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Honda's core business actually is engine. This is the reason why Honda can make everything powered by an engine such as car, speed boat, motor cycle, jet plane, mower and so on. Ford can also make great engine, but most of the engine are made for car and truck. Actually Ford once made very good airplane called Ford Trimotor. Ford test track in Deaborn actually was Dearborn airport, the biggest airport in metro area until the metro airport was built. Ford even played important role in US Aerospace industry. Now those things were all gone. The difference between US/European company and Asian company is that Asian company can be developed into monopoly without been interfered by government just like Hyundai, Mitrubishi and LG. Honda can not be called monopoly. But Japanese government spent a lot of time, efford and even resourse to sale Honda's product (such as Jet plan, cars) to third world county. For example, Japnaese Government gave billions billions low interest loan to those africa county. The condition for thos low interest loan is to require those africa country to use those loan to buy Japanese made merchandise such as Honda Jet, Honda car, Honda engine. My point is that if Ford want to make locomotive, bus, jet, who is going to sell it? US government will never do that. US company fight alone in this global market. Those Asian companies have their government back on them, so they can make whatever they want to make with profit.

I agree with you. If I got a dell computer for $500 and the computer have some flaw. I will be unhappy, but I will not be really mad. But if I spent $30,000 to buy a car, the progam related to LCD screen in the car has flaw, I will be really really mad, especially the flaw occurs during the driving. When dealer tell me that the LCD controlled everything from automatic phone call to air conditional, I will be really scared to death.

I have a 2007 Fusion SE. Today I hear squeaky noise from the passenger side front seat when someone is seating in the seat. Is this a concern? Should I take the car to the dealer for someone to take a look at it?

Why not merge Ford and Boeing so both companies can share one CEO and one Union. They even can share same engineers and same Market (US and China). Ford Motor did has experience on making airplane. I saw Ford airplane in Henry Ford Museum.

Ford never said that they will not provide red paint or black paint until October. Ford has found the replacement. Japanese Car company especially Toyota created JIT (Just in time) because they believe that they can shift supplier immediately if something unexpected happened. Why they do not do their majic JIT this time. Because most of their suppliers are on Japan. By the way, that is not paint, that is a components of paint and that component is not made by Japanese company. That component is made by a German company called Merck. The intellectual property belongs to Merck, it is illegal for any company to produce that components.

My understanding is: that missing part is exactly only made in Japan, and that missing part is so difficult to make that no any other place in this planet can make it, and that missing part is so precious that no any alternative can be used to replace it and Japanese companies need to wait continuously 7 monthes for it to be ready. Does this really make any sense? If all of above assumptions are right, why Ford GM Chrysler still keep their production as usual. Do Ford, GM, Chrysler need that missing part?

I never knew that Ford (also GM) made so many weapon for US troops during the World War II. What if world war III had happened, can we still have enought resource to make weapon for our troops. I wish Toyota, Honda and Nissan plants in US can make enough tank for us, or maybe Google, Microsoft or Apple can make enough Fight Jet for us. History about Ford.pdf

Since the Japanese earthquake, those Japanese companies just can not produce enough Accord, Civic, Camery, Corrolla. Why? Because their parts are from Japan. How do you justify that? When you talk about content, do you give weight to each parts? Is a Chinese made cheap screw provide same value as a Ohio made engine? Earthquake is bad, but earthquake really reveal that Japanese Car companies are just liers as usual. When they count the content of their car or truck, they give same weight to a screw as they give to an engine. Each car or truch has thousands of screws but only one engine. If those Japanese companies do use critical parts made in USA, they should not have problem to keep up their production. The impact of earthquake to Ford, GM and Chrysler is not material, why? It is those critical parts that determine the price of a car or truck, not the screws. F-150 and Fusion's engine are all made in USA. I know that Honda and Toyota have engine plant in the States, but do you ever match the number of engine they made in USA with number of car or truck they sell in USA. It is really really inproporitonal. far far beyond inproportional. You do not need rocket scientist's brain to figure that out.

Is 2,000 so on unit sales figure justified for manufacture of transit connect in the States

Sorry for the poor formatting. This is about Gerhard Geyer's new book. http://www.amazon.com/Ford-Motor-Company-Corporate-Turnaround/dp/1460975731/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1308058217&sr=8-1

