akirby
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Posts posted by akirby
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I’ve been saying for years that Tesla was cutting costs by not doing regular refreshes and redesigns and eventually that would catch up with them.
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I wonder what Robert Lane has to say about that. He used to work for Shelby.
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58 minutes ago, ice-capades said:
Most customers have no idea where vehicles are made. Unless they look at a Window Sticker closely, or the Dealer tells them, they'd have no idea. Enthusiasts of course would find out.
Based on initial feedback from Lincoln Nautilus Facebook groups and forums, your assessment is correct. Most don’t know, most of the ones who know don’t care and only a few who were actually planning to buy one are backing out.-
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50 minutes ago, ice-capades said:
Based on all the recent reports from customers that took delivery of a CyberTruck, it'll be interesting to see how long it takes Tesla to cut their losses and drop it so they can address other priorities.
As I said before, Musk’s ego - which is the only reason the thing ever made it past the prototype stage to begin with - will keep it around at least a year, maybe more.-
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18 minutes ago, silvrsvt said:
the issue is that Oakvillie is being retooled to make EVs, which from what i understand is going to make big changes to the way the plant is laid out vs the way it is currently being used.
The other thing is this-with the changes over the next few years-EVs are still coming, like it or not, so does it really make sense to offer a PHEV 2 row CUV that will only be on sale for less then 10 years to recoup the costs? its going to take at least another 24 months or longer to get say a reskinned CN Edge for sale in the NA market and a plant tooled up for it. Given we are almost half way through 2024, I doubt it would be on sale tlll 2027MY in late 2026 or early 2027.
Then how would it impact plans for other products that are in the pipeline? I could see maybe Louisville getting the C2 midsize products due to timing, but how would that impact the low cost EVs that are apparently coming to replace the Escape? Will they move someplace else? will they just slot under the Escape/Bronco Sport?
Oakville can easily be redirected to continue with ICE if that’s the direction they want to go. In addition to Nautilus and Edge you could move Corsair and possibly even Escape there freeing up Louisville for the new EVs. That makes BOC, Louisville and Cuatitlan to make EVs along with Lightning at the F150 plant if they continue it for Ford Pro.And I don’t see any new PHEVs, just hybrids for everything and Oakville has a battery supplier.
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38 minutes ago, Gurgeh said:
Well, Ford could shift all new US/Canada-built EVs to the new Blue Oval City since the vehicles are getting delayed and now the new facility should be ready by the time Job 1 for them actually comes. There you go with a nice big unused facility in Canada with a great record and terrific workforce ready and able to bring back the Edge, repatriate Nautilus production, and maybe do something else on the side. I know, I know. The time for that logical decision was a year or two ago. But you are saying Ford's problem is that all of their North American factories have no capacity available for new product. Well, this one apparently does and Ford's current plan seems to be to just let it sit idle for the next two years.
I was also referring to other resources needed to build and sell a new vehicle here. Engineering, design, testing, certification, marketing plus all the normal overhead. People often think it’s just factory space but every vehicle has dozens if not hundreds of dedicated employees supporting it.I agree that Oakville could and should be used for Nautilus and Edge and other C2 products if needed. Just cancel the 3 row EVs.
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9 hours ago, GearheadGrrrl said:
What we're seeing is Ford retreating to a high volume North American product, and a case can be made that Ford could survive at half it's current size on the F series alone. But that leaves the problem of half of Ford and it's employees with nothing to do with only F series around.
It gets worse... What happens when the trend to smaller garages and high prices cuts F series sales in half and Ford hasn't kept the Ranger competitive with Tacoma et al...
Don’t let facts get in the way of your lies. I already pointed out all the new vehicles Ford launched to replace the ones they cancelled. And Ranger is competitive now and will be even better when production is fully ramped up.-
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6 hours ago, AM222 said:
As a consumer and Ford fan, it's a bit disappointing to see how a once powerful global carmaker no longer takes the global market as seriously as it used to.
It's hard to imagine that the Ranger is now the only true global Ford model.
*I don't count the Mustang because it's sold as a niche premium/luxury model in many global markets which explains why over 3/4 of its sales are still coming from the US.
In 2023 Ford sold 4.4 million vehicles worldwide, while Toyota sold 11.2 million vehicles.
