[Stretched thin, Ford shifts focus]

wait, they're going to do fewer things? the ranger, focus, crown vic, econoline haven't gotten full redesigns in ages. the small car still isn't out even though they've been planning it since 2002. lincoln does not have a single model not shared with the lower brands. they've abandoned all sorts of pledges, from SUV fuel economy to hybrids. they've dropped more models and abandoned more segments than any other car company. how much less can they possibly do?

[MKZ mileage announced]

Calypso - I wish you were right - but this IS the MarkZ - the fusion cousin .... not the MKX SUV.

 

And yo uare right about the Escape, but that vehicles still uses 4speed Auto, which is likely the root cause of the low mileage.

 

Igor

 

I believe the reason for the Escape's lower mileage isn't the transmision but the aerodynamics.

[If only...]

I think the fusion has the potental to sell at least 120K units alone per year,esp if Ford is looking to keep fleet sales around 15% or so, in comparision to now where 97% of sales are to retail market.

 

This is per 7 months.

 

Anyway, I doubt that truck sales will outgrow car sales. That is just very unlikely, even with new crossovers.

[Ford can't make money on small cars]

I have read supposedly, that the Camry hardly makes a profit for Toyota. But they count on that vehicles to bring people in for the first time, with the hopes they'll buy something profittable thereafter. I believe this article was on Autoweek, maybe about a year, to a year and a half ago.

 

This is completely wrong. In fact they make about $3000-$4000 on every one.

[demise of Focus hatchbacks]

Personally, I think Ford should jsut drop the whole Focus line. It is old, and way behind the Aveo and Caliber. Ford needs a new compact, possibly a European Focus with a different name and more choice: sedan, coupe, wagon hatchback, hybrid, convertible and sports models.

 

Ford and GM change model names too often, and it usually hurts sales. You need to build up the reputation of a particular model over several product generation (a la Camry, Accord, heck Mustang) rather than the "launch and abandon" that Ford usually does.

 

Keep model names consistent over time.

[I know why Honda's last longer]

For the record, 500 people is less than .00001 % of the American population so again, you're looking at the landscape through a drinking straw and tryng to describe the whole thing. Doesn't work.

 

Actually, it does work. The accuracy of a statistical sample depends on the size of the sample and is independent of the size of the population, provided the population is sufficiently larger than the sample. A sample of 500, provided it is randomly selected, is equally good whether you are looking at a small town or a large nation.

[Fobres: The Most Reliable Cars For 2006]

I haven't seen JD Power data, but I think that it is much better than Consumer Reports. The problem is that most articles throw CR's data around like it was the gospel truth.

 

This is just ignorance. JDP's data is much more superficial than CR's, their sample size is smaller, and they only survey 3 year old cars versus up to 8 for CR. You can criticize CR legitimately for certain shortcomings, but you shouldn't claim JDP results are better. Oh and BTW JDP has long shown Toyota and Honda at the top, just like CR.

 

By far the best reliability numbers are kept by the automakers themselves. Ford, GM, and Toyota know exactly how many problems their cars have because they are reported back through dealers. Too bad these numbers are closely guarded trade secrets. Once in a while, though, you can tell when the internal numbers agree/disagree with CR surveys. When CR's survey gave a black dot to the 2004 F-150, Ford came out and said their internal data showed otherwise. On the other hand, when CR's survey gave a black dot to the 2005 Chevy Cobalt, GM basically said that next year's model would be better, suggesting CR's survey was on to something.

[Explorer vs Camry]

It's hard to survive a side impact at those speeds in any car. Nonetheless, it does illustrate the importance of improving SUV-car crash compatibility. New SUVs should be much less of a danger than the ones out there now.