mlhm5 Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 "two top Ford Motor Co. executives recently criticized the looks of the new Taurus sedan, with one comparing it to doofus cartoon character Homer Simpson." MSNBC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomServo92 Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 (edited) "two top Ford Motor Co. executives recently criticized the looks of the new Taurus sedan, with one comparing it to doofus cartoon character Homer Simpson." MSNBC http://www.blueovalforums.com/forums/index...showtopic=20707 You even fail at trolling.... Edited February 1, 2008 by TomServo92 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captainp4 Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 shouldn't they wait until the new one is out to bash this one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlhm5 Posted February 1, 2008 Author Share Posted February 1, 2008 http://www.blueovalforums.com/forums/index...showtopic=20707 You even fail at trolling.... Oh, you are the one who thinks Toyota will fail to become a major player in the light truck market. Remember once Ford had the best selling automobile and now that position belongs to Toyota and Ford management thinks the former #1 then discontinued, reborn Taurus looks like Homer Simpson. Yeah, right, Toyota will have major problems competing against Ford. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomServo92 Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 Yeah, right, Toyota will have major problems competing against Ford. And you're the one that denies the Tundra is second-rate attempt and brings NOTHING NEW to the table in the light truck market. Try again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macattak1 Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 Oh, you are the one who thinks Toyota will fail to become a major player in the light truck market. Remember once Ford had the best selling automobile and now that position belongs to Toyota and Ford management thinks the former #1 then discontinued, reborn Taurus looks like Homer Simpson. Yeah, right, Toyota will have major problems competing against Ford. And if Toyota can take the best selling sedan then they can do anything. Nothing is beyond them. Because they are a super company that never makes a miss step or trips up. Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight. AMC messed up. GM messed up. Intel messed up. IBM messed up. Ford messed up. NEC messed up. Packard Bell messed up. Everyone messes up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomServo92 Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 I can play your little game mlhm5: Toyota admits new Tundra "shames" the company. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
focus05 Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 (edited) Think of it this way - and I must admit that this has Farley and Mulally's marketing antics all over it - Ford's fundamental issue at this point is trust. People don't trust their products, or at least some of them. So, how do you rebuild trust? You talk straight. Even if it really isn't a trust building exercise, frankness and openness about challenges in product development, consumer reception, sales environment, etc. will build trust over time. Less saying one thing and then thinking another - or worse, saying one thing when it CLEARLY isn't true. Nothing about this Taurus is exciting, no matter how you color it (except its apparent relation to a cartoon character). However, how do you get a lot of free advertising for a car? You give it some colorful analogies that the media are more than happy to pick up on. Now, for some people, this will backfire - the management thinks it's not so great, so why would I buy it - but for others, it might just convince them to look at it and form their own opinion. Sort of like fishing for a compliment. The best thing about the Taurus is that everything else besides its styling is completely competent and well-executed for the most part. It is a great car. And now, everyone in America has heard about it in the last two days. $10 says that the inquiries into the Taurus have increased on websites by as much as 10-20%. And some of those might even become buyers when they realize what it offers under the skin. So, you accomplish two things at once. It's a gamble, but either way, at least you're gaining something. Either it backfires and a weak product continues selling slowly until the changeover in 15-18 months - not much of a difference there - but people hear you talking frankly and investor, employee, buyer, etc. confidence is slowly restored in Ford's leaders and, by association, Ford's brand. Or, you happen to get enough interest in your colorful Homer Simpson comment, people investigate the Taurus, discover that besides its looks that it's a good car at a great price and actually say, "come on, you're being too hard on it" and buy one - all the while still building trust with your frank conversation. You have to realize that guys like Kuzak and Mulally don't say things that just slip out or decide at 8:00pm the night before to start playing with clip art of Homer Simpson becuase their delirious from working. Mulally's Taurus "slip" earlier this month I doubt was really a slip. "Oops.. I said too much.." Riiiiight... But even if it was just a bit a fun with no real scheme behind it, it is at the very least refreshing to hear such frankness from a management team who before Mulally's arrival kept telling the passengers to order another round even though they had resorted to well drinks and two-buck chuck wine as the Titanic was taking on water. Troll all you want with articles like these - because ultimately, these types of events, picked up by the wires and spouted as talking points to every house in the nation, will be the small things that help turn Ford around; that impress themselves on consumers' minds. They are examples of a very intelligent, aware and active management team that is executing what may yet prove to be the greatest turnaround in history (I hope...). Edited February 1, 2008 by focus05 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edstock Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 You even fail at trolling.... :hysterical: :hysterical: :hysterical: That is so fine, thank-you. Maybe he could try being a Whack-a-Mole, or something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
