akirby

My wife refuses to drive a minivan - absolutely hates them. She also doesn't like driving a regular car that sits lower to the ground, so a station wagon is out. A crossover is the best compromise - car-like ride with suv cargo capacity and high seating position.

The 09 Escape hybrid is 34/31, not 36/31. Guess we'll have to wait and see when the official numbers come out. I hope the non hybrid I4 does 22/34 - that would blow away the competition.

Gee, this sounds familiar. Let's define "flop" in real numbers. Flex is expected to sell between 6000 and 7000 per month after ramp up. 4000 to 6000 would be low but acceptable, so I'd define "flop" to be less then 4000 per month AFTER 6 months. Agree?

Define "struggle".

How long did it take Accord and Camry to reach 400K sales? Hint - it was more than 10 years, maybe more than 20. You have to build sales gradually, winning buyers from other brands and building a large core of repeat buyers. I bet 75% of Camcord buyers are previous Camcord owners. What Ford needs is sustained growth with each new product cycle.

34 mpg is most likely the Hybrid - Kuzak wasn't specific about that. Expect the non hybrid to get 32 mpg - enough to beat the Camcords. Mazda's 3.7L is built in Japan and is not identical to Ford's 3.7L. It would be smarter for Ford to reduce incentives, max out Hermosillo, eliminate fleet sales and limit or eliminate low end models for the next 2 years at least, then consider adding another plant if demand continues.

In other words, crossovers have actually increased their market share (only down 11% compared to overall sales being down 20% or more). Trucks and SUVs are the only real losers from a market share perspective.

And that is going to KILL residual values just like it did for the domestics. Honda was smart not pursuing the large truck and SUV market and sticking with what they do well.

You can also send others to get things out of the car without the key (kids, etc.). And you can leave your keys locked in the car when you don't want to carry them (hiking, swimming, attending an event, etc.).

The low beams are already on when the high beams are activated. This is a common question since the fog lights automatically shut off when the high beams are activated and some people want high beams plus the fog lights which, as bbf2350 pointed out, really makes no practical sense. True aftermarket driving lights or off road lights would be a different matter entirely.

6 weeks after it debuts, with shipments to only 13 large cities and almost no advertising. I'll go on record saying it will hit 3,000 next month and 4,000 within 3 months. And stay there. But you didn't say that it would only sell half - you said that NOBODY would still be buying trucks, suvs and crossovers due to gas prices. And you're still wrong.

Maybe because $8B of the $8.7B was a one-time write-off? In other words, if Ford stayed exactly the same 3rd quarter they'd post a $700M loss, not $8B. Don't you people know how to read?

We've showed you the numbers that prove crossovers, as a whole, are only down 8% over last year and that while trucks and SUVs are down significantly more, they're still accounting for well over 600K units per year. You can't keep saying that nobody will buy trucks, suvs and crossovers and then ignore the actual sales figures that prove otherwise.

I believe they're different - I know that U.S. employees have to call the A/Z/X/D plan center to obtain a X plan pin for a Canadian resident. I would imagine it works both ways. If you're using the Ford Partner program, there is a selection box on the main page for U.S. or Canada - you might be able to generate your own PIN using the U.S. version.

Yikes - 2,204 for Flex. Much lower than I expected. I still believe with advertising and word of mouth (and gas dropping) they'll be up to 4000 within a month or two. If not then I'll admit it's a slower than expected start. HOWEVER - crossovers in total (Flex, Edge, Escape, Taurus X) are only down 4%. They're on track to sell almost 300K this year. SUVs (Explorer, Expedition) are down 54% but will still sell 100k-150K per year. F-series is only down 20% and will still sell over 500K. So tell me again how crossovers, SUVs and trucks are DEAD?

Forgot about the triplets, but that doesn't seem to be the plan going forward (after the 2010 models). I don't think we'll be seeing any more triplets for Ford/Lincoln/Mercury and based on the MKS and MKT it doesn't appear there will be any more rebadging on the twins either - Each brand gets it's own unique version of a platform. The Explorer/Mountaineer and Expy/Navigator fall under the "etc." - more examples of twins but not triplets or quads.

Ford already had a plan 3 months ago - they just pulled up the target dates due to recent changes. Ford has a lot of small European cars to fall back on - what does GM have? Ford has, at most, 2 clones of a vehicle (Edge/MKX, Taurus/Sable, etc.). GM has 4 in some cases (the Lambdas e.g.). GM is not willing to make the big decisions that Mulally has already made and until they do they're doomed.

You said MKR but the link is for the MKT. The MKT will be built in Oakville alonside the Flex, Edge and MKX.

It's not a "coin toss" - Ford has a plan and a CEO willing to do whatever it takes to execute the plan. And that plan is sweeping change. GM is still mired with way too many brands and isn't willing (yet) to make drastic changes. Where is GM's plan to shift production to smaller more fuel efficient vehicles?

Rumor is they're going for DOUBLE MSRP right now.

So you'd rather whine about it incessantly on the internet? How is that going to help? State franchise laws prevent Ford from selling vehicles directly to the public and until that happens you're at the mercy of the dealer and the dealer's allocation.

I just saw a brand new one at lunch today, so I guess they'll have to wait until tomorrow before they stop selling completely.

Sorry - my rant wasn't directed at you. You're being fairly reasonable.

Curtail some of that? But you said NOBODY will buy those products due to their HORRIBLE fuel economy. Why don't they just cancel them like you think Ford should cancel the Flex? We'll see tomorrow when July sales come out, but I expect Flex to be in the 4,000 range for July. This is a vehicle that will sell like gangbusters in certain areas and not do well at all in others. It's polarizing, but those who like it will jump for it, especially if they're moving from an Expedition.

You're trying to buy a vehicle that's in very short supply and your dealer has allocation problems. Shut up and wait, find another dealer(s) or go buy a Prius.