Bold Moves?

[morgande]

To the Management of FoMoCo:

 

I have been watching the Ford Motor Companies ‘Bold Move’ campaign with quite some interest, and now feel compelled to express my concerns with what I am seeing from the company.

 

First let me start by saying that I am a loyal fan of Ford Vehicles. My family has owned four different Ford Vehicles in the last 15 years: two Ford Escorts, a Mercury Sable, and an F-150 (my current vehicle).

 

I have been a Ford customer, I am a Ford customer, and I think that I will continue to be a Ford Customer. However, there comes a point in which loyalty comes into conflict with reality. While I remain a Ford customer, I can’t continue to remain one if Ford doesn’t offer the kind of vehicle I want.

 

Ford business is product driven. Quite frankly, if you build the kind of vehicles that customers want, they will buy them. If you do not, then they will sit on dealer’s lots. The formula is simple enough, though in practice it appears very hard to implement for Ford.

On one hand, you have vehicles like the F-Series trucks, the Mustangs, and the Fusions that are doing very well. Ford is very competitive when it comes to their trucks and the Mustang. I see lots of innovation, and lots of proactive steps coming from the Company with regard to these two vehicle lineups. As a fan of Ford vehicles, its something I look forward to seeing and reading about.

 

But on the other hand, little can be said to the rest of the lineup coming out of Ford. Ford is not executing with the same level of passion when it comes to other vehicles. As I said earlier, if you build a vehicle people want to buy, then they will buy it. If Ford doesn’t offer the kind of vehicle people want, they will simply look elsewhere.

 

“Bold Moves” has to be more than just a website with video. Ford really needs to walk the walk instead of just talking it. Why is it that outside of the Mustang platform there are no ‘performance’ oriented vehicles coming out of Ford? Why is it that the Lincoln brand is being moved down-market and only offers re-badged Ford vehicles? Why has Ford abandoned all RWD platforms across all brands? Why is it that SVT has been reduced to a single vehicle that is unobtainable for most Ford customers because of both demand and price gouging from Ford dealers?

 

Ford is very proud of the Fusion. And rightly so, the fact that Consumer Reports ranked it so high is a tribute to how much Ford got ‘right’ with the fusion. Why stop there? Why is there is no performance version of the Fusion? Ford did not wait till demand was soft on the re-designed Mustang to introduce new models and packages. Why not do the same thing with the Fusion? Why is it that so called “upscale” models of Ford trucks like the Mark LT and the Navigator come with the same powertrain as the F-150 and Expedition? Why is it that outside of the Mustang there is no RWD platform? Is Ford not concerned with performance anymore? I can’t tell you how many motor sports magainzines praised the Fusion but complained about its lack of power. Even more so with the Ford Five Hundred!

 

I have seen the new commercial for the Shelby GT500. In it, Ford says that “Bold Moves is 500 horsepower”. This is a true statement indeed. But where are the rest of the “Bold Moves” outside of the Mustang and F-Series? Bold is hardly a 300 horsepower Mark LT and Navigator. Bold is hardly a run-away success vehicle like the Fusion with no performance based version. Bold is not having taking a bunch of existing vehicles and re-badging them as luxury under the Lincoln brand. Bold is not dropping a RWD V8 powered flagship sedan in the Lincoln Town Car and replacing it with a FWD V6 MKS! In one episode from FordBoldMoves.com, it talked about how the Ford Motor Company was born on a racetrack. While that may be true, you would never know it from the current Ford lineup.

 

I watched some old video footage of Ford earning reports back in 1987. Twenty years ago things were quite different from the way they are today. I do realize that Ford has been talking steps to address its product lines. But again, these steps are not what I would call "Bold Moves". For example, the re-introduction of the Taurus is a good idea. But abandoning the brand that was greatly responsible for saving the company in the first place is not bold. Its simply an effort to fix the poor judgment management made when they began to phase the nameplate out in the first place...hardly a bold move indeed!

 

For one reason or another, Ford's product offering in the car market have been seen as 'soft'. The ironic thing is, Ford has some very nice and attractive sedans that would do very well in the US market, the only problem is that they simply aren't offered here. For example, the Ford Falcon that is sold in Australia is a very good candidate for a sedan to bring to market here in the US. The Ford Mondeo is another great looking sedan that would make heads turn on the street. It certainly did so in the movie "Casino Royal'. But neither of these cars are in any dealer showrooms in the US. Why? Both of these vehicles seem to be doing quite well in their respective markets, why not try to introduce them in the US? That would be a bold move!

 

The fact remains, build a great car that people want and they will buy it. Ford has been making some great moves in terms of starting to produce cars that people are interested in. However, its going to take some 'bold moves' to save Ford, and I haven't seen much bold moves in Ford's sedans. The question is...why?

