LSFan00

Ford sells a lot of work trucks through QVM's, and while they could break it when they want to, it's a pretty big oil and gas/commercial sale market that Ford, on net, does good volume/market share in today, with marginal investment/resources. They're throwing (selling) a couple hundred bucks worth of hardened valves basically into F-250/150's to help maintain a market dominant position in commercial light trucks. That's a profitable line/investment, no doubt.

There are various reasons it works in limited areas today. Oklahoma (infrastructure), San Fransisco (infrastructure plus subsidies plus HOV commuter lane status for NG, for example). Honda hasn't missed a Civic GX sales goal I don't think, but they also don't sell them many places. Ford wouldn't want to kill it's pretty profitable/working deal with QVM's it's authorized for ambulances/truck CNG conversions today to compete with a mythical national general public customer base starved for NG Fusions/Taurus. If there were such a real market for pricey (and long term costly) sub-fleets, the germans would be selling these +$10K vehicles proudly today. They've made real comparative progress with premium diesels, but haven't even ventured to work on NG, I notice. I also don't see how the PI fleet would commonly work with/convert to NG. They've always wanted durability/size over MPG's. And they are unique in not having room for a CNG tank in the trunk/back, unlike municipal fleets. Plus, on bi-fuel vehicles the NG is a HP drop/weight increase. That is a kick in the nuts no normal ego police buyer will take happily. Easy, roomy, reliable, robust, fast. That's PI.

Very nice.

Emotion aside, just as ford has made hundreds of special edition mustangs over the decades, I doubt it hurts them much to toy w a diesel f150 if the motor is avail and ecoboost is now a mature product/brand. Sell a few here and there to the guys who want to pay the premium. next question.

Focus/Fiesta ST models can't be real profit generators, as they just don't sell many, but the ATP's on the mass market ones are sure beating the C170 predecessor's pants off.

The bottom line is that every single one of the EU designed vehicles have done very well for Ford NA. Today's Focus/Fiesta ATP's were pure fantasy 15 years ago. As fuel prices have risen in NA, smaller vehicle content/prices have as well, and this has fortuitously coincided with F/Mullaly's global product decisions.

I just think it's a funny article; "look, Ford listened to customers, like us, now they're doing well." It's kind of a Richard Jensen 'NA needs a unique C-class' level of hypocrisy I suppose, but it amuses me.

Thought this was a bit amusing;

So if Toyo nominally put a headquarters in Iowa they would be ok? This is pretty stupid.

We've been through this many times and I'm not going to rehash the matter for you. If you want to claim, yet again, that I owe the board some sort of assertion of proof you agree to, that diesel cars last longer and residual values, or any other source of information for the powerplant/vehicles are irrelevant, forget it. The truth is, you have zero evidence for your wild claims that (a) we should tax (or otherwise penalize) CO2 emissions, or (b) that hybrids/gas vehicles last as long as diesels, or that diesel truck usage are nonanalogous to passenger vehicles for that matter. Now float along on your magic ego carpet. People are just paying more for diesels because they are (globally) stupid. Got it.

Yes. Resale values. Do your own research.

It is laughable that anyone would make an argument to tax a fuel based on CO2 content. It's a natural gas, and increased levels lead to greening among other things. The real "green" vehicles are the ones that last longer. The scrapping order would be hybrid-gas-diesel. Hence, diesels (and their fuel) should be the least taxed if we are seeking a more environmentally-friendly auto industry/society. The biggest environmental damage/component to any vehicle is absolutely it's very manufacture. Any analysis of a vehicle's total environmental impact should take this primarily into account (and would further penalize hybrids which would need at least one battery swap a decade in moderate use in a warm climate). Fortunately some parties that are governing in the global economy have realized the asinine/counter-productive nature of taxing CO2. We just need politicians with the courage to do nothing.

That brown thing sure looks like a terribly deformed CRV to me.

It will/would be wonderful, but until Apple/Motorolla-Google put it in their main phones it will not be a killer feature.

Basically 2/3 of the article is about the C-max rating issue, which it finally quantifies at the end as costing 10 million bucks. "PANIC, WORLD ENDING." C-max is what, .5 percent of NA sales, and is doing better than planned?

If they're really going to sell it globally now then it only follows that the vehicle will not be as long, and will be more tailored to do well with smaller displacement options, compete more with euro 2-doors per above, etc. I have wondered if the euro pedestrian impact standards require more canted hoods (as opposed to horizontal).

