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Jim Hackett's big moment: CEO's vision for Ford will become clearer this week


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Interesting they show their car future being dependent on "value partnerships". Wonder what they have in mind?

 

Have Chang'An develop cars and rebadge them as Fords :future:

 

But seriously... I think it means Ford is open to working with someone else to co-develop cars. It could take any of the three approaches:

 

1. Working with (rely on?) its Chinese JV partners like GM is doing with SAIC to get cheap Wuling and Baujun models.

2. Working with another established car company to co-develop cars like the former Ford-FCA arrangement on the previous gen Ka/Fiat 500, or the old Ford-Mazda collaboration.

3. Develop the cars in-house but whore out the final finished platform and drivetrain to another company like the current Mercedes-Infiniti model.

 

I don't think Ford knows either but it's just a general statement on the future strategy.

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Are you hearing anything about Lincoln/thoughts on Lincoln? It barely being mentioned in the powerpoint is concerning.

It's just not a priority,and probably never will be. It's got a dedicated team and a cadence of fine products coming and it's in the black.

 

With that said: At the first hints of trouble...

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Ranger's inclusion with other commercial vehicles indicates either a change in the program's position or a stretch on the behalf of the communications shop...

 

 

 

I can see it having some fleet sales, but its success will lie with high end retail sails, IMO.

 

A lot of things I can agree with - order simplification one of them......Deanh has been calling for that for a long time.....but it seemed like drastic cuts there.

 

Are you hearing anything about Lincoln/thoughts on Lincoln? It barely being mentioned in the powerpoint is concerning.

 

Ranger is a commercial vehicle just like Navigator is a utility vehicle. It's just a general term to describe the lines of business: cars, utilities, commercial. There is going to be fleet sales in all three lines of business. Instead of calling it "truck" they call it "commercial" (because well, vans...)

 

Also the document is a global strategy so don't view it through the lens of US market only. Ranger in the US will surely be aimed primarily at private retail sales as you mentioned. But globally, it is as much a hard scrabble commercial truck as it is a fancy lifestyle 4x4.

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Last page: "3 other vehicles including BEV SUV" under the heading of "new SUVs and Truck investments"... so

 

1. BEV SUV to be build in Flat Rock (we knew about already)

2. Small C SUV to replace C-Max and slot in between EcoSport and Escape

3. ???

 

Everest? "US will develop new vehicles in off-road segments". - that is from the horses mouth.

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It's just not a priority,and probably never will be. It's got a dedicated team and a cadence of fine products coming and it's in the black.

 

With that said: At the first hints of trouble...

 

Well, as long as it doesn't mean they're going to ignore it completely...

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I've never gotten stuck on wet pavement with no traction in a RWD or FWD vehicle. Snow, grass or mud - yes, but not wet pavement. Sorry but I'm just not getting it. I can see hydroplaning but AWD won't help with that.

Ive NEVER been able to get an AWD vehicle to spin the tires on wet pavement, even mashing down on the pedal. My CX-5 is FWD and they spin at the lightest touch of the throttle from a stop.

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Did anyone notice that blue concept-y looking car on the slide with two guys looking into VR headsets? It says "Fusion Concept" on the sign. I wonder if this is a "accidental" reveal like the Edge a few years ago?

Edited by Jqa1824
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Did anyone notice that blue concept-y looking car on the slide with two guys looking into VR headsets? It says "Fusion Concept" on the sign. I wonder if this is a "accidental" reveal like the Edge a few years ago?

from a video about "Holo-Lens" for 'mixed (virtual) reality'

 

I'm suspecting the design shown is one that lost out...

...of course now with Fusion only getting 96 build-combinations, it's the last year for it (imho)

96 / 3 DRIVETRAINS (2.0EB, Hybrid, Plug-In) = 32

32 / 8 PAINT COLORS = 4

_4 / 1 PKG = WITHOUT/WITH = 4/2 = 2 interiors: BEIGE, BLACK

suicide.gif

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from a video about "Holo-Lens" for 'mixed (virtual) reality'

 

I'm suspecting the design shown is one that lost out...