 

Sincerely,

 

Darnell Morgan

Blue Oval Fan & Customer

[mikem12]

you said it very well,

 

thanks,

 

Mike

 

 

 

To the Management of FoMoCo:

 

I have been watching the Ford Motor Companies ‘Bold Move’ campaign with quite some interest, and now feel compelled to express my concerns with what I am seeing from the company.

 

First let me start by saying that I am a loyal fan of Ford Vehicles. My family has owned four different Ford Vehicles in the last 15 years: two Ford Escorts, a Mercury Sable, and an F-150 (my current vehicle).

 

I have been a Ford customer, I am a Ford customer, and I think that I will continue to be a Ford Customer. However, there comes a point in which loyalty comes into conflict with reality. While I remain a Ford customer, I can’t continue to remain one if Ford doesn’t offer the kind of vehicle I want.

 

Ford business is product driven. Quite frankly, if you build the kind of vehicles that customers want, they will buy them. If you do not, then they will sit on dealer’s lots. The formula is simple enough, though in practice it appears very hard to implement for Ford.

On one hand, you have vehicles like the F-Series trucks, the Mustangs, and the Fusions that are doing very well. Ford is very competitive when it comes to their trucks and the Mustang. I see lots of innovation, and lots of proactive steps coming from the Company with regard to these two vehicle lineups. As a fan of Ford vehicles, its something I look forward to seeing and reading about.

 

But on the other hand, little can be said to the rest of the lineup coming out of Ford. Ford is not executing with the same level of passion when it comes to other vehicles. As I said earlier, if you build a vehicle people want to buy, then they will buy it. If Ford doesn’t offer the kind of vehicle people want, they will simply look elsewhere.

 

“Bold Moves” has to be more than just a website with video. Ford really needs to walk the walk instead of just talking it. Why is it that outside of the Mustang platform there are no ‘performance’ oriented vehicles coming out of Ford? Why is it that the Lincoln brand is being moved down-market and only offers re-badged Ford vehicles? Why has Ford abandoned all RWD platforms across all brands? Why is it that SVT has been reduced to a single vehicle that is unobtainable for most Ford customers because of both demand and price gouging from Ford dealers?

 

Ford is very proud of the Fusion. And rightly so, the fact that Consumer Reports ranked it so high is a tribute to how much Ford got ‘right’ with the fusion. Why stop there? Why is there is no performance version of the Fusion? Ford did not wait till demand was soft on the re-designed Mustang to introduce new models and packages. Why not do the same thing with the Fusion? Why is it that so called “upscale” models of Ford trucks like the Mark LT and the Navigator come with the same powertrain as the F-150 and Expedition? Why is it that outside of the Mustang there is no RWD platform? Is Ford not concerned with performance anymore? I can’t tell you how many motor sports magainzines praised the Fusion but complained about its lack of power. Even more so with the Ford Five Hundred!

 

I have seen the new commercial for the Shelby GT500. In it, Ford says that “Bold Moves is 500 horsepower”. This is a true statement indeed. But where are the rest of the “Bold Moves” outside of the Mustang and F-Series? Bold is hardly a 300 horsepower Mark LT and Navigator. Bold is hardly a run-away success vehicle like the Fusion with no performance based version. Bold is not having taking a bunch of existing vehicles and re-badging them as luxury under the Lincoln brand. Bold is not dropping a RWD V8 powered flagship sedan in the Lincoln Town Car and replacing it with a FWD V6 MKS! In one episode from FordBoldMoves.com, it talked about how the Ford Motor Company was born on a racetrack. While that may be true, you would never know it from the current Ford lineup.

 

I watched some old video footage of Ford earning reports back in 1987. Twenty years ago things were quite different from the way they are today. I do realize that Ford has been talking steps to address its product lines. But again, these steps are not what I would call "Bold Moves". For example, the re-introduction of the Taurus is a good idea. But abandoning the brand that was greatly responsible for saving the company in the first place is not bold. Its simply an effort to fix the poor judgment management made when they began to phase the nameplate out in the first place...hardly a bold move indeed!

 

For one reason or another, Ford's product offering in the car market have been seen as 'soft'. The ironic thing is, Ford has some very nice and attractive sedans that would do very well in the US market, the only problem is that they simply aren't offered here. For example, the Ford Falcon that is sold in Australia is a very good candidate for a sedan to bring to market here in the US. The Ford Mondeo is another great looking sedan that would make heads turn on the street. It certainly did so in the movie "Casino Royal'. But neither of these cars are in any dealer showrooms in the US. Why? Both of these vehicles seem to be doing quite well in their respective markets, why not try to introduce them in the US? That would be a bold move!

 

The fact remains, build a great car that people want and they will buy it. Ford has been making some great moves in terms of starting to produce cars that people are interested in. However, its going to take some 'bold moves' to save Ford, and I haven't seen much bold moves in Ford's sedans. The question is...why?

