mackinaw

"Ford Motor Co. today announced that it is investing $135 million in two Michigan parts plants -- the Rawsonville Plant and the Van Dyke Transmission Plant in Sterling Heights -- to produce battery packs and transmissions currently manufactured in Mexico and Japan. These are key components for a new generation of hybrid and electric vehicles that also will be produced in southeast Michigan. Ford Americas President Mark Fields said they would be "instrumental in making Ford's electrification strategy a reality." The investment also is expected to create nearly 200 jobs, though most likely will be filled by idled Ford workers." http://www.detnews.com/article/20100524/AUTO01/5240400/Ford-battery--transmission-work-returns-to-U.S.

Agreed. Plus people seem to forget that the Fiesta is a "B" class car, which is way too small for the typical American. The Focus has a better chance of "dominating" the compact class than the Fiesta.

This is from a interview Automotive News had with Mark Fields on April 28th: "Will Lincoln offer a vehicle smaller than the MKZ? "The luxury end of the business is still going through a transition. The big question is: Are people going to return to the marketplace with the same behaviors as in the past, whether it be the luxury segment or the nonpremium segment? And I think in the luxury end that people will be open to buying smaller vehicles. I'm not going to talk about future product plans, but I think you've seen what we've done with Lincoln over the past three to 3 1/2 years. We've really taken Lincoln to another level, and I think our challenge going forward is our opportunity to take it to another level. And we're looking at all those things right now. What will people's behaviors be and what does that mean for what kind of products luxury customers would be interested in." Can you take Lincoln overseas? "I wouldn't rule that out. But we're focusing solely right now here on North America."

From today's Detroit Free Press: "Ford is committed to the future of the its Ford Flex crossover vehicle even though it has not met the company’s volume expectations......." “As you know, the Flex didn’t have the volume we might have thought, … but it seems to be a pretty sustainable volume....." Full article here: http://www.freep.com/article/20100511/BUSINESS01/100511052/1320/Ford-committed-to-Flex-vehicle

Interesting that GM has just cancelled the planned 7 passenger Orlando. Mark Phelan, of the Detroit Free Press said yesterday, "By dropping the Orlando, GM may have boosted Ford's chances of selling a profitable number of Grand C-Maxes. Chevrolet thinks it has a full house of family vehicles in its existing Malibu, Equinox and Traverse models." Full article here: http://www.freep.com/article/20100509/COL14/5090493/1322/Small-minivan-plans-shrink

I'm surprised they dropped the Ford Oval in the grille in favor of the big, block F-O-R-D letters on the hood.

Here's a quote from a real financial analyst, somebody who actually knows what he's talking about: "I think the four-year transformation is beginning to pay huge dividends and the uncertainty now is less around Ford’s future in the market, which is very solid, and now is about the overall growth and pricing levels,” Brian Johnson, an analyst with Barclays Capital, told the Free Press last week." http://www.freep.com/article/20100427/BUSINESS0102/100427010/Ford-reports--2.08-billion-profit

From today's Automotive News: "..........Dealers who attended the meeting said Ford also told them it is undecided on whether the Explorer will arrive as a 2011 or 2012 model. "Ford gave no reason for the indecision. It has been reported that Ford would build and sell the redesigned Explorer late this year as a 2011 model. To qualify as a 2012 model, Ford would have to wait until Jan. 1 to sell the SUV. “This now puts the launch date in question,” said a dealer who attended the meeting in Detroit. "A spokesman for Ford said no delay on the Explorer production has occurred. “We have not announced the model year for the Explorer,” Jay Ward, a Ford spokesman, wrote in an e-mail to Automotive News. “I can confirm that the vehicle goes into production in 2010 and that there are no delays in the program.” "Ford will publicly reveal the Explorer later this summer, Ward said."

