mackinaw

The latest update, from AutoWeek, on Ford's future powertrains: http://www.autoweek.com/article/20090721/CARNEWS/907219990

Maybe a 4 cylinder eco-boost will show up in an F-150. Here's a direct quote from today's Automotive News, "Ford product chief Derrick Kuzak has said a four-cylinder has potential even in the F-150 truck."

Just have. Automotive News says that Ford is down 10.7% for May. http://www.autonews.com/

I wonder if we've entered a new era of engineering stuff, one that relies more on 3rd party suppliers and less on employed-by-a-particular company personnel. A paradigm shift if you want to use that fancy word. Maybe the old way of doing things is gone for good. Or maybe Ford, and other companies, will hire more engineers once they return to profitability. I can tell you that it my line of work (natural resource management), the old way of "we do everything" is a relic of the past. Between a 1/3rd and 1/2 of what we do is now done by contractors.

Hopefully, the auto industry will attract a new breed of "green" engineer, who specialize in hybrids and electronics. But you're right. Engineers who, in the past, would have gladly come to Detroit and work for the Detroit 3, are now looking elsewhere.

Oshawa Assembly has added extra shifts and overtime to meet demand for the new Camaro: http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/Article....aspx?e=1557425

And don't forget, build a vehicle that the average working stiff can afford to buy. The Model T was such a success mainly because it was the first car that could be bought by the people who built them. Up until this time, automobiles were only for the rich.

Take a look at the article again. Volvo has issued an official response calling the report "speculative" and "inaccurate."

The Ford Flex is built in Oakville, Ontario. Not trying to influence you're vacation planning, but you can easily spend an entire day at the Henry Ford complex. The museum and Greenfield Village are quite something. Plus you're virtually assured in seeing some sort of Ford prototype driving around the streets of Dearborn.

While in the Detroit area, you can tour the Rouge plant and watch F-150s' being built. See this for more info: http://www.thehenryford.org/rouge/index.aspx

Leave it to BON to twist this into a "I hate Apple thread.

From today's Automotive News, article by Amy Wilson: "With both General Motors and Chrysler LLC in bankruptcy, Ford Motor Co. is calling for the U.S. government to maintain a level playing field for all auto manufacturers. "The reality is, if you're competing against a company that's majority owned by the U.S. government, that does raise certain concerns about what the competitive dynamic will be for the industry," Ford spokesman Mark Truby said "Some of the issues that Ford leaders are worried about include: "The infusion of taxpayer dollars into GMAC, the former captive finance unit of GM now acting as a lender to both GM and Chrysler dealerships. The taxpayer money and GMAC's conversion to a bank holding company have helped lower GMAC's cost of capital. Meanwhile, Ford's captive finance unit has sworn off direct support from the U.S. Treasury and is challenged with higher borrowing costs. "The effect of taxpayer support on the retail marketplace. Ford executives privately complain that GM and Chrysler have used government money to fund higher incentives that in turn distort retail sales. "Ford executives are also worried about the health of Ford dealers who own GM and Chrysler franchises. GM wants to close around 2,000 dealerships and Chrysler has sent termination letters to 789 dealers. Fire-sale pricing by closing dealerships also could hurt Ford sales in the near term, a period in which Ford is launching several new or redesigned vehicles. "We want as level a playing field as possible, and we want to make sure we're as competitive as we possibly can be," Truby said. "And if that's the case, with our new products, we'll be fine. We can win as long as there's a relatively level playing field." Full article here: http://www.autonews.com/article/20090601/ANA02/906019912

Why would Ford take control of a new Visteon and get back into the parts making business?

The America car buying public has short memories. Last summer, the price of gas was $4.25/gallon and people lined up around the block to buy a Prius while you couldn't give away a full-sized pickup. Six months later, when gas fell to $1.50 gallon, hybrid sales were dead in the water while pickup sales increased. If a newly reorganized Chrysler or GM offers an attractive, quality product at a good price, I suspect people will buy them.

