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mackinaw

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Everything posted by mackinaw

  1. I think you nailed it. What follows was lifted from today's Autoline Daily. John McElroy's take on the latest JDP survey: "Here’s my Autoline Insight. J.D. Power redesigned this year’s IQS to include design issues, like interface issues with infotainment systems. And it weighed those issues more than the traditional things-gone-wrong defects. In fact, two-thirds of all quality issues in this year’s IQS are design related, not some sort of malfunction."
  2. From Reuters via Automotive News: DETROIT (Reuters) -- Ford Motor Co. may develop new models for Lincoln in fast-growing vehicle segments as part of the automaker's latest attempt to revive the struggling luxury brand and boost its profits. The company did not specify which vehicle segments it was targeting. But in a presentation to investors on Thursday, Ford showed in a chart that it expects the premium small-car and crossover segments to grow sharply by 2015. Lincoln does not currently offer a small car, but a person familiar with the brand's strategy previously told Reuters that the Lincoln brand is considering a near-luxury compact sedan for 2016 or later." "There are vehicle markets "that we're not playing in today that we can enter that are high-volume segments and growing fast," Matt VanDyke, who is in charge of Lincoln's development and day-to-day operations, said at an investor conference. If approved, the small sedan likely would be sold in the United States and China, the world's largest auto market. It would compete against cars like General Motors' Cadillac ATS and the Mercedes CLA." Read more: http://www.autonews.com/article/20130613/OEM04/130619919#ixzz2W8JYgXRp
  3. From Bloomberg via Automotive News: "In the meantime, Lincoln is taking aim at sales and service staff to make sure luxury buyers want to do business with them. That's an area where Ford says even leaders like BMW and Mercedes are falling short of consumers' expectations. When the researcher Luxury Institute LLC last year asked premium buyers what level of importance they placed on dealership experience on a scale of 1 to 10, the average score was 8.3, according to a survey released in November. At the same time, that sample of wealthy consumers scored their last sales or service experience with their current car or truck at less than 7.7, the study found. "These clients want no hassles," Andrew Frick, a Lincoln group marketing manager, says in a training video beamed into Lincoln Academy sessions. "They want quality, reliability and effortless customer service. They're cynical, but open-minded. And there's a chance they have never stepped foot in a Lincoln dealership." Read more: http://www.autonews.com/article/20130612/RETAIL07/130619940#ixzz2W3FhZkUk
  4. Maybe, but more likely they're getting ready for the exit of several thousand baby boomer-aged engineers who are nearing retirement.
  5. What people fail to realize that this is problems/100 vehicles. Basically we're saying that the average vehicle in 2003 had 1.33 problems while the average vehicle in 2012 had 1.02 problems. Pretty insignificant when you get right down to it.
  6. The Dodge Dart may have to renamed the Dodge Dud. Less than 7,500 sold in May. Compare that to the 27,000 Foci that were sold.
  7. I haven't followed this thread but just saw this in Automotive News: "MUMBAI (Bloomberg) -- Global vehicle sales at Jaguar Land Rover rose 19 percent to 116,340 in the three months ended March 31, Indian parent company Tata Motors said. Jaguar Land Rover revenue rose 22 percent to 5.05 billion pounds ($7.6 billion) in the quarter. Profit was 378 million pounds ($571 million)." Read more: http://www.autonews.com/article/20130529/COPY01/305299948#ixzz2UjIrt1Ph
  8. From today's Detroit News: Ford Motor Co. will add production of its Fusion midsize sedan at its Flat Rock Assembly Plant later this summer, but more big changes are in store for one of the automaker’s most flexible plants. The Dearborn automaker next year will start churning out its next-generation Mustang pony car — coinciding with the car’s 50th anniversary — and soon after will prep for production of the next-generation full-size Lincoln MKS, according to union and supplier sources familiar with the company’s plans. Ford will not confirm specific production plans. It has yet to publicly acknowledge the existence of the next-generation Mustang. But Jim Tetreault, Ford’s vice president of North American manufacturing, hinted at changes at Flat Rock in a telephone interview last week. “Our goal is to launch Fusion, put on a second shift and increase production before we have a different cycle of products this time next year,” Tetreault said. “It's a little bit early to be specific, but there will be some changes at Flat Rock next year.” More here: From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130529/AUTO0102/305290009#ixzz2Ugn52SV2
  9. While Ford has decided to exit Australia, they're going to keep producing cars in Canada. From Automotive News: "Ford Motor Co., Canada's top-selling automaker, is confident it can preserve its manufacturing profile in the nation despite unfavorable operating costs tied to the high Canadian dollar, the company's lead executive for the country said. "We are optimistic despite the Canadian dollar where it is," Dianne Craig, chief executive officer of Ford Canada, said Tuesday during the Bloomberg Canada Economic Summit in Toronto. "So it's between the business partners that we have, certainly the government, that will enable us to at least keep the footprint that we have today." Ford says it pays its richest wages and benefits in the world to workers in Canada, where it has retrenched to just one assembly plant. The U.S. automaker is working on an investment plan for its Oakville plant, outside Toronto, though it's "not ready for prime time yet," she said." Read more: http://www.autonews.com/article/20130521/OEM01/305219935#ixzz2U7hFxcJ5
  10. You can count on it. Prediction: the longest, most passionate and, perhaps, nastiest thread ever on BON will start when we see the first good pics of the 2015 Mustang.
  11. It looks like somebody closed the rear door so as to (purposely?) pin the camo in an "up" position. Notice how the camp nicely drapes over the outside rearview mirror too.
  12. Well, the management at GM and Chrysler had no problem driving their companies into the ditch back in 2009.
  13. I voted to maintain the Class B shares. Always have and always will. I like the idea that Ford is a family run company.
  14. Oh goody. A new Ranger thread. Wonder how many pages this one will go.
  15. Yep, all manufacturer's do it. Last year, Chevrolet signed a seven year, $559 million dollar deal to sponsor the Manchester United soccer team in England.
  16. From today's Detroit News: "Ford Motor Co. expects to shatter its full-year hybrid vehicle sales record later this month, led by a handful of new vehicle offerings that are challenging Toyota Motor Corp. for hybrid-vehicle supremacy. The Dearborn automaker's hybrid share is up to 18 percent compared to 3 percent at this time last year thanks to April hybrid sales totaling 8,481, a monthly record." More here: From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130503/AUTO0102/305030396#ixzz2SFCdNdV0
  17. Absolutely agree. I trust Wall Street analysts as far as I can throw them. Which ain't far.
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