A global carmaker like Toyota for example can spread the development cost of a new vehicle or platform over every vehicle it sells around the world.
Developing a non-global vehicle means it relies heavily on domestic sales, it will also probably take longer for it to be profitable. Then throw in the continuous stream of recalls that cost the company like millions or billions?
I like the Mustang, Ranger, and Bronco but I do wish they expanded their portfolio to include smaller models that Ford of Europe used to handle.
Toyota only sold 8M vehicles in 2023. 1/3 of that volume and half their profits came from Japan which is a closed market where Ford isn’t allowed to compete fairly.
I understand the disappointment but Europe and South America have been shit shows for Ford financially, even when they had decent products.
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1 hour ago, Mizzmumzy said:
Do you mean just to drive it around the corner or is this a fix? Do you know if it’s related to the TCM?
Temporary fix if it works. Might last a few minutes might last a few months but it probably needs to be replaced if that’s the problem. -
All these Ford needs and Ford should build are strictly emotional desires with zero business rationale. You can’t bring back Focus without killing either an existing product or the new cheaper EVs. So which one are you killing?
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11 minutes ago, Andrew L said:
Eh not really luxury branded pickups is not really a segment. It was tried and it failed. There's a reason why BMW and MB don't make full size pickups because no other luxury brand makes them. I still see people in Lincoln groups saying Lincoln should bring back the Blackwood or Mark LT and in all honesty they shouldn't it would be a loser right out the gate. No one wants a luxury branded pickup.
Ford was known for their cars too along side their trucks. Taurus was a huge seller in the 80s and 90s. Hell even when sales slipped in the early 2000s if you combined the Taurus and Sable sales I believe it sold more than the Camry.
To add to this Ford really needs something more value oriented and needs to stop propping up the Ford brand as if it's a premium brand. Maverick is the only vehicle they sell that starts under 25k.
Stop taking the luxury pickup thing so literally. I was just trying to make the point that different brands do different things.Taurus was a huge seller but made no profit. It was propped up by rental volume. The entire Hapeville plant made nothing but rental cars the last few years. Again you’re confusing sales with profits.
You can say Ford can’t sell higher priced vehicles but that’s exactly what they’re doing and doing it well. If they had warranty costs under control it would be even better. You can’t blame a company for playing to their strengths and maximizing their returns just because they’re not building what you like.
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26 minutes ago, joseodiaga4 said:
Agree but in that case why is Ford so behind for example GM in the full size SUV segment? It seems that Ford only can focus in one thing or max two at the same
time.
Suburban had a long history before Expedition and Excursion. Plus GM brand loyalty. Hard to dethrone the market leader even with great products. -
23 minutes ago, AM222 said:
Only Ford executives/employees care about this really, not actual consumers. This doesn't mean much in global markets outside North America that don't get the F150.
Not just executives but also employees and shareholders. And when you say things like Ford needs to or Ford should do something then that implies a business decision and I’m trying to explain why Ford is making these business decisions.You seem to only care about the consumer view and that’s fine as a consumer. But don’t try to rationalize the business decision based on that.
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3 hours ago, Andrew L said:
I am pretty sure I remember an article from MotorTrend or one of the car mags way back in the day that MB and BMW were considering a luxury pickup as well but when they saw how much of a disaster the Lincoln and Cadillac pickups were they cancelled them. I don't foresee any luxury brand offering a large pickup ever.
Which further illustrates my point. Each mfr has its niches of what they do well and that’s where they focus their resources. For BMW its performance cars and small to midsize SUvs. Kia is the same but mainstream. For Ford its trucks and SUVs. -
3 hours ago, AM222 said:
The full-size truck is mainly an American thing. Most non-American car companies think global. They'd rather invest in scalable global platforms. Kia will launch a mid-size pickup, they can sell this anywhere unlike full-size pickup trucks.
The 2-row compact SUV is a segment common around the world and Ford wants to discontinue the Escape/Kuga.
Ford relies heavily on models they can't market outdide North America as mainstream models. The F-Series is too big, the Mustang ends up being a premium model, the Bronco also ends up being a premium model limited to select left-hand drive markets. The Mach e is also premium (expensive outside the US) and is sold in very limited number of markets.