...of course now with Fusion only getting 96 build-combinations, it's the last year for it (imho)

96 / 3 DRIVETRAINS (2.0EB, Hybrid, Plug-In) = 32

32 / 8 PAINT COLORS = 4

_4 / 1 PKG = WITHOUT/WITH = 4/2 = 2 interiors: BEIGE, BLACK

suicide.gif

 

Your forgetting the 2.7EB...

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So what is this $7 Billion dollars coming from on the car side of the house?

 

We know the Taurus is toast, but there is already a new model for China

 

The Fiesta doesn't look long for this world in North America, but a new model is launched in EU.

 

So where exactly is this money coming from?

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So what is this $7 Billion dollars coming from on the car side of the house?

 

We know the Taurus is toast, but there is already a new model for China

 

The Fiesta doesn't look long for this world in North America, but a new model is launched in EU.

 

So where exactly is this money coming from?

 

 

Most likely development of next gen models of cars. Longer platform life (multiple generations), longer time between MCE's and new models, greater sharing of parts, etc... The $7b is most likely not a lump sum, but costs over time.

Edited by Anthony
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This has me concerned, because the apparent abandonment of the Fiesta in this market and focus away from cars has a familiar ring to it, one that had nightmares of proposed fwd Mustangs and car platforms that were engineered straight into mediocrity and/or uselessness. The Taurus going from revolutionary to rental, the Escort/Focus embarrassing afterthoughts, and the Mustang? Marginalized. But hey, it's fine, F-Series and Explorer sales are making it possible to buy a bunch of red-ink-soaked toy brands...and we don't think Americans want rewarding drivers' cars, just more trucks/SUVs!!

Arrrgghh....

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This has me concerned, because the apparent abandonment of the Fiesta in this market and focus away from cars has a familiar ring to it, one that had nightmares of proposed fwd Mustangs and car platforms that were engineered straight into mediocrity and/or uselessness. The Taurus going from revolutionary to rental, the Escort/Focus embarrassing afterthoughts, and the Mustang? Marginalized. But hey, it's fine, F-Series and Explorer sales are making it possible to buy a bunch of red-ink-soaked toy brands...and we don't think Americans want rewarding drivers' cars, just more trucks/SUVs!!

 

That's not at all what it means in my opinion. It means they'll cut back on some marginal car platforms and models but it doesn't mean they'll cut back on the ones that will remain. CD6 appears to be alive and well and being accelerated again which includes Mustang and Lincoln cars. Those are high dollar high profit margin vehicles and CD6 supports utilities.

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I'm suspecting the design shown is one that lost out...

...of course now with Fusion only getting 96 build-combinations, it's the last year for it (imho)

96 / 3 DRIVETRAINS (2.0EB, Hybrid, Plug-In) = 32

32 / 8 PAINT COLORS = 4

_4 / 1 PKG = WITHOUT/WITH = 4/2 = 2 interiors: BEIGE, BLACK

suicide.gif

I don't even think there will be option packages so to speak on the cars, there will be trim lines like Accord and Camry. As you go up you get more equipment, There might be one or two more trim lines added, S, SE, SES, SEL, Titanium, Sport, Platinum, but the idea of 400A, 401A, 402A is all but dead. They will all be 402A etc at the SEL level. Only things I see being optional on the SUV's is Tow packages, Rear Seat configurations, entertainment system etc.

 

 

Also it seems they are going to be pushing the next Focus up in price, content, and market placement.

Edited by jasonj80
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Perhaps they are taking a page from Honda's playbook - the current Civic, CR-V and just-introduced Accord are all supposedly based on the same basic platform. That has to save a lot of money.

 

I think it's likely the new C platform is derived from CD4 and shares a lot of stuff.

 

It already has AWD and hybrid capability with both car and utility versions.

Edited by akirby
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Then you must have crappy tires. Seriously - nothing should spin the drive wheels from a dead stop with light throttle on a wet road.

I believe you are mistaken on this. I have decent tires and I have experienced this on my front wheel drive car. Just today again as a matter of fact.

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If your tires lose traction that easily in the rain, how do you keep from sliding off the road when going around a corner?

 

Maybe it's the roads, but I swear I've never experienced any wheelspin outside of ice or snow even with heavy throttle.

Even with light throttle, my wife's Jeep Liberty would spin the rear wheels on wet pavement, especially on an incline.

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