One of many articles: http://www.detnews.com/article/20100427/AUTO01/4270388/Ford-Motor-Co.-reports-$2.1-billion-profit-for-first-quarter

Some folks are asking questions about the Fiesta's price: "My concern about the car is that it is priced too high for the Ford nameplate," said Jim Hall, managing director of 2953 Analytics in Birmingham. "A fully loaded Fiesta costs more than a fully loaded Focus right now." When the Fiesta goes on sale early this summer, the base price will be $13,320 for the four-door sedan and $15,120 for the hatchback, excluding destination charges. That's competitive with $12,615 for the Toyota Yaris and $14,900 for the Honda Fit, but higher than the $9,990 for the Nissan Versa." Full article here: http://www.freep.com/article/20100426/BUSINESS01/4260322/1318/Ford-ready-to-launch-funky-Fiesta

Probably. He is in charge of Ford's "Strategic Design." I like this thing. Shows some imagination and the willingness to do something different.

Hard to believe it's been 46 years. I remember it like it was yesterday. I still remember the price, "$2,368.00 F.O.B Detroit." And I don't know what F.O.B. means.

With gas costing about $7.50/U.S. gallon in Britain and $6.00/U.S. gallon on Germany, not many folks will pay for a big-block U.S. V8. Just too expensive to maintain as a daily driver.

Toyotas' are not junk. Toyota is a major player in the car industry and will be so for many years to come. What the "unintended acceleration' debacle has done is knock them off their "best car in the world" pedestal. They are now like everybody else, trying to survive in a very competitive industry. As for their commercials, they are nauseating, but Toyota, wisely, has crafted them to appeal to their loyal customers. I will be glad when this ad cycle is over.

Plus it helps when you're sitting on a 30 billion dollar war chest. The question I have is how long Toyota will be willing to spend the big $$$$ on incentives. They have the bucks to play the incentive game, Ford and GM don't.

Last time I was "on campus" was 1973 when I was a summer engineering "go-fer." I had regular access to the test track too in those days. Now I just drive by when I'm in Dearborn visiting family.

Well, I admit to standing on my bike so as to look over the test track wall, when I was a kid back in the 60's, to see the "new cars," but I'm innocent this time....... Though it is amazing what you see parked in the various parking lots that surround the test track. All sorts of cars in camo, cars with different front end clips, you name it. If you're patient, you're almost guaranteed to see something exotic.

Strange part to me is that the pics look to be taken in Dearborn at the entrance of Ford's test track off Oakwood Blvd. The area is normally teeming with people and/or security personnel. Hard to believe nobody would notice some guy, during the day, taking pictures of this test vehicle.

So you're passing judgement on fuel economy and overall capabilities of the truck based on a picture of the interior?

Of course you're right, for all we know next year Ford could be in the hot seat. But for the time being, sit back and enjoy the fact that Toyota is now the butt of jokes on late night TV. Letterman has had a field day the past few weeks. And what I find most interesting is that the audience is howling in laughter at his Toyota jokes.

Duh! Of course they were shocked. EVERYBODY was shocked. Just reread some of the Wall Street comments from several years back. Very few people said that mortgaging the company was a good idea.

I can't find the exact quote but I do recall a short article in Automotive News (few months back) where Kuzak suggested an EB I-4 was a possibility.

We talked about this a few weeks back: http://www.blueovalforums.com/forums/index.php?/topic/37832-excellent-mulally-interview/

From today's Automotive News: "Ford said today it will produce a global performance car based on the re-engineered, restyled Focus. “You will be seeing an increasingly global approach to both performance and motorsports from Ford in the future,” said Derrick Kuzak, Ford's group vice president of product development. Kuzak spoke during a Focus presentation this evening on the eve of the opening of the Geneva International Motor Show." "Details about the new performance Focus and the time frame for launch will be revealed in the coming months, said Jim Farley, Ford's group vice president of global marketing." "Speaking of North America, Farley said the performance Focus is intended to help change the perception of Ford’s vehicles. “Fun to drive -- that is what we stand for in Europe when it comes to passenger cars,” he said. “We are not known for that in the U.S.”

You're right, it was 1989. Hard to believe it was 21 years ago.