akirby

Lincoln had a 3/36 free maintenance plan for 02 and 03 models (not sure about 01). They cut back to 1/12 for 04 and 05. Not sure about 06 or 07. I agree this is something that they need to help win back customers.

Then they didn't do a very good job at that, either, since we have no idea what it is and it certainly isn't a jaw-dropper.

It is getting the 3.7L with the 09 refresh - or so I've heard.

Since this was obviously staged it could be an old clay model. I doubt they'd let us see anything new.

Horbury already said the MKS will have 100% unique sheetmetal. Isn't the new Taurus on the left hand side behind the Focus clay model?

Wouldn't the new B car (Verve/Fiesta) fall into that category? Wasn't it started after Mulally arrived (at least the NA version)?

My 2000 LS had the global open (but no close) feature from the beginning (May 1999). Then again it also had Select-Shift which also disappeared and will be reappearing with the MKS.

Geez - do you people know how to read? I already explained that I'm concerned about Ford and it's ability to stay in business and compete going forward. They can't do that with the current contracts. In the 80's the competition was the other domestics and they all had similar contracts. Now the competition has changed and the contracts must change to remain competitive. It's that simple.

I'm glad at least one employee understands reality.

Not at all. If you get rid of GEN so that Ford doesn't have to carry all that extra overhead then that will help lower that 30% disparity between Ford and it's competitors so they won't have to send work overseas. The theory that GEN will keep Ford from closing a plant doesn't work anymore. Ford cannot afford to keep building cars if they're not making money. By the way - how did that work out for Atlanta and the other plants that closed? You can keep riding a dead horse right into the ground or you can get smart and make yourselves competitive. You've already said the wages are about the same, so help the company cut their health care costs by a VEBA or increased co-pays and monthly premiums and limit GEN to 6 months or less and I bet you'd be within spitting distance of Toyota and Honda. Or you can keep whining about what the company owes you and how much the CEO makes and how the rest of the country is underpaid and threatening to strike and watch your jobs disappear. Your choice.

You're the one that will be working at Burger King if the new contract isn't competitive.

That was a rhetorical question. The point is you can't judge by assets alone. $40B with no debt is a lot different than $40B with $45B debt.

And you've once again proven that you have absolutely NO idea how accounting works. You're talking about a single plant using GEN workers which cuts the PLANT's overhead. But as long as those workers are paid by Ford (and they are regardless of what some people want you to think) then they are unnecessary overhead. How can you possibly justify former GM factory workers being paid not to work for 15 years in California just because they closed the only GM plant in the area?

I know how much it's costing GM and Ford and how much it's NOT costing Toyota and Honda. That's all I need to know. And since you asked, I make considerably more than $110K and that's only working 40 hours a week. Now who's jealous?

Versus how much debt?

The Yokohamas seem to be the best value. Great ratings and significantly cheaper than the other highest rated contenders. I know someone who has them on a Yukon XL and he loves them.

Now if we can just extend that logic to the jobs bank.......

Without Mulally the board would still hold the pursestrings, there would be no platform sharing between NA, Europe and Australia and Ford would still be operating like 3 different companies (FoNA, FoA, FoE). Those changes are huge and key to Ford's future prosperity.

They don't get health care under STEP and ESTEP.

The buyouts were a big first step - Ford has no future financial burden for them, pension or healthcare. I don't want to see retirees impacted either but it may be unavoidable. The rest has to come from current employees with a combination of lower benefits, higher co-pays and monthly premiums. Just like the rest of America has been doing for the last several years. It's not Ford's fault that health care costs rose so fast.

A few years? Try 20 or 30 years. And I've never heard anything about pensions being a big problem - those are normally funded up front. It's the rising health care costs that have risen much faster than inflation that's causing problems. The more retirees you have the more you feel the impact of rising health care costs.

I didn't say who started it or why. It was done at a time when the only competition for Detroit was Detroit, not imports. Market share and profits were sky high. Market share is way down, there is no profit and the competition doesn't have all that overhead. It's no longer viable. To the contrary - I love Ford. I've owned 2 rangers, 2 explorers, 1 expedition, 1 Lincoln LS, 1 Lincoln Aviator and a Ford Fusion. I want Ford to be able to compete with Toyota and Honda and they can't do that by paying thousands of people not to work and not controlling rising health care costs.

I know, but it's fun seeing what idiotic excuses and explanations they can come up with.

Go read this http://www.rovianconspiracy.com/2006/03/st...nsequences.html And then explain to me how GM and Ford don't pay for GEN workers. Where does the money come from?

Could not be built on a modified mustang platform as the show cars were. In other words, if Mulally said build it now they couldn't. The show cars were all smoke and mirrors. It will have to wait for a RWD D3 platform (if that even exists) or more likely the new Huntsman platform.