I did not realize that there is already a book over there. Following are the review With the survivability of his company in serious doubt, William Clay Ford, Jr. dismissed himself as CEO of Ford Motor Company in September 2006 and appointed Boeing engineer Alan R. Mulally as President and CEO. However, Mr. Mulally’s appointment was risky because he had no automotive experience, and past efforts to hire outsiders at Ford were not successful. The 34 chapters 230 plus page book reviews how Ford reinvented itself, and did not join GM and Chrysler into Chapter 11. Importantly, the book includes management lessons learned from the turnaround, which can be applied in any industry. When Mr. Mulally joined Ford, the company had reached a state it had not experienced since the late 1920s and 1945. A shake-up was urgently required; it was not an assignment for the faint of heart because of Ford’s: declining profits, uncompetitive cost structure, poor product quality, unattractive cars, unhappy dealers, dissatisfied suppliers and Ford’s factories lagged behind competition. Clearly, Mr. Mulally was confronted with “Mission Impossible.” Ford was boxed in by: $17 billion in Automotive debt, a deep slump in introducing high-volume and exciting new cars, and facing lower-cost aggressive Asian rivals. In addition, Mr. Mulally had no automotive experience, and never held a CEO position. Mr. Mulally first established a clear vision for the new Ford corporate strategy and challenged the entire Ford way of doing business. Mr. Mulally methodically prepared an aggressive business plan to correct the deficiencies, and established tough goals to achieve the reinvention of Ford Motor Company. Since he had no automotive experience, he was able to think “outside the box.” The most exciting headline from Dearborn, Michigan, U.S.A. is: America is witnessing one of the most remarkable corporate turnarounds in U.S. history. It is one of the few “feel good” American business stories in recent years. Under Mr. Mulally’ leadership, Ford Motor Company has moved from the weakest of the “Big Three” to the top of the class. Ford is the new “Wunderkind” of the worldwide automotive industry. Ford’s approach is a textbook case study how to reinvent a giant company. Under Mr. Mulally, all elements of the company were transformed such as: production capacity has been reduced by 40%, the break-even level has declined by about 45%, hourly manpower reduced by 40%, product quality improved dramatically, the balance sheet has been strengthened and employee morale is sky high. Lastly, he is omnipresent with a game plan Vince Lombardi would have been proud of. Nobody could have ever imagined in 2006 that Mr. Mulally would eventually be celebrated as a game-changer, and toasted as the “superstar” in two of America’s marquee industries. Clearly, Mr. Mulally is the new American business icon. However, in my crystal ball of the 2015 auto industry, everybody will again be chasing Toyota, which will be running on all cylinders. Hyundai will be the unstoppable shark. In addition, GM will be a formidable competitor once more, and VW AG claims that it will be the new auto industry shining star by 2018. Therefore, Rick Newman of U.S. News & World Report advised Ford in an October 2010 article, “This is not the time to turn on the cruise control.”

This weekend I saw Mondeo/Fusion twice near M-39. Today I saw one Mondeo/Fusion and one hybrid Cmax on I-94. Ford realy speed up the new production now. If new fusion hybrid can really reach around 47 or 48 miles per-gallon in the city, that could be real blast to Toyota. But what is the rationale to give up Escape hybrid? Can 1.6 EB gives same gas mileage as hybrid does?

But it is true that GM is really frustrated by opel. Badly cooked chicken, still meat but tast so bad. We do not live in stone age anymore.

That also confuse me. The brand new MKZ was supposedly to release on New York auto show. They conceled the release. Now they postponed it even further. Now I really really have very high expectation on MKZ. Ford has to make it a perfect luxury car

I remember some Ford news said that Ford will produce Grand C max in China next year. I think Ford may import Grand C max from China by then. It could be cheaper.

I agree with you. I think one thing that Ford did not do well is they should not cancel the plan 6 month before the launch, they should just mention that they are going to make a hybrid C-max, then 6 month later they can just declare that C max 7 seats is so hot in Europe that they do not have enough for NA. To do this can give Ford some flexibility to launch the C-max 7 seats later or just let the plan dead silently.

I have a question? How difficult or how easy it is to use the current tool for 2012 focus to assemble C-Max 7 seats? If it is really easy, then Ford can product C-Max 7 seat any time they think worth to do so.

I guess Ford want to combine Grand C max with flex to make next generation of 7 seats car. Flex could downsize to CD3 plateform with some technology used in Grand C Max. I really like Grand C max, but most of my friends just think it is too small. The third row can only accomodate small kids.

So,?????? no seven seats C max? I saw at least 4 or 5 Cmax in Dearborn, I thought they were 7 seats minimini van, now today I am told that that is a hybrid.

GM just does not have consistancy on their business operation. This is the biggest NO NO when we talk about operation management.

Field was once the president of so called "Ford ...premium... group" (sorry, just can not remember the whole name of that Ford premium car group). I wonder how his performance was back that time.

I am thinking the same thing. Mulally drove Lexus before he became Ford CEO, Farley was executive of Toyota. I donot think both people can give any much input on the engineering and design, but both know why Lexus sucess. Everyone knows the problem with Lincoln. Ford just did not put enough efford on Lincoln in th past decades.

I have never heard any single Ford top executive's comments on GM. But GM keeps spray dirt water to Ford. Too many differences between these two company. The reason why GM and Ford gone down decades ago was they both did not know that they lived in a continuously changing world. Now Ford waked up, but GM still OLD GM. Before the last nail on the coffin, do not say it is OVER. Who would predit Lexus is now the best selling luxury brand in US before 1990.

I think the number is pretty decent considering that the high gas price deferred people's willing to buy big truck and Mercury numbers was totally gone. If Ford can get profit from current car and truck combination, Ford is really a strong company now.

Fox news also reported that GM dealers sold Volt to each other to claim the government incentive credit. I still have not see any Volt on the road except one with a manufacture tag during last Christmas. I did see 3 leaf so far.