits durnig employment. Nope. It is kind of sad that it is opinion, shows people in general are dumb and too susceptible to the media's influence.

A future James Bond will be carrying a LV man-purse...I mean satchel.

Kind of disappointing, I was hoping Cartier would have bought AM (my 2 favorite brands)....Watchmakers and high end cars go great together.

The bars look kind of funny in these pics, like they're missing a section at the bottom, and they look oddly spaced...but I can't really tell. So why can't they make a solid section in the grill (like the Super Chief, Fairlane, and many Mazda concepts) and let the car breathe from the lower air dams?

Ford posted a huge loss, but their stock price went up, amazing. So I guess that means Ford is doing slightly better than expected and investors have confidence in Mullaly. Yahoo: Ford (1/25)

Google has a patent search feature that is pretty neat... Jag XK The "Six Door" vehicle (maybe Fairlane?) That new tailgate step Tail light design (Fairlane?) Auto exterior (Fairlane) and remember that ugly Toyota/Honda everyone was speculating about a while back... Toyota Scion

Looks kind of like the chop I posted a while back...I'll try to edit it based on this sketch

Wait a second, I thourght Lexus killed at the show.... The production XF is going to have some big, fancy shoes to fill.

From what I've read lately, Detroit's ONLY luxury brand.

Anyone read the article I posted, Momentum 2007, seems like boomers will be one of the major factors for cars. My opinion is boomers will be retiring and will need a cheap, reliable car to drive around which in their minds equal a Toyota/ Honda. Because back in their day Ford stood for something other than "Bold Moves". Even if minorities are buying more foreign autos, they are buying the majority of them used, not brand new, and isn't it just new cars that really matter? This goes for asians especially, because they tend to drive vehicles into the ground or choose not to pay the rapid depreciation on a new vehicle. Other minorities and low income people in general most likely can't finance a new vehicle because of their credit ratings, and if they are capable of buying a new car lets be honest wouldn't you too buy a Toyota if you were in their shoes, I would, it is the smartest financial move to make. But since I'm not in their shoes I can buy a new car based on styling alone & I don't have to worry about depreciation, resell value, or quality; I've got the money to repair or replace the car. --- The change in vehicles will be to gear vehicles towards individual styling preferences, seems like Scion has made quite an impressive business model out of this. The vanilla, one size fits all model is long gone. So what this means is the F150 Lobo edition will come with a factory installed Rosary, and OEM Virgin Mary dashboard statue. ... j/k (FYI: I'm Hispanic)

It's definitely over for Aston, in the Volvo/Jaguar video on RPM, Ford of Europe said something like: I think Aston has a solid product line and with minor aesthetic updates it should be good for at least 15 years. Mechanically, it will take some efforts.

Pretty neat. I like how the Microsoft guy was demonstrating the features with an iPod and not Microsoft's Zune! I hate getting a call in my car also, what a PIA trying to get a cell phone out of your pocket while driving.

Wow the new CTS looks amazing. I absolutely hate the exterior/interior of the current generation CTS, but this car looks sooo much better. I can't wait to see what happens to the STS. I think we have to see that comparison again.

In fear of getting my man card revoked, I plead the...

Haven't seen it on TV yet, but it's on Youtube: Kelis / Edge Commercial and some more advertising on her website: UltimateKelis.com Briefly editted to respond to comments I missed: During college I worked for a high end retailer (selling shoes, purses, and sportswear to women) and that is what I based my conclusions from, the fashion industry and first hand experience. I think the lifestyle being targeted is the "soccer mom" for SUVs. The advertising is different, for women it would be geared toward seating and storage, and for men it would be tow/hp/torque.

I like the one on top. The 3 bar grill application looks cheap in these photos, hopefully it looks better in person. At least now the 500 isn't mistaken for an old Lexus LS....

I'm in TX too Houston, and the only thing a F150, Titan or 1500 is good for is city driving and moving your furniture. I don't think Texans care much about F150 numbers, as long as the bed fits a couch or dirt bike. Most people I know (including my family) that tow or use their truck for work have at least 2 trucks. A city truck the F150,and a work truck F250+.

Sorry to hear about your bad experience with a Ford dealership, but if you haven't given up completely you might want to try the BOF: X-Plan Forum. Here is a little more info from Ford's website about the discount program. Bad dealers have deterred a couple of my friends from Ford as well. Anyone know if the Way Forward includes a dealership section? Good luck.

The new malibu looks 10x better than the outgoing model, from the exterior to the interior, but I wouldn't go as far as saying it will kill the Fusion. I can't comment on the regular Malibu, but all last week I was in a Malibu Max and was pleasantly surprised (I think it was new, it had 1100 miles). The entire backrow folded semi-flat, with enough storage for a couple of suitcases and snowboards. The heated seats, XM satellite, and sun roofs were nice features, but I was a little disappointed that it didn't have a jack for my iPod. Overall it handled itself well in "round 2" of the Colorado blizzard. The new styling will defintely remove the embarassment of driving this vehicle...but I still would rather drive a Magnum.

So is this the clay car we saw a while back? The side shot makes me think of the Mercedes SL500, which is a good thing especially for a Lincoln. Regardless of the odd front, the car looks amazing, it does look like a 4 door, and it would look great as a hardtop convertible. The car screams luxury, and if it makes it to production even closely resembling the concept it should be priced around the SL500/XLR area.

But didn't Ford say that the majority (55-60%) of new vehicle purchases are now by women. I honestly think that if Ford had to choose a pop star for their campaign, Kelis was a good choice. Her songs don't just appeal to blacks, they span all races and appeal to all women and even some gay guys ("My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard..." ) . I think women have to be targeted, to sell a woman a car it has to appeal to their lifestyle, & usually it takes a large advertising campaign to tell a woman what her lifestyle is (not meaning to be offensive). Whereas men on the other hand will crunch the numbers & features and could care less if a car fits into their lifestyle, they just want what they want. Men could care less what Brad Pitt is driving (or wearing), but women do care what their celebrity peers are wearing and possibly driving. For cars to be sold to women they have to take on a fashionable/retail/accessory tone. This is why companies don't need to market cars to men & why they are reducing their budgets for marketing to men.

So much for Volvo's Scandinavian design philosophy. Volvo doesn't need to go the Euro route, they just need to build cars like their concepts, the SCC and the YCC