 

Sincerely,

 

Darnell Morgan

Blue Oval Fan & Customer

[289hipo]

Hey Upper Management, are you guys listening? This is a customer. They are are trying to help us. While your at it work on some of those Dealers that are running off the customers with their poor service and attitude.

[Bob Rosadini]

Darnell-- Well said. the only other thing you missed was Ranger. It was one of top 10 just a few years ago. How can you let a segment leader grow stale?????

[WingBender]

Very well said, DM.

 

Ford began losing the plot back in the mid-90's. One-by-one, it began eliminating car lines without replacing them (T-bird, Probe, Contour, etc.). The company was feasting at the pickup/SUV banquet, and their passenger car lines became an afterthought. Their strategy was to neglect their cars, content to let them become fleet fodder (high volume, low margin), while rolling in the huge profits on trucks and SUVs.

 

Remember the '99 Cougar? Ford had a number of high-performance concepts for it: all-wheel drive, supercharging, SVT engine.... And what did they end up doing? They did jack. They just went on building it with the basic Contour powertrains, and watched it sink in the market. They teased us with the goodies, but they never put out.

 

You live by the truck, you die by the truck, and right now the company is on life support. It is going to be a long, hard slog to get enthusiasts interested in Ford again. It is very important that these types of buyers talk up your products, because car enthusiasts influence the buying decisions of non-enthusiasts through word-of-mouth.

 

One can only hope that Alan Mulally will be able to break down the fiefdoms that rule the company, and get the appealing products it produces globally to the American marketplace. We'll be watching with interest.

[WaterSoakedLemon]

Hey Upper Management, are you guys listening? This is a customer. They are are trying to help us. While your at it work on some of those Dealers that are running off the customers with their poor service and attitude.

 

Due to multiple Ford dealerships that have told me in so many words to go screw myself and to "go sue Ford", I will suggest to anyone contemplating the purchase of a Ford vehicle to avoid it like the plague. I will do everything I can to let them know how bad Ford Motor Company and their dealerships treat their customers.

 

This is Ford's idea of Customer Care - You were a Customer ... we got your money ... Now we don't Care.

 

You have no idea how true this statement is until you have a serious issue with your Ford vehicle. Ford doesn't care at all about customer service and their dealerships care even less.

Edited February 9, 2007 by WaterSoakedLemon

[kingpintex]

Due to multiple Ford dealerships that have told me in so many words to go screw myself and to "go sue Ford", I will suggest to anyone contemplating the purchase of a Ford vehicle to avoid it like the plague. I will do everything I can to let them know how bad Ford Motor Company and their dealerships treat their customers.

 

This is Ford's idea of Customer Care - You were a Customer ... we got your money ... Now we don't Care.

 

You have no idea how true this statement is until you have a serious issue with your Ford vehicle. Ford doesn't care at all about customer service and their dealerships care even less.

[Linc]

Due to multiple Ford dealerships that have told me in so many words to go screw myself and to "go sue Ford", I will suggest to anyone contemplating the purchase of a Ford vehicle to avoid it like the plague. I will do everything I can to let them know how bad Ford Motor Company and their dealerships treat their customers.

 

This is Ford's idea of Customer Care - You were a Customer ... we got your money ... Now we don't Care.

 

You have no idea how true this statement is until you have a serious issue with your Ford vehicle. Ford doesn't care at all about customer service and their dealerships care even less.

 

Sorry your company experiences have been bad. I've always had a blast at my local Ford dealership. I'll go in for an routine oil change and spend most of the time chatting with their staff. Deacon Jones Ford, Lincoln, Mercury in Goldsboro NC. Ill drive across the US just to buy another vehicle from them. They got their shop in check. :banana piano:

[partsisparts]

Due to multiple Ford dealerships that have told me in so many words to go screw myself and to "go sue Ford", I will suggest to anyone contemplating the purchase of a Ford vehicle to avoid it like the plague. I will do everything I can to let them know how bad Ford Motor Company and their dealerships treat their customers.

 

This is Ford's idea of Customer Care - You were a Customer ... we got your money ... Now we don't Care.

 

You have no idea how true this statement is until you have a serious issue with your Ford vehicle. Ford doesn't care at all about customer service and their dealerships care even less.

Lemon, I know you had a bad experience. But may I remind you, you had a bad dealership. They flat out lied to you. And therefore most likely were also lying to Ford in order to save themselves.Who knows what they were telling Ford. I was a dealer in your area and had dealings with Sunshine and they lied to me.(as a rule dealers try to be straight with each other) I do believe 75% of your problem was Sunshine Ford. They should be on the list of dealers to get rid of.

[Roadrunner]

Due to multiple Ford dealerships that have told me in so many words to go screw myself and to "go sue Ford", I will suggest to anyone contemplating the purchase of a Ford vehicle to avoid it like the plague. I will do everything I can to let them know how bad Ford Motor Company and their dealerships treat their customers.

 

Ford doesn't control the dealerships.