papilgee4evaeva Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 Oh, you are the one who thinks Toyota will fail to become a major player in the light truck market. Remember once Ford had the best selling automobile and now that position belongs to Toyota and Ford management thinks the former #1 then discontinued, reborn Taurus looks like Homer Simpson. Yeah, right, Toyota will have major problems competing against Ford. Can you please try to stay on your own subject? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P71_CrownVic Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 Oh, you are the one who thinks Toyota will fail to become a major player in the light truck market. Remember once Ford had the best selling automobile and now that position belongs to Toyota... Annoyingly, he has a point. Ford should look at Toyota as a HUGH threat...and nothing else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snooter Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 Can you please try to stay on your own subject? [/quotet the biggest marketing blunder of all time was was when schlitz beer decided to save a penny and reformulated the beer recipe...ford looks like the schlitz beer of the 21st century-but lets hope they get it together Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suv_guy_19 Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 the biggest marketing blunder of all time was was when schlitz beer decided to save a penny and reformulated the beer recipe...ford looks like the schlitz beer of the 21st century-but lets hope they get it together They are quickly getting things together. I don't see how people can miss it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snooter Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 They are quickly getting things together. I don't see how people can miss it. yea all mulaly has left to do is put wings on the entire line-up..then we will all know they are getting things together Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomServo92 Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 Annoyingly, he has a point. Ford should look at Toyota as a HUGH threat...and nothing else. I don't doubt that they do. Mulally knows quite a bit about Toyota and has a lot of respect for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P71_CrownVic Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 I don't doubt that they do. Mulally knows quite a bit about Toyota and has a lot of respect for them. I didn't know Toyota was in the airplane business. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF1011 Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 I didn't know Toyota was in the airplane business. Toyota is a large corporation. Boeing is a large corporation. That is where the similarities come from. I don't think Alan Mulally knows anything more about airplanes than he does about cars. It's not his job to know either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deanh Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 Annoyingly, he has a point. Ford should look at Toyota as a HUGH threat...and nothing else. I think they do P....the model changes and refreshs coming quicker indicate that...and its NOT just Toyota...the market is and will become evn more volitile....imagine when the Hyundai genesis comes out, wonder how many toyota sales it will steal...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ford-150 Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 I can play your little game mlhm5: Toyota admits new Tundra "shames" the company. i was waiting for that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 Toyota is a large corporation. Boeing is a large corporation. That is where the similarities come from. I don't think Alan Mulally knows anything more about airplanes than he does about cars. It's not his job to know either. Mulally came up through Boeing's commercial jet division as an engineer with progressively greater responsibilities. It's my understanding he worked on every jet from the 727 to the 787. Mulally studied Toyota's methods as a backgrounder for the 777 & 787, iirc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralph Greene Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 And some of us aren't too sensitive to looks. We just want a good car. My wife has a Montego, and it is a well built economical good car. The newer model is better yet. Looks are very subjective in this category with us buyers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF1011 Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 Mulally came up through Boeing's commercial jet division as an engineer with progressively greater responsibilities. It's my understanding he worked on every jet from the 727 to the 787. Mulally studied Toyota's methods as a backgrounder for the 777 & 787, iirc. Hmm...wasn't aware of his background as an engineer. In either case, I don't think his knowledge of planes had any impact on his decision-making as a big wig. Those day-to-day engineering decisions just simply do not matter to the upper echelon of the corporate structure. There is plenty of precedent for successful CEO's who had no specific hands-on knowledge of the products they build. As long as they understand corporate culture and know how to get the right people to make the right decisions on the day-to-day basis they can be successful. Being TOO hands-on with daily operations and product decisions are a few of the things we have complained about with previous Ford management. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 And some of us aren't too sensitive to looks. We just want a good car. My wife has a Montego, and it is a well built economical good car. The newer model is better yet. Looks are very subjective in this category with us buyers. Yeah, but you're OLD. Your money doesn't matter!!!! :rolleyes: Can't believe the kind of crap that has cropped up on the forum these days. Mercedes customers are older than Lincoln customers, but customer age is a problem for Lincoln, not Mercedes :rolleyes: Toyota displaced the Taurus (which had all of about a 3-4 year run as America's best selling car), ergo Toyota WILL displace the F150 with the Tundra, it's just a matter of time. Because there are NO other factors. Everything is broke, nothing can be fixed, Ford is going to burn through $100B in cash this year. Blah blah blah. Weren't there British folks advising that Churchill make peace with Hitler during the Blitz? Real fun visiting the forum these days, isn't it Ralph? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 Hmm...wasn't aware of his background as an engineer. In either case, I don't think his knowledge of planes had any impact on his decision-making as a big wig. No. That would've been his knowledge of the market. My guess is he did better (much better as it turns out) background research on the 787. Because he managed to build what a lot of new and fast growing carriers wanted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralph Greene Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 (edited) I believe it's possible these remarks were kind of a left handed compliment for the Taurus and designed to draw attention. As mentioned above. It is a good car....for it's intended audience. It's not for everyone. Styling is not as important for a pracitical useful reliable people mover as it is for a car that's supposed to be a statement about who/what you are. No matter how good the styling of a popular priced car like a Taurus, it isn't likely to steal sales from the BMW/Mercedes crowd. Of course, it's not popular to say this...but some like to have money and some like to look like thay have money (by spending so much on cars and stuff they can't possible ever have money). Edited February 1, 2008 by Ralph Greene Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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