tarheels23

there was a time before when everything that does now work it did not

I have a 2013 C-Max CVT 110,000 miles. My history is from the '60s 396 super sport Chevelle in the '80s mustang GT 5.0 Thunderbird turbo coupe all straight drives always ran hard in the '90s Taurus SHO. We have no issues with the CVT just smooth driving as one of the response if you do hit the gas it doesn't have to change the lower gear to take advantage of the torque we just love ours

https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/tesla-cuts-prices-us-spur-demand-2023-04-07/ The fifth such cut in Tesla's largest market since the start of the year

drove by the local franchise in Charlotte, NC yesterday and it appeared the lot was completely full and a new truck load just pulled in. It appeared to me they are building more than they can sell by this 1 data point.

+++, I swapped out our gas lawn equipment 7 years ago. I gave my son all my gas mowers, trimmers and edgers, cans, sparkplug wrench, and oil cans. Never have to change the oil, clean air filters, or get gas. Just remember to charge the batteries for mowers, trimmers, edgers, and blowers. Easy peasy. Can't wait to get BEV, have a C-Max but even less maintenance with BEV.

I remember reading, maybe 40 years ago about a facility in VA, an old hydroelectric dam, that would pump water up at night to run down during the day to increase the peak for the local grid. Same idea as this

OK, I am aware of that so I was basing this on the current situation, like all the folk who say BEVs won't work for them based on the current situation.?

I will show my ignorance here, where I live in the SE USA I was under the ASSumption? that nighttime electricity would be cheaper/more available at night because most homes and businesses would use less. Is that not true?

a bell curve would be a good description of the extremes and the middle is where we are today, it is up to the Farleys of the world to lead their companies into the future

Let's hope and pray because the problems with H production, using more electricity to make than the energy provided by said H plus delivery, and associated leaks that may be worse for CC are questionable.

what about battery replacement for local fleets?

I am a pro-union, and pro-little guy, but I hope they are looking for the best and sometimes the best is not the most money.

Thanks for your thoughts. Out of The Crisis, that is the answer and Farley should be aware...

Yes, but the 'good' news is very few, based on my experience, the percentage of automakers following good QM is not very high that would get high marks and is limited to Asian and a few German companies. The ignition switch issue at GM was an example of a breakdown in following their established quality system; QS9000.

I do not disagree, in fact, I agree completely. It is up to Farley to embrace the Deming method and maybe the new hire will be required to do this but without Farley implicitly and Bill's complete support, none of our thoughts matter one whit. And just to reiterate I mean Deming and not any of the 6 sigmas BS which was only a perversion of Deming and a cash grab. Thanks for your thoughtful discussion and for allowing me to relive some of my past memories.

" it’s now back to selling expensive products full of shoddy cut down priced parts where a ton of problems" from your post My point is that nothing can get in the way of Quality processes for everything, everywhere, all the time to steal a quote. see: https://deming.org/ When Deming was asked 'How can you work with F with the unions' he said that was part of the system and they would be included'. The 1st Taurus was the 1st F designed by Deming-style teams and was widely acknowledged as a quality design and performance leader. When I talked about lying you said Bill required a BEV, the CEO should have said I will get right on it but it will not be sold till we prove we can build it, and that statement has to be applied to every product, part, and process. From Deming 14 points for Management: 3. Cease dependence on inspection to achieve quality. Eliminate the need for inspection on a mass basis by building quality into the product in the first place.

In all honesty, I am not concerned about vehicles in this convo. I am talking about a mindset of quality management that evidently has been lost at F. Regardless of what Bill was pushing for you never go forward with a product that is not capable no matter who pushes and if Bill can not accept that then you move on, period. Either you are honest with the boss or you lie and we all know what lying gets us all, nothing good. And yes, I have left what some might consider good jobs because they required me to lie or at least not tell the truth. While going on interviews for our consulting business several places wanted me for my technical expertise in manufacturing to solve a few problems they were having and I knew the solutions and could have corrected really easily but what I offered was the opportunity to train their employees in techniques their employees could use to solve their own problems then and in the future. I refused those opportunities because I knew management was not capable of leading in the change that could lead to continuous improvement/

Concerning Fields in my experience finding the right people can be very difficult because they all say the right things but when their A$$ is on the line most will look for expediency and easy when taking the long road can take time and losses to get moving in the right direction. The person that can lead when the pressure is on is not known till tested by fire and usually requires looking outside unless the internal leadership is made of stone and completely determined that they will LOSE before they give in. Bill chose Mulally and maybe he needs to step back in but I THINK Farley just maybe the right guy.

making a decision because of money and not QUALITY is always a mistake

I agree but also when I say save $$ vs make money I meant specifically processes, raw materials, supplier relations, and capital expenses. Too many look for easy $$ in purchasing in my practical experience and sacrifice long-term supplier relationships.

I've mentioned consulting in Quality Management several times and we had a saying 'God protect us from people trying to save us rich'. Too many times leaders are trying to save $$ instead of trying to make $$ is the problem.

thanks, I did not know. I read it concerning NASCAR and that in 2024 since it will still be produced they can run it but 2025 ???

I have a 2013 C-Max with 110K so I accept that today's hybrid fits better but I expect within 3-5 years when we expect to buy our next car, BEV will meet the needs of most owners. ETA: to your last paragraph I get better than 65 MPG @ 35 MPH and ~45 MPG @ 65 MPH and I have read that electricity versus gas is ~ $1.30 per gal so I do not understand your comparisons.

read today that Camaro may go away next year and maybe BEV next year...

If 34% was extrapolated to all CAR owners in the US then F had better start building more EV and battery factories, don't you think