[J-150]

Ford doesn't control the dealerships.

 

 

correct... but they are the ones that control the customer experience.

[LB Escape]

correct... but they are the ones that control the customer experience.

 

 

I call bullshit on this! Ok, they do not own the dealerships, but they sell the cars to the dealership, license the use of their name to the dealerships, and expect the dealerships to follow certain rules to continue to hold the dealerships and continue to receive stock from Ford to sell the cars.

 

So, they do control enough of the dealership to fix the poor service at the dealership level, or pull the franchise.

 

Which, they would never do, and continue to let poor performing dealerships ruin future sales.

 

After this Ford goes, I will be former Ford owner. So far, nothing any of the Ford dealers here in my area have done that would want me to go give them any more money.

 

For the record, the dealer I purchased from recently sent a letter to me, explaining that if I would give them one more shot in the service department to show that they are changing for the better, I asked if that meant they would finally fix my radio, yet again?

 

their reply was that they would not, but they are willing to sell me a replacement radio for $550+.

 

F them. Crutchfield.com got my $400, which is including four new speakers, and HD radio too.

 

All this over a $550 radio, that they replaced three times under warranty, and refused the last repair while still under warranty.

 

The dealers are going to kill Ford, one customer at a time.

[sledgeharvy]

Hello to everyone..!!..

 

What is on my mind is simple... I LOVE where Ford is atleast TRYING to take us... I do think they have been making some Bold moves.. I just think that everyone isn't looking in the right places... Remember, Ford isn't JUST Ford.. It's Ford, Mercury, Lincoln, Land Rover, Jaguar, Aston Martin, Mazda, and my favorite Volvo... If anyone has noticed everyone likes to compare Ford to these Japanese automakers.. but alot of people forget how agile these Japanese automakers are because of how small they are.. Toyota only has to worry about Toyota and Lexus, and now Scion... Honda has to worry about Honda and Acura, Nissan and Infiniti, Hyundai and Kia, I'm sure you get my point.. now look at the U.S. Auto makers...

 

GM....WoW!!.. they have some problems.. yet they still want to pick up Chrysler from Daimler... GM has other things they SHOULD be worring about.. just a few months ago they were worried about Name Brand Images... and separating them... I don't know about you all but I know I have a hard time telling the difference between the Pontiac Solstice and the Saturn Sky, or the Pontiac G6 and the Saturn Aura, or the Chevrolet Avalanche and the Cadillac Escalade, or the Buick Enclave, the Saturn Outlook, and the GMC Acadia... that's just a few of the scenarios... I don't want to bore everyone.. now GM wants to pick up Chrysler. That of course means they have extra baggage that comes with Chrysler... Now it's not just Chrysler but also Dodge, Mopar, Jeep, and if they ever want to bring it back Plymouth... I'm sorry but that's alot on their plate.. because now you have GMC, Chevrolet, Cadillac, Saturn, Buick, Pontiac, Saab, Hummer, Holden, Opel, Vauxhall... plus the above mentioned Chrysler name brands... and with all these different name brands each has to have an Image.. a price selling point, a customer base, model line ups, factories, etc, etc... with these smaller companys they only have to worry about 2 or 3 name brand images.. which is fairly simple...

 

Let's start off with Toyota.. it's a good starting point. First they start off with a line up for that name brand that will appeal to each segment compact cars, small, mid-size, Full size, then Trucks, Suvs, and Vans.. you now have your base line up... now you can easily start expanding from there.... Luxury department comes in, Lexus... each of the above mentioned segments, adding all the bells and whistles... Lastly, an Affordable Fun Department, Scion.. as I said Affordable and Fun cars.. once again... it's not hard.. Every name brand has a Clear Cut Definition Image... there's no guess work on that.. and what Fords problem is that they have to worry about what is Mazdas' Image, what is Land Rovers' Image, what is Volvos' Image, what is.. well you get the point.... there are a lot more steps and boundaries that can easily be crossed with some of these name brands.. like Ford and Mercury.. they've almost always been the same car with Mercury being just a hair upscale.. I can think of back in the Sixties when the Mustang was barely coming out, then the Cougar came out with all the bells and whistles...

 

Ford has done a pretty Impressive job at separating most of these name brands for a good while... and once again I think Ford has come pretty close to Achieving these "Bold Moves" I think we just have to give them time.. So far we've seen the Mustang get revamped beautifully, the Ford GT, another Gorgeous vehicle, the Ford Fusion has been on fire at the dealerships especially now with the addition of the AWD system to add to the Safety of the Vehicle, the Ford Edge another Bold vehicle... the lines and front fascia, the space and fuel economy, the price... it's all there with that vehicle... next the new Ford Explorer Sport Trac, very nice looking truck... it's grown in size since the previous model.. personally I think it is kind of like a replacement for the well aged Ranger... and personally a better looking version too.. I know that it's not a small truck.. but then again who really has a Truck in that segment anymore.. Toyota's smallest truck is the Tacoma it's not that small anymore it's now in the mid-size segment.. along with the Nissan Frontier it isn't that small anymore either... Honda doesn't even have a truck in either segment they just skipped right past to the Full size segment. I think the closest thing anyone has to that small size truck segment is the Holden Ute... which I've heard talks of it becoming the new Chevrolet El-Camino.. anyhow.. obviously we don't have to talk about Ford Trucks (F-150, F-250, etc) they have always been Fords bread and butter... but NOW.. I have come to where I think almost everyone is complaining about Fords Bold moves... or Lack there of...

