danup

They're routinely in 4th-6th place because of those new trucks and cars 13-15 years ago. Heavily fleeted, under-equipped, unreliable price-competing junk like the Best Selling 92 Taurus, left to rot on the vine in favor of SUVs and trucks, are what people think of now when they hear Ford. Your line of reasoning is like suggesting Firestone sells fewer tires now because they're not as good as the ones that came on the old Explorer.

Yeah! And why did they keep the Mustang all those years in the nineties, when they had perfectly good ZX2s on the lot?

The Ranger's general datedness is a missed opportunity, but it hurts a little less to know that everybody else missed the opportunity, too.

Definitely picking the Ram here. It looks like a vast improvement over the current model, from the inside out.

Supercars never really caught my imagination. I'd probably go with a brand new CTS-V or a Volt.

Saturn Astra. GM has a brilliant idea, makes a fine car, doesn't follow up on it, makes a bad car, and then decides that the idea was the problem, and not the ugly car they replaced the SL with. The Astra is probably a wonderful car, but every time I see it (which is not often) I think: gee, GM, wouldn't it be nice to have those 250,000 small car sales a year instead of losing money on a car imported from Belgium?

Saw the ad on TNT today--along with an all-out MKS blitz. It was nice (though not as nice as the MKS "starships don't need keys" ad) and getting it out there is good but I think this is going to be a slow starter. Bad climate for it.

For what it's worth the various Consumer mags all consider the Taurii from 2000/2001 on rock solid. It's the gen 2s and 3s that really get hammered, mainly on transmission problems.

I think the Taurus was very well appreciated in its day, it's just that the subsequent crappy reliability and slow fade-out of the 2000 model have dulled those memories.

This is a problem, as far as I can tell, with all of the subcompacts (I know Aveo's also in this boat), and the Fiesta will probably be no different. This, I think, will be the problem with selling subcompacts in the states, where "they're smaller!" is not such a selling point as it is in countries the size of Virginia. If they get the same fuel economy and they're not much cheaper than their compact counterparts, what's the point?

Honestly, as much as the Ridgeline is a failure--thanks to styling and the weirdness of buying a Honda truck--I'd like to see one of the big three take a shot at a similar vehicle. (That GMC Denali concept from earlier this year seemed like a much better shot at market penetration than the Ridgeline.)

Oh, come on, man, if you're going to troll at least read the rest of the topic first. Argument's already been had: the data comes well before your would-be cheerleaders were crowing about huge retail demand for either car.

Wow, that's an absolutely gorgeous car. Are those Saturn-style "quad coupe" doors? That and the front clip remind me of the Ion coupe, which is probably the weirdest thing I could ever say about an attractive car. EDIT: A-pillar forward it reminds me of a Fusion/Milan, and aside from the New Edge fenders the design language isn't too far off; it's too bad the CD3 coupe was cancelled.

I don't know how many of them they actually sold, but it was offered. Unlike the 04-05 Malibu Classic I don't think they changed the badging at all; the result is that, starting a few months ago, I've seen a fair amount of enterprising car dealerships offering Red! Hot! Deals! on low-mileage 2008 Malibus in newspaper ads, neglecting to mention that the Malibus in question have the 3500 and look like the box a 2008 Malibu came in, as they say. Also, if this isn't a strict model year thing could some of the Tauruses be the phantom short-run 2007 model year of the pre-Five Hundred car? I know most of them were already on used-car lots by then, because I test drove one that was about $11,000 and still smelled like new car last year around this time, but I suppose the question is worth asking.

Here's hoping they've found a way to transition it away from all retro all the time without making it too jarring.

Re: the Malibu, if this is strictly for 08 model year cars I would imagine a fair amount of them are not the "new" 08 Malibu but the 08 Malibu Classic, which was built strictly for fleet customers and is not continuing forward for the 09 model year. It will be interesting to see what that does to the Bu's fleet numbers. As for the Taurus, those are ugly numbers but that's what happens when consumers are not made aware that a car exists.

Yeah, I don't know what they were thinking when they set this product's entire development cycle in motion last week. What a bunch of idiots.

I like it. Can't wait for the powertrain details, I'm interested in the fuel economy on all three.

Wow, the Euro wagon is really attractive. The hatchbacks... less so.

The Altima is the latest in a long line of very-well-regarded Nissan mid-size cars, while the Focus competes with the Sentra and the Versa, which are, collectively, one big joke. You have to take the competition into account.

I don't think "tough" was the key factor behind the body style of, say, an Enclave or a Flex. The problem is that minivans--even the relatively out-there Chrysler twins--are stuck in a design rut. The first company, and maybe it should've been Ford, to put out a minivan that looks like a Flex and operates like a minivan is going to blow that segment up.

It's good to hear the 09 Escape and its Legendary New I4 of Truth is finally on the lots. Let's hope the talk about depressed Fusion/Focus/Escape sales being the result of undesirable models and the year changeover is proven correct over the next month or two.

I've gotta say, I don't mind cars being built elsewhere, but part of what I'm buying into when I look at a Ford is a history of American design and engineering. If Ford of Europe--whose designs I find less attractive--becomes the Big Brother in this company I have less of that history to feel connected to. I remember the heyday of the Taurus, not the Taunus, is what I'm saying. (Furthermore I think Ford is going to be hit with a rude awakening if/when they bring the European Fords over and realize that the problem isn't product right now, it's perception. A competent Mondeo isn't going to fly off the lots any more than a competent Fusion.)

Wow, wow wow wow. I can't wait to see what the new V6 does, let alone the hybrid.

I think the G6 is an attractive car, but it needs a little excitement--which this refresh is not going to give it.