Another article on this topic: "Analysts said it will take a couple more months to fully gauge consumer reaction to these moves, but Haig Stoddard of IHS Global Insight said one thing is already clear: "Ford is likely to be the big volume winner." Jesse Toprak of Edmunds.com has been tracking Ford's conquests -- customers who previously owned other brands -- and says sales data shows that, since the beginning of the year, more GM and Chrysler customers are switching to Ford. That has accelerated in recent weeks, with the percentage of customers who trade their GM or Chrysler vehicle in for a Ford product increasing by 5 percent to 10 percent, depending on the brand. "That is actually a big shift, because those patterns rarely change by more than a percent or two," Toprak said, noting that his numbers are only beginning to reflect the impact of Chrysler's bankruptcy filing. "They're likely going to continue to gain even more momentum and steal more customers from Chrysler and GM in the coming weeks." Toprak said he believes Ford can sustain these gains, too, because it is investing more money in new products than GM or Chrysler. "They're making minimal investment in new products because they're worried about their survival," he said. "That gives Ford an additional advantage going forward." http://www.detnews.com/article/20090522/AU...Chrysler-buyers

From today's Automotive News. Article by Chrissie Thompson. "Ford Motor Co. will overtake General Motors to become North America's top auto producer this year as bankruptcy scrambles the industry rankings, a research firm says. Chrysler LLC, which has stopped production during its bankruptcy filing, will fall to No. 5, behind Honda and Toyota, according to data from forecasting group IHS Global Insight. Ford will rank first with North American production of 1.9 million units, a 17.7 percent decrease from 2008, IHS said. GM, which is shutting most of its plants as it braces for a possible June 1 bankruptcy, will build 1.7 million vehicles, about half as many as it did last year. The "stigma" surrounding Chrysler LLC's bankruptcy and General Motors' likely Chapter 11 filing will hurt the companies' sales, IHS said in a statement accompanying the release of its new annual production forecast. Ford is poised to pick up the bulk of the disillusioned customers and will gain 220,000 units of Chrysler's production, IHS said." Article here: http://www.autonews.com/

It's the 44,000 Chrysler vehicles currently sitting in the lots of the dealer to be closed that worries Jim Farley. "We are very concerned how they are going to handle those 44,000 units," he said. "It's like a liquidation sale now, and the biggest issue is whether they will cut prices to move the inventory." Article here: http://www.detnews.com/article/20090519/AU...-network/?imw=Y

That's what Chrysler did in northern Michigan. One Jeep dealer up here, that also sold GM products and Audi, got the axe.

I grew up in Dearborn and spent may an hour traipsing around the Henry Ford mansion grounds in my youth. Even used to swim in the lake HF built at the far end of the old rose garden. If you know where to look at the mansion, you can see the old cornerstone that was placed by Thomas Edison back in the early 1900's. The tour is well worth the admission price, you see stuff that will really impress (like the experimental "X" engine). A must-see for any auto fan interested in Ford history.

I admit to being intrigued by the technology, but i wonder how well a battery Focus (or any electric car) will do when it's 20 degrees F below zero some cold, January morning. I live in northern Michigan where long, cold winters are the norm. I wonder how far will you be able to go on a charge when every electronic device on the car is on full blast (headlights, electric heater, blower fan, electronic power steering, radio, etc.)?

Works for me. I doubled my money a few weeks back and would love to double my money again if given the opportunity. If Ford stock drops to ~$2.00/share, I'm in.

From today's Automotive News, article by Amy Wilson: "Ford had said it would sell a diesel F-150 beginning in 2010. Last spring, dealers were shown a 4.4-liter V-8 diesel said to deliver more power and torque than the F-150's 5.4-liter gasoline V-8 and offer a 20 percent fuel savings. But last fall, with diesel and gasoline prices sliding from a summer peak above $4 per gallon, Ford officials said they would delay the introduction. No new date has been scheduled, Mark Fields, Ford's president of the Americas, told Automotive News late last month. "We're still looking at the appropriate time to do that," Fields said. "We've put it on the back burner for right now." "One industry source familiar with Ford's product plans said the diesel F-150 has officially been delayed until 2013. But it will likely be canceled outright unless diesel prices fall substantially below gasoline for a prolonged period..."

Sure Ford could be next. There's also a chance that an asteroid will strike the earth in the next ten years and life as we know it will cease to exist. Life, and the car business, are all full of uncertainties. This blogger is just stating one point of view.

Hard to say. All depends on what happens outside of the U.S. You have to include Opel (will they sell?) and Buick (big seller in China) in the mix too.

Automotive News reported today that Volkswagen will pass GM sometime this year to become the world's second largest auto maker (total vehicle production).