 

The Full size segment of Cars... for quite sometime the consumer has been out shopping for one of these everywhere else but Ford... Mainly the German Market... Mercedez, BMW, Audi,.. and in recent years Japan.. Lexus LS, Toyota Avalon... Hyundai is trying to make strides with their Azera... Infact, even Chrysler has been making huge waves with their 300... and Dodge with their Charger, Buick Lucerne is turning some new heads... Cadillac's new STS has a nice sharp upscale image to itself, Chevrolet Impala needs the help of RWD to help put the power of it's new V-8 engine to good use... which is why they are on the move to speed up the process of this "Global RWD Platform" formally known as the "Zeta" Platform.... so they too can reap the benefits of Full size RWD vehicles.. and that once again leaves US with Poor Ford..

 

They have a piece of their own company name in the land down under, (Australia), that has a RWD platform on the Ford Falcon... if they can invest some of their money to import that platform.. or just have it built right here in our own back yard... I think we can say hello to the Ford Interceptor!!.. THAT IS A BOLD CAR!!!.. :hyper: Every inch of that vehicle screams, "I'll kick your A**!!" ha ha!!.. So Ford if you want to Finish off this Bold Moves campain and your line up, Introduce us to the new 2009 or 2010 Ford Interceptor... Everyone I have shown that vehicle to has all said, "When is that coming out!!!" ... and I unfortunatley have to say.. I don't know if they are going to come out with it.. then they go on and say, "Oh! There goes Ford again getting our hopes up with this Fancy car that they're NEVER going to produce!" ... Why come out with something like that if you're not going to do anything with it... Yes it Sparks the interest in the general public, but once they have a look at our line up and they are looking for that Gorgeous Monstrocity of a vehicle called the Interceptor or something very similar, all they find is the Ford 500!!??? .. I'm sorry but that's like False advertising if you ask me.. You all want to talk about not having that much money.... well... Uh.. Last time I checked it takes like $4 million dollars to produce a concept car like that.. so .. there one way you can save on money... I say if you want to be Bold.. Just make it... so far that car has had the Media Buzzing everywhere about the Interceptor. If you ask me, personally I think if you produce it.. You'll have a harder time keeping them in stock rather than getting off the lot.. which equates to less cash rebates and also better resale values... because they will sell like hotcakes.. Look at the Charger and the 300 for example, people are willing to pay up to $50,000 for them as long as they have the HEMI or SRT-8 or Daytona whatever the case as long as there is something special about it.. They want it.. and that is coming from vehicles that start off at just around $22,500 ... just my 2 cents.. or maybe a Dollars worth...

Edited March 4, 2007 by sledgeharvy

[LB Escape]

Sledge, How long have you worked for the marketing department?

 

:P

[sledgeharvy]

Sledge, How long have you worked for the marketing department?

 

:P

 

 

Do you agree with me??.. or was I completely wrong about this topic???

Edited March 4, 2007 by sledgeharvy

[Deanh]

someone needs to photo shop the Intercepter and make a Black and white version complete with a police lightbar...think if i saw that thing in my mirror i would pull off pronto....

[sledgeharvy]

someone needs to photo shop the Intercepter and make a Black and white version complete with a police lightbar...think if i saw that thing in my mirror i would pull off pronto....

 

 

Wow.. so what you're saying is that since normal cop cars don't look like the Interceptor, I guess that means you're the kind of guy that would just try to elude the cops huh!!.. :lol: :D

[J-150]

I call bullshit on this! Ok, they do not own the dealerships, but they sell the cars to the dealership, license the use of their name to the dealerships, and expect the dealerships to follow certain rules to continue to hold the dealerships and continue to receive stock from Ford to sell the cars.

 

So, they do control enough of the dealership to fix the poor service at the dealership level, or pull the franchise.

 

Which, they would never do, and continue to let poor performing dealerships ruin future sales.

 

After this Ford goes, I will be former Ford owner. So far, nothing any of the Ford dealers here in my area have done that would want me to go give them any more money.

 

For the record, the dealer I purchased from recently sent a letter to me, explaining that if I would give them one more shot in the service department to show that they are changing for the better, I asked if that meant they would finally fix my radio, yet again?

 

their reply was that they would not, but they are willing to sell me a replacement radio for $550+.

