LincolnV

The perfect description of all things Nissan lately.

I've watched the video a couple of times. It almost looks like the driver of the Ford removes his foot from the accelerator near the top of the incline before reapplying it as the van slows.

This made me laugh: Yes, the driver of the Ford in the Fiat Chrysler promo clip shows frustration. I think it would have been more effective if he got out of the van, threw up in the snow and fell down in a whimpering clump of despair over the failure.

To me it was because the new aero headlights were far too big for the car.

We used to go to Detroit all the time when I was a kid. Crossing the border was just a formality back in the day. As my father worked for Ford as an engineer, he at one point went to Flatrock every day as part of his job back when it was a casting plant. He also periodically had to travel to Cleveland. I've always had good memories of Detroit. There was always so much to do when we went over. I even remember when there was a time difference between Windsor and Detroit for part of the year. As I always tell people, particularly after the bankruptcy was announced....Detroit has many wonderful things about it - The news is just going to sensationalize the bad parts.

Are the property prices still incredibly inexpensive compared to other cities?

By chance does the proposed widening of 1-94 have anything to do with the upcoming DRIC bridge?

I was expecting it to be "Most Popular To Hit With a Sledgehammer in Overblown Media Stunt" but I was wrong.

The Concept C got a warm reception? it seems like it appeared on the show circuit and then that was it. I'm glad they never produced it. it came out around the same time as the MKT concept and I think it would have been another case of "nice concept" - "strange looking" production model. I think Lincoln has fixed a few things in the design studio since.

I wonder if Ford should have called this the 2016 Focus? We are already into the 2015 calendar year which will mean that production of the 2015 Focus will be short-lived. Isn't it being redesigned for the 2017 model year?

All this marketing towards young people yet they don't buy the cars that are marketed towards them. Saw a driver get out of a Nissan Cube today. He was around 60 years of age. Young people don't buy the cars that are directed at young people.

I got my beginners permit the morning of my 16th birthday. I thought about it for two years prior. I couldn't sleep the night before. Getting my full license was so great. I took drivers education in high school (insurance rates reduced because of the course) but got my full permit two weeks into the course (my birthday is at the beginning of the summer so I had over two months to practice). I had my license already before all the practical sessions of that course.

Isn't one of the current main concerns amongst automakers that the younger generation isn't as interested in getting their drivers license as prior generations?

We had a '78 and '80 Zephyr wagon. The '78 had the 302 and the '80 the inline six. I always thought they were really good cars. They had an incredible amount of room at the time. The whole LTD name thing was a bit weird but the same situation existed on the Mercury side as well. Remember when the Flex was the Fairlane concept? I was surprised it suddenly became the Flex. I liked the idea of Ford bringing back Fairlane as a name.

I see a lot of older people driving Jukes and Souls.

To the point and quite accurate.

I think the interior looks a bit better than the exterior. The put a lot of motifs throughout to remind the driver that it's a Jeep. The "SINCE 1941" above the radio, the Jeep headlight/grill stampings throughout and the jeep print along the edge of the windshield. Owners will never forget their driving a Jeep.

IMO this is one of the ugliest vehicles on the market. It looks like a bad cartoon of a Jeep. However, like the Cherokee, I think they'll sell a lot.

I've been trying to find out how many Lincoln dealers Ford has. The last article I read from 2012 is that there were now around 325 in Metropolitain areas - down from 500. I seem to remember that reducing the number of Lincoln dealers was an expensive undertaking. Some of what is going on with Cadillac reminds me of Ford's Premier Automotive Group efforts 15 years ago when they brought in that BWM executive to lead the division. That didn't last long.

When I worked in a retail backoffice, if a customer came in looking for a product and the sales associate didn't have what they wanted in stock, there was only a slim chance that the customer would make the effort to come back after they were promised "we can order one in." Sometimes they would move to something else that caught their interest. With this discussion of "boutique" dealerships my first question would be, if there are two cars in the small showroom, does that mean we can put a small representation of all the other models on the lot?

Additional comments from Cadillac boss about dealers: http://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/autos/general-motors/2015/01/21/cadillac-considers-boutique-stores-small-dealers/22144177/

Have any studies/surveys been published that show that a car buying decision was made because of the tailights?

I think the B-Max would sell better here than the Fiesta does but I don't see that segment as being a priority for Ford. I have a hard time understanding how big it is. When I look at videos on YouTube, it almost looks the size of the C-max. I like the size of the C-max but I don't like that it doesn't come in a gasoline version. As for the curse of the minivan, I think those that point that out are correct. Look at sales of the Mazda 5. It has never sold that well but it really looks quite practical.

IMO the front end is not the part that needs to be worked on.

Chi"a". Just add water.