Ford is reviewing all products, brands: CEO

[Blue Oval Staff]

Article Link

[Edgey]

Mercury is going nowhere, but I suspect we will see an increased pressure within Ford to finaly sell Jaguar. The only thing that may prevent that is Land Rover which is well tied to Jaguar at this point. I'm not sure if they can sell Jaguar without Land Rover...and I assume Ford is pleased with Land Rover's success.

[Mark B. Morrow]

Mercury is going nowhere, but I suspect we will see an increased pressure within Ford to finaly sell Jaguar. The only thing that may prevent that is Land Rover which is well tied to Jaguar at this point. I'm not sure if they can sell Jaguar without Land Rover...and I assume Ford is pleased with Land Rover's success.

 

 

Mercury is finally showing some signs of life and the Jill Wagner commercials are generating much needed brand recognition. Mercury is doing well in conquest sales. What Mercury needs is product.

 

Jaguar also needs product and should be positioned to really compete with Benz/BMW/Lexus. Combine Jag dealerships with Land Rover to cover the full luxury car-SUV market. I don't think Ford would get much for Jag at this point without adding Land Rover in to the deal. Without Jag, Land Rover dealers will end up partnered wth competitors cars.

Edited October 24, 2006 by Mark B. Morrow

[156n3rd]

Looking at the product line is a good thing. Executing a plan that will satisfy the market will be massive. Not to mention the people who dwell here at the BON.

[RichardJensen]

My British computer programmer had an exceptionally dim view of "Rooters" as he called it. It's a more widely distributed feed on that side of the Atlantic, apparently.

 

I have to say, upon reading the article, I'm inclined to agree with him. The lazy-man errors in it are astonishing.

 

The non-sequitur in the transition to page 2 is jarring enough without all the well-worn phraseology that is in the "Bad Journalist's Guide To Ford Motor Articles". Where the article isn't hack, it's restating the obvious.

 

Good job Rooters. My attorneys will be in touch with you demanding compensation for the five minutes that was wasted on your reporting.

[silvrsvt]

Selling off Jaguar wouldn't yield anything worth of Value.

 

Perhaps the best bet would be the Merging of Jaguar and Range Rover into a single dealership network, Jag for Cars and RR for SUV's

 

Mercury is a cheap way to make Ford's different, they just need more product.

 

Lincoln, well not sure what to do with them, since they are just an even more gussied up Ford product vs a Mercury model...maybe Volvo could replace Lincoln? Even though their markets are oppsited to one another? Maybe move Mercury up to replace Lincoln?

 

Future Growth though a new line up?

 

Ford

Mazda

Mercury

Volvo

Jaguar/Range Rover

[waymondospiff]

This isn't really a "news" article as nothing in it is new. Mulally is going to review the product portfolio - well, duh. That's generally what CEOs of problem companies do.

 

My hope:

-CD3/D3/EUCD are combined into one platform.

-greater cross-development between Mazda/FofNA/FofAU/FofNA/Volvo

-AM is kept in-house.

-Jag/LR stay

-Mercury is "717'd" - spend on making Ford more competitive, not on ordering separate HVAC panels in silver metal finish to placate dealers.

 

That'll make me happy. Making Lincoln competitive would just be gravy.

 

Scott

[pcsario]

They should sell AM and just keep a minority stake. Keep Jag getting good stuff like the new XK, and evolve it further upmarket with cars like the XKR and XJR to replace the money derived previously from AM products.

 

Share R&D and platforms with LR. Base the next Explorer on the LR3 and stuff like that. To hell with purists, LR might be like Volvo when it comes to that (people don't care), helping Ford give customers a better product while spending less on overall R&D costs.

 

Sell the European Ford lineup as Mercuries, once EUCD and C2 arrive to NA.

Edited October 24, 2006 by pcsario

[LastMercury]

Maybe move Mercury up to replace Lincoln?

 

Well Lincoln has already moved down market, so move Lincoln OR Mercury up market to become an actual luxury vehicle.

[Sizzler]

A Japanese company (Toyota) and an American company (Ford) decided to have a 5-mile canoe race on the Mississippi River. Both teams practiced long and hard to reach their peak performance before the race. On the big day, the Japanese team won by a mile. The Americans, very discouraged and depressed, decided to investigate the reason for the crushing defeat. A management team made up of senior management was formed to investigate and recommend appropriate action. Their conclusion was the Japanese team had 8 people rowing and 1 person steering, while the American team had 8 people steering and 1 person rowing. So American management hired a consulting company and paid them a large amount of money for a second opinion. They advised that too many people were steering the boat, while not enough people were rowing. To prevent another loss to the Japanese, the American's rowing team's management structure was totally reorganized to 4 Steering Supervisors, 3 Area Steering Superintendents, and 1 Assistant Superintendent Steering Manager. They also implemented a new performance system that would give the 1 person rowing the boat greater incentive to work harder. It was called the "Rowing Team Quality First Program," with meetings, dinners, and free pens for the rower. There was discussion of getting new paddles, canoes, other equipment, and extra vacation days for practices and bonuses. The next year, the Japanese team won by two miles. Humiliated, the American management laid off the rower for poor performance, halted development of a new canoe, sold the paddles, and canceled all capital investments for new equipment. The money saved was distributed to the Senior Executives as bonuses, and the next year's racing team was outsourced to India.

[NLPRacing]

A Japanese company (Toyota) and an American company (Ford) decided to have a 5-mile canoe race on the Mississippi River. Both teams practiced long and hard to reach their peak performance before the race. On the big day, the Japanese team won by a mile. The Americans, very discouraged and depressed, decided to investigate the reason for the crushing defeat. A management team made up of senior management was formed to investigate and recommend appropriate action. Their conclusion was the Japanese team had 8 people rowing and 1 person steering, while the American team had 8 people steering and 1 person rowing. So American management hired a consulting company and paid them a large amount of money for a second opinion. They advised that too many people were steering the boat, while not enough people were rowing. To prevent another loss to the Japanese, the American's