e.albin

I rarely feel the need to comment; this is one of those times. Every dollar the UAW "negotiates" out of Fords pocket comes from a customer.So yes, this involves every customer, and every potential customer. We customers pay for any and all raises or bonuses that the UAW gets, and an extra few dollars an hour may sound like very little to you, but several Union members might work on a car, meaning the cost per vehicle is magnified (especially considering crosstown rivals GM and Chrysler will be somewhat lower, do to differing Union agreements).

Looks like the front end really draws quite a bit of inspiration from the Evos, doesn't it? Really well proportioned, as well, without the somewhat oversize grille current on mid-size cars. So this is what happens when a company refuses to sit on its laurels.

Agreed, and the front and rear overhangs are too long, imho, but it is a refresh (what Ford calls an MCE I think) before the new model arrives the year after next. Given what the Sebring looked like (I always get Salvador Dali's "dying clocks" in my head) i think a lot of people will take a look at it. On the other hand, the market seems full of bland (Honda, Toyota, GM) odd (Nissan, Hyundai) derivative (Kia) and this won't seem so bad in comparison, as those cars seem to sell fairly well.

Now if only other manufacturers could learn this..(I am looking at you, Honda)

I am almost positive that with curb-feelers and several acres of chrome, it will be just as glorious as the current one.

They killed the Sebring; that's something. The 200 isn't perfect, but its not so grimly mis-styled any longer, either.I believe the small Dodge is also dead (Nitro?) and the handsome-if somewhat bland-restyle of the 300 makes me believe that Chrysler might get its mid 90s mojo back.

I would have agreed with you ten years ago; but it is not Republicans telling me where I can smoke what I can eat (or what my children can eat) or what lifestyles I should just accept as healthy alternates. If conservatives have a problem with gay marriage, most that I know readily accept social-unions. No one likes a central authority (a big brother, if you will) telling them that happy meals with toys are a threat to the children. Nanny states,( what Newt called "social engineering") fail under their own weight.

I wonder if you could manufacture a front and rear clip for the Fusion to make it look like that, because the flanks are spot on. Beautiful car.

These numbers are of secondary importance to this one; which company makes the most profit per car sold? We can count GM out, I think, and Toyota is looking at a major decline in revenue this year compared with last.

I know there have been a lot of posts about the various shortcomings of Lincoln; all fine and well, but shutting Lincoln down takes yet another choice away from the public, and quite frankly, I don't see that as a winning strategy as Ford has nothing to "replace" Lincoln with. Mercury = Ford Titanium. Lincoln=? So, from a merely personal perspective, I want Lincoln to stay, as I happen to like storied American marquees. Hell, I'd buy a Packard if they still made them (admit it, you would too!) or a Studebaker..but those choices were taken away by market vagaries and bad managerial planning. Lincoln has, at the moment, a fine "focus" on its coming Lincoln's, and the market seems to be here (barring another recessionary dip..).

From what I understand, the f-35 is a near direct replacement of the Harrier and the f-18/A and the f-16, whereas the SU-35 is quite large; significantly larger than the f-35, larger even than the f-15 (just a bit larger, in fact, than the f-22), so I would be shocked if the Sukhoi design couldn't outperform the f-35 in some ways..its literally twice the aircraft. That being said, an f-15 or "super" f-18 would most probably wipe the floor with them, as they regularly do in naval fly-offs in our incessant war-games with India. The Pak-Fa, and China's J-20 stealth fighter are interesting, but very late arrivals to the party. And with the build quality China and Russia are known for, I would be impressed if either fly in any numbers before are f-22's are replaced by a sixth generation.

Alright, I will bite ; why doesn't Mazda bring it over here? The chief reason Ford won't bring the ranger is F150 overlap, but Mazda has...? It's ugly, but looks are subjective and all. With the right mix of engines/transmissions and with it being sold in either right or left hand, I don't see why Mazda isn't lunging at the chance..

Would it be logical for Lincoln to adopt a naming scheme based on platform, as an example a "c" platform car a Crown, B a Berlitz..etc etc?

Honda song, though I should get bonus points as Justine sings about a Ford Fiesta first..;o)

Not to nitpick, FordBuyer, but if you are shown something, you don't need faith at all. And to declare both the Mkt and Mks failures seems a bit of a stretch. Perhaps Lincolns success has not met your exacting standards thus far, but that's hardly reason to lose confidence completely. Lincoln needs some TLC, that is obvious, and it sounds like its finally, at long last, getting some. Your faith should rest in Ford owning Lincoln, and Lincoln being integral to Fords business plan. Your faith (such as it is) should rest in Alan Mulaly actually weeding out weaker Lincoln dealerships, moving models away from Ford, and continuing transitioning to new models apace.