Completely missed the point. Kia would kill to be able to sell 900k vehicles at the kinds of margins that Ford gets with F series. But they can’t because they don’t have the experience or expertise nor are they willing to make the huge investment required.A company has to play to its strengths and what works for one doesn’t work for another. Companies that aren’t US based evolved differently. And companies have to prioritize their resources.
They cancelled Continental, Taurus, Fusion, MKZ, Focus, Fiesta and Ecosport. But they added Ranger, Bronco, Maverick, Bronco Sport, Aviator, Mach-e, E-transit and Lightning. And they’re working on at least 4 more new vehicles. Escape isn’t going anywhere now and I think Edge will be back.
It’s a zero sum game unless you’re willing to build new plants and hire more people.
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3 hours ago, AM222 said:
There's no rule that affordable volume models should be boring "commodity" models.
Ford used to make sharp desirable mainstream models. There are really no excuses to why the competition still makes the vehicle types Ford abandoned and at the same time remain healthy without the need for drastic sacrifices.
I know small models are just secondary in the US but these are mainstream volume models in Europe, Asia, and other international markets. Ford's competitors know this, that's why they don't just kill off models. The development cost is spread to every vehicle sold around the world.
About the Continental (Ford sold this in very limited number of markets unlike its competitors), there are many big luxury sedans out there and most are RWD-based. This includes Hyundai's full-size G90. Even if you dislike the car, it exists in 2024 and the Continental didn't make it past 2020.
Ford's real problem (at least in North America) is quality control. Despite its shrinking lineup, it's still the king of recalls, 3 Years in a row (2021, 2022, 2023), and there have been recalls this year.
Sales of large luxury sedans declined significantly as well. Has nothing to do with drivetrain. Simple market shift over the last 3 decades.And while a few people would pay a premium for a great midsized family sedan, the vast majority of sales is still people looking for a cheap appliance to get them from a to b. That’s the market whether you like it or not.
As for why Ford doesn’t sell certain vehicles but competitors do, answer this question.
Why don’t Kia, Hyundai, Volkswagen, Honda, BMW, Audi, Mercedes, Jaguar, Porsche, Land Rover, Volvo or Mitsubishi sell full sized body on frame pickups or SUVs? Thats a 3M+ market they’re just ignoring. Toyota and Nissan tried with minimal results.
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5 hours ago, AM222 said:
Every time Ford called a segment dead or referred to models in a segment as just "commodity products", it usually meant, our competitors beat us, we quit.
First to go are the cars, next in line are their 2-row SUV counterparts.
Fusion was #3 behind Accord and Camry and selling close to 300K. Hermosillo was near capacity. There were 8 competitors at one time and at least 3 of those (Kia, Hyundai and Nissan) were cutting prices to gain sales. There was nothing to distinguish one from any other and outside of brand loyalists it was all about price. Ford thought they could sell $30k Titaniums but buyers wanted $25k SEs with a $4K rebate. That is the definition of commodity when the o ly way to get volume is to out cheap the competition.Nobody beat Taurus or Continental. The market just went away.
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Try disconnecting the battery for a few minutes.
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I don’t see the problem.
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Sounds like the transmission control module.
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5 hours ago, Joe771476 said:
Electric vehicles are all done!
I guess the 270,000 that bought them first quarter did t get that memo.-
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That’s not a dealer I would do business with. Borderline incompetence.
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12 hours ago, MadManMoon said:
I'll give you the awful EcoSport, but the Fiesta (minus the terrible DCT) was one of the best small cars out there, especially the ST. I still miss that car!
I meant in terms of it being too small for this market and not generating much revenue or profit.-
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9 hours ago, sks3i said:
I bought Nautilus'24 black label recently. Drive smoothness and interiors are great. But, cabin is definitely not quiet.. it is loud and can feel every bit of road noise. I honestly don't recommend this vehicle to anyone. I'm planning to sell or give it back .
Check the tire pressure. May not have been lowered after shipment.-
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Tesla to Lay Off More Than 10% of Workforce, Report Says
in E.V. Central
Posted
Bingo. Especially for folks who lease. I can only laugh about rperez817 pointing out that Tesla was making 30 changes per day.