 

F them. Crutchfield.com got my $400, which is including four new speakers, and HD radio too.

 

All this over a $550 radio, that they replaced three times under warranty, and refused the last repair while still under warranty.

 

The dealers are going to kill Ford, one customer at a time.

 

 

Okay... I call bullshit on you.

 

Do you even fucking know how old some of these dealerships are? Older than the need to put the kind of language in a contract that would allow Ford to pull their franchise.

 

Get a fucking clue. Ford does not have as much control as you would think. Why isn't Mercury dead yet? Because the dealers won't allow it.

 

Why is there a Lincoln pickup? Because the dealers made it so.

[Deanh]

Wow.. so what you're saying is that since normal cop cars don't look like the Interceptor, I guess that means you're the kind of guy that would just try to elude the cops huh!!.. :lol: :D

not after watching all the car chases on the idiot box....but a black and white intercepter sure as hell looks more intimidating than Granma Kettles Crown Vic in the mirror.....

[J-150]

not after watching all the car chases on the idiot box....but a black and white intercepter sure as hell looks more intimidating than Granma Kettles Crown Vic in the mirror.....

 

 

 

new movie... Ma and Pa Kettle at Dunkin' Donuts!

 

 

Plot... Ma and Pa join the local PD. Get issued a CVPI and hilarity ensues.

 

[Deanh]

new movie... Ma and Pa Kettle at Dunkin' Donuts!

Plot... Ma and Pa join the local PD. Get issued a CVPI and hilarity ensues.

 

someone call the Farrelly brothers...

[J-150]

someone call the Farrelly brothers...

 

 

hahahaha

 

 

maybe it has legs...

[Kev-Mo]

Darnell-- Well said. the only other thing you missed was Ranger. It was one of top 10 just a few years ago. How can you let a segment leader grow stale?????

 

 

Not the only thing missed -

 

Where's that really cool Bronco that can blow the doors off of the FJ and XTerra off road?

[morgande]

Hello to everyone..!!..

 

What is on my mind is simple... I LOVE where Ford is atleast TRYING to take us... I do think they have been making some Bold moves.. I just think that everyone isn't looking in the right places... Remember, Ford isn't JUST Ford.. It's Ford, Mercury, Lincoln, Land Rover, Jaguar, Aston Martin, Mazda, and my favorite Volvo... If anyone has noticed everyone likes to compare Ford to these Japanese automakers.. but alot of people forget how agile these Japanese automakers are because of how small they are.. Toyota only has to worry about Toyota and Lexus, and now Scion... Honda has to worry about Honda and Acura, Nissan and Infiniti, Hyundai and Kia, I'm sure you get my point.. now look at the U.S. Auto makers...

 

GM....WoW!!.. they have some problems.. yet they still want to pick up Chrysler from Daimler... GM has other things they SHOULD be worring about.. just a few months ago they were worried about Name Brand Images... and separating them... I don't know about you all but I know I have a hard time telling the difference between the Pontiac Solstice and the Saturn Sky, or the Pontiac G6 and the Saturn Aura, or the Chevrolet Avalanche and the Cadillac Escalade, or the Buick Enclave, the Saturn Outlook, and the GMC Acadia... that's just a few of the scenarios... I don't want to bore everyone.. now GM wants to pick up Chrysler. That of course means they have extra baggage that comes with Chrysler... Now it's not just Chrysler but also Dodge, Mopar, Jeep, and if they ever want to bring it back Plymouth... I'm sorry but that's alot on their plate.. because now you have GMC, Chevrolet, Cadillac, Saturn, Buick, Pontiac, Saab, Hummer, Holden, Opel, Vauxhall... plus the above mentioned Chrysler name brands... and with all these different name brands each has to have an Image.. a price selling point, a customer base, model line ups, factories, etc, etc... with these smaller companys they only have to worry about 2 or 3 name brand images.. which is fairly simple...

 

Let's start off with Toyota.. it's a good starting point. First they start off with a line up for that name brand that will appeal to each segment compact cars, small, mid-size, Full size, then Trucks, Suvs, and Vans.. you now have your base line up... now you can easily start expanding from there.... Luxury department comes in, Lexus... each of the above mentioned segments, adding all the bells and whistles... Lastly, an Affordable Fun Department, Scion.. as I said Affordable and Fun cars.. once again... it's not hard.. Every name brand has a Clear Cut Definition Image... there's no guess work on that.. and what Fords problem is that they have to worry about what is Mazdas' Image, what is Land Rovers' Image, what is Volvos' Image, what is.. well you get the point.... there are a lot more steps and boundaries that can easily be crossed with some of these name brands.. like Ford and Mercury.. they've almost always been the same car with Mercury being just a hair upscale.. I can think of back in the Sixties when the Mustang was barely coming out, then the Cougar came out with all the bells and whistles...

