mackinaw

To quote from my above note: "....Volvos 7.1% sales gain in 2007 to a record 458,323 vehicles."

I agree with you. I'll withhold judgement until I see both myself. But the fact remains that while we argue for hours over what PICTURES show, Truett has actually sat in both of these trucks and was disappointed by the Ram. That counts for something in my book.

Actually Truett suggested that Cerberus do just that. Apparently the Ram's interior looks nice in photos but in real life, actually sitting behind the steering wheel, it's a big disappointment.

Automotive News just issued their list of "Hits and Misses" for the 2008 NAIAS. The new Ram is listed as a definite miss. Richard Truett, who authored the list, is especially critical of the interior. Just not in the same league as the F-150.

Automotive News just issued their list of "Hits and Misses" for the 2008 NAIAS. The new Ram is listed as a definite miss. Richard Truett, who authored the list, is especially critical of the interior. Just not in the same league as the F-150.

Automotive News, which is updating their website several times a day because of NAIAS, just interviewed new Volvo CEO Fredrik Arp. He pretty much agreed with the Reuters article saying that Volvos 7.1% sales gain in 2007 to a record 458,323 vehicles was totally cancelled out by the strong euro/weak dollar. He said that U.S. production of Volvos is a real possibility. He also mentioned that it's not Volvo's intention to compete head-on with BMW and Mercedes.

The exterior is a pretty tepid restyle of the 2007 model, definitely not in the same league as the ground-breaking 1994 Ram. The interior is nice and contemporary, some nice features too. Don't know about the coil spring rear suspension though. Probably gives a better ride than a leaf-spring rear suspension truck but doubt if it will be as robust for those who need a work truck (BTW, coil spring rear susupension is not a new idea. GM used a coil spring rear suspension back in the early 1960's for both Chevy and GMC trucks but went back to leafs a few years later).

I like this truck. Bold, brash and innovative and not afraid to be in-your-face. A far cry from the tepid mid-cycle redesigns we've seen on other Ford vehicles the past several years. Maybe things are starting to change at Ford NA.

How right you are. In Mary Dalton's 1997 book, "Car: A Drama of the American Workplace," she mentions that Trotman was called upon to approve the final tooling for the doors and rear fenders for the then brand new 1996 Taurus. Hard to believe that the CEO of the company had to be involved in such a decision. Walton's book is a not-so-flattering detailing the launch of the DN 101 ('96 Taurus). If you want to learn what the old Ford was like (fiefdoms and infighting) this book is well worth the read. It will help you understand what Mulally is up against and what he trying to change.

This rumor appeared in the U.S. car magazine "AutoWeek" last December. Here's the link: http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/arti...=73304066647275 Also note, that Ford quickly and definitely squelched this rumor a few days later: http://www.cnn.com/2006/AUTOS/12/15/ford_n...edan/index.html

From today's Detroit Free Press (via USA Today): "Ford's Flex Model Generates Interest" http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article.../712270328/1014

Worldwide, production is up 8% over last year. S-80 sales have doubled in the U.S. YTD 2007 vs. 2006. Sales in Russia and China have gone from zero to over 35,000 in a few years.

Harbour an uneducated auto writer? The guy's spent a good part of his career working for Chrysler (in manufacturing) and now writes the yearly "Harbour Report" which is the industry bible as to manufacturing plant efficiency. You may not like what he says but he commands a lot of respect in Detroit (and Frankfurt and Tokyo).

Who says there's going to be a Panther replacement? That very well be one causality of the new, proposed U.S. CAFE standards.

You would have thought that Buzz Hargrove would have told the employees before the Detroit News.

What Ford roots? What exclusively Ford-designed platform is Volvo using? Engines? Transmissions?

Northeast liberals love Volvos too.

Globally, Volvo sales are up 8% so far this year.

According to Automotive News, S80 U.S. sales have more than doubled in the past year. 10,850 YTD sales as of October, 2007 vs. 5,213 YTD sales October, 2006.

Maybe in the U.S., but not elsewhere. As the Ward's article states, Volvo's global sales will increase by 8% this year. Most interesting was that sales in both China and Russia went from virtually zero, five years ago, to over 35,000 now (both country's combined). Future major market growth will come in China, not the U.S.

Easy answer, think world-market and not just the U.S. Volvo has a world-wide presence a lot of manufacturers would kill for. People in China, India wouldn't know a Mercury, or even Lincoln, if one fell on them. Most everybody knows what a Volvo is though. Why would you give that up?

Kind of off-topic, but still pertinent. http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article...NESS01/71129022

For someone who works in the Natural Resource field (me), and who drives a lot of miles driving down two-track woods roads, there is a real need for a compact-sized truck. Negotiating a full-sized pickup loaded with equipment, down a poor quality dirt road, and trying to turn the beast around, is a hassle the great majority of truck drivers never experience. No doubt the kind of driving I do is in the minority though.

Ask this question in six months. Much too early to be judging sales success of any new car. I imagine dealers are still building up their stocks of the new Focus.

I've been wondering if Ford, or any of the Detroit Three, will take advantage of the dollar/euro thing and start making cars here that can be imported to Europe. Seems like this would be an idea worth pursuing. I know this would make the UAW happy.