Thx for this info. I agree re: above differentiation as between MSFT and B-square too. Just pissed about the whole thing yesterday. Oh well...

Why do I need to log back into the web site? Ford could just grab this the next time it's serviced and/or I update, or require me to do an update. Again, this would be more "customer friendly." Well it worked from the Mac last time (eventually). But perhaps I should have looked around to see if, despite my browser passing the test for the download, in fact syncmyride would have a problem with Macs for some reason. Yeah, I am aware of the PC vs. Mac debate, but I have never spent more than 10 minutes on a Mac update, and never done more than one a year either. Why make this about Apple vs. MSFT? The point is not all software/updates is such a pita. In fact, regarding software updates a quick google search on BMW, Dodge, GM, Kia, and Toyota doesn't reveal a remotely similar threshold of pain/experiences. That's Ford's competition, not Apple, btw. I hope other people aren't comparing Sync updates with Windows XP ca. 2002. And I hope MSFT's modern OS's are not anywhere near as obnoxious either.

Right, I'm a friggin idiot, who doesn't know how to put a USB stick into a port and sit for 30 minutes. 3 issues; 1. Download requires secure site login and 64-bit/Java and also requires confirmation it was updated (re-insertion into computer). For a device I am nagged to upload diagnostic data to Ford on through my phone every 15,000 miles or so. 2. Update itself takes 30 plus minutes. I switched to Macs at home over 10 years ago, but this is quaintly 20th century. 3. Update fails (not infrequently based on my searches). Repeatedly for me. Wiped out backup cameras on many explorers (my other car; I am refraining from updating for a month or so until I read this is not an issue). I called and Ford will now send me a USB stick for free in a few weeks time. Wonderful. But in the meantime (and of course I consider myself a fairly big proponent of Ford products) this whole thing makes me think the MSFT Sync product (and fired subcontractor I suppose) remains a real world/PR fiasco that does hurt customer retention for the company, and lowers scores on CR-types of analyses. I have 40K miles on a 12 focus and if they'd just give me the option to download to my phone on the go, or do anything besides sit in my driveway for an hour at a time (2nd major update) twice a year, it might be a much better experience (yeah, 2GB is a huge update, but many have unlimited data and/or it's set up to hook up to home wi fi anyway, and why is it 2GB in any case? Why download essentially a whole new copy of Windows NT?). I am sure my view will be denigrated/dismissed here but I'm equally sure this is not an ideal/acceptable/unique perspective. Rant over. Have a nice day!

I have re-tried downloading to 3 different USB sticks today now. Such garbage software...just put it out on a regular download site Ford. Craptastic experience all the way around.

A 30 minute update and I get a USB device problem 20 minutes in (told to re-start, abandon all hope). I seriously wish Ford had a different partner on this (MSFT). ugh. It is never a slick/simple device/interface.

One of the issues with LNG has always been getting the tank tested/recert'ed after it hits a certain age (for corrosion). I assume that (composite) is one of the advantages of the newer 3M tank.

I respect this opinion. I think this conclusion over-states the case though, relying on a misinterpretation of the past 25-30 years of "American preference." Two key differences; 1. Historically, the price of fuel was much lower vs. median income in the US, and 1(a), the price difference per volume of gasoline was much higher than paid by Euro's whilst they "preferred wagons disproportionately more." (And yes, the de facto subsidy of diesel vs. gasoline there was once greater across the pond, which is now decreasing.) 2. We have the Euro focus/C-class Ford family now, right here in America. We did not have this before. The fact is that this is a big deal. It is not tough to produce this version for the US market now (one could argue it will be easier as the model ages, as is common for variants). It's impossible thus to compare model decisions made in the 90's vs. today re: domestic wagon variants for Fomoco. In fact, if we're going to export the Stang etc. to Europe I don't know why we wouldn't import focus wagon variants in limited quantities at a markup to see if this would also work. Once you go global, there is no antecedent fear of "their car" hurting sales of "our car." That's kinda why you "go global." My favorite all time BON Forums thread was where Richard Jensen claimed he never asserted the Euro Focus could not work in NA, due to margins, costs, local preferences, etc. I think I'll look back on this similarly in 5-8 years.

But the Euro Focus (incl. ST) and Euro Escape (Kuga) seem to have done pretty well! (little) C-max I guess too. We'll see how the new stang does over there.

Except for the actual LR parts, which apparently barely make it off dealer showrooms before breaking. I think they're up to 2.5 stars now on JD Power.