 

Ford has done a pretty Impressive job at separating most of these name brands for a good while... and once again I think Ford has come pretty close to Achieving these "Bold Moves" I think we just have to give them time.. So far we've seen the Mustang get revamped beautifully, the Ford GT, another Gorgeous vehicle, the Ford Fusion has been on fire at the dealerships especially now with the addition of the AWD system to add to the Safety of the Vehicle, the Ford Edge another Bold vehicle... the lines and front fascia, the space and fuel economy, the price... it's all there with that vehicle... next the new Ford Explorer Sport Trac, very nice looking truck... it's grown in size since the previous model.. personally I think it is kind of like a replacement for the well aged Ranger... and personally a better looking version too.. I know that it's not a small truck.. but then again who really has a Truck in that segment anymore.. Toyota's smallest truck is the Tacoma it's not that small anymore it's now in the mid-size segment.. along with the Nissan Frontier it isn't that small anymore either... Honda doesn't even have a truck in either segment they just skipped right past to the Full size segment. I think the closest thing anyone has to that small size truck segment is the Holden Ute... which I've heard talks of it becoming the new Chevrolet El-Camino.. anyhow.. obviously we don't have to talk about Ford Trucks (F-150, F-250, etc) they have always been Fords bread and butter... but NOW.. I have come to where I think almost everyone is complaining about Fords Bold moves... or Lack there of...

 

The Full size segment of Cars... for quite sometime the consumer has been out shopping for one of these everywhere else but Ford... Mainly the German Market... Mercedez, BMW, Audi,.. and in recent years Japan.. Lexus LS, Toyota Avalon... Hyundai is trying to make strides with their Azera... Infact, even Chrysler has been making huge waves with their 300... and Dodge with their Charger, Buick Lucerne is turning some new heads... Cadillac's new STS has a nice sharp upscale image to itself, Chevrolet Impala needs the help of RWD to help put the power of it's new V-8 engine to good use... which is why they are on the move to speed up the process of this "Global RWD Platform" formally known as the "Zeta" Platform.... so they too can reap the benefits of Full size RWD vehicles.. and that once again leaves US with Poor Ford..

 

They have a piece of their own company name in the land down under, (Australia), that has a RWD platform on the Ford Falcon... if they can invest some of their money to import that platform.. or just have it built right here in our own back yard... I think we can say hello to the Ford Interceptor!!.. THAT IS A BOLD CAR!!!.. :hyper: Every inch of that vehicle screams, "I'll kick your A**!!" ha ha!!.. So Ford if you want to Finish off this Bold Moves campain and your line up, Introduce us to the new 2009 or 2010 Ford Interceptor... Everyone I have shown that vehicle to has all said, "When is that coming out!!!" ... and I unfortunatley have to say.. I don't know if they are going to come out with it.. then they go on and say, "Oh! There goes Ford again getting our hopes up with this Fancy car that they're NEVER going to produce!" ... Why come out with something like that if you're not going to do anything with it... Yes it Sparks the interest in the general public, but once they have a look at our line up and they are looking for that Gorgeous Monstrocity of a vehicle called the Interceptor or something very similar, all they find is the Ford 500!!??? .. I'm sorry but that's like False advertising if you ask me.. You all want to talk about not having that much money.... well... Uh.. Last time I checked it takes like $4 million dollars to produce a concept car like that.. so .. there one way you can save on money... I say if you want to be Bold.. Just make it... so far that car has had the Media Buzzing everywhere about the Interceptor. If you ask me, personally I think if you produce it.. You'll have a harder time keeping them in stock rather than getting off the lot.. which equates to less cash rebates and also better resale values... because they will sell like hotcakes.. Look at the Charger and the 300 for example, people are willing to pay up to $50,000 for them as long as they have the HEMI or SRT-8 or Daytona whatever the case as long as there is something special about it.. They want it.. and that is coming from vehicles that start off at just around $22,500 ... just my 2 cents.. or maybe a Dollars worth...

 

I understand what your saying to a degree. Yes the Jap. automakers do not have the same kinds of concerns that the US automakers do. They have less brands, and their manufacturing cost are smaller. And yeah that AU Falcon is nice. But...lets look at the reality.

 

There was an interesting new 'bold moves' commercial where you see Fords racing heritage. All these great cars of Fords past are shown, and its a great commercial. It vindicates the notion in Fords 'bold moves' campain that the company was indeed born on a race track.

 

But lets look at the current available lineup for Ford. Where is a performance car other than the Mustang? Doesn't it seem odd that this great commercial Ford put out has no production vehicles other than a Fusion...which has no performance trim what-so-ever? Or am I the only person who notices this? Does it not seem odd that the last vehicle shown in this breathtaking commercial was a Shelby GR1 concept? So, not only does Ford miss any chance of using ad space to promote current production vehicles, they cap it off with a concept car from 2 to 3 years ago? Even more odd is the fact that Fords two heavily talked about concepts (Interceptor and Lincoln MKR) are NOT show at all and instead they use GR1? Not to mention the fact that these two concept cars JUST HAPPEN to be geared towards performance enthusiat? Would make a lot of sense in my minds to incorporate them into a performance heritage based commercial. That would be a BOLD MOVE! However, what we got was NOT A BOLD MOVE!!!!!!!! Its a stupid move, even a boldly stupid move, but not a BOLD MOVE.

 

You mention that the AU Falcon is a great vehicle. And I agree 100%! Too bad hardly anybody knows about it in North America. Until there are active plans to bring it the US market, its null and void. A great car you can't buy is NOT A BOLD MOVE!

 

I will give credit where credit is due. Ford sold A.M. That was a good idea to me. They are not a volume brand, and just don't make enough profit to mater to ford right now. They got more profit from selling the brand than they reap from profits of vehicles sold. Any cash they can get together to help them limp through this turnaround period is a smart move...a BOLD MOVE indeed.

 

Ford has been very aggressive with the Fusion and the Edge. Ford knows how to market the products it wants to sell. The key here is...!the products they want to sell"! Ford wasn't interested in their car business a few years ago...hence its neglect. Noe they are...hence the new products and new pushes. This isn't quite a bold move to me, but it is a good start.

 

I don't understand why SVT has one vehicle. Look at the SRT line from the Mopar folks. Almost every vehicle has a performance trim. Even Chevy has used its SS trim to create performance versions of its cars. Ford has the SVT...with a Mustang. A whole LINE of VEHICLES but only one thing available. What happened to the Sports Track Adrenalin? You already built the damn thing! Its not going to take much effort to put this into production. It was suppose to be a reality...then Ford killed it. While they may not have enough cash to market a nitch truck right now...they can AT LEAST offer it to the public as a built-to-order option. Especially for a product that is based on parts already available. Its not like they need to bring a new assembly plant online to build them. Ford stopped advertising the Excursion years before they stopped selling it. Funny thing is, they kept it long after they stopped advertising because it was selling despite the fact they weren't pushing it. There is a market for a performance truck that seats more than two people. The Adrenalin fit that bill quite nicely...and Ford doesn't have a performance truck period. Why not bring it into the mix? THATS A BOLD MOVE!

 

Like I said...I'll give credit where its due. But for still has a lot of work ahead of itself to convince me they are serious about making some Bold Moves!

[sledgeharvy]

Hey Morgande .. I think we have similar feelings about Ford... I agree with the fact that ford doesn't have a performance section in their line up... other than the Mustang of course... the adrenaline truck was awesome!!.. but as you said they axed the idea.. which I found retarded... and also.. I think that would have been nice if they would've used the Interceptor or MKR in that commercial that you're talking about...

and also.. about the Falcon... I mainly want for them to use the Chasis from that car so they can make the Interceptor and MKR... but yes the AU Falcon is a Great vehicle with a lot of performance options.... Oh!!. and one last point ... about the Ford Fusion and Edge and their Marketing.. If you have cars people WANT to buy, THEY WILL BUY THEM!!!... regardless of how much air time they get.... the mustang for example doesn't really get as much air time as the Edge or Fusion.. but it still sells.. and probably always will sell.. once again because it's a car PEOPLE WANT TO BUY!!! Well.. that's my 50 cents worth for today...

 

"Quote" from Morgande

 

But lets look at the current available lineup for Ford. Where is a performance car other than the Mustang? Doesn't it seem odd that this great commercial Ford put out has no production vehicles other than a Fusion...which has no performance trim what-so-ever? Or am I the only person who notices this? Does it not seem odd that the last vehicle shown in this breathtaking commercial was a Shelby GR1 concept? So, not only does Ford miss any chance of using ad space to promote current production vehicles, they cap it off with a concept car from 2 to 3 years ago? Even more odd is the fact that Fords two heavily talked about concepts (Interceptor and Lincoln MKR) are NOT show at all and instead they use GR1? Not to mention the fact that these two concept cars JUST HAPPEN to be geared towards performance enthusiat? Would make a lot of sense in my minds to incorporate them into a performance heritage based commercial. That would be a BOLD MOVE! However, what we got was NOT A BOLD MOVE!!!!!!!! Its a stupid move, even a boldly stupid move, but not a BOLD MOVE.

 

You mention that the AU Falcon is a great vehicle. And I agree 100%! Too bad hardly anybody knows about it in North America. Until there are active plans to bring it the US market, its null and void. A great car you can't buy is NOT A BOLD MOVE!

 

Ford has been very aggressive with the Fusion and the Edge. Ford knows how to market the products it wants to sell. The key here is...!the products they want to sell"! Ford wasn't interested in their car business a few years ago...hence its neglect. Noe they are...hence the new products and new pushes. This isn't quite a bold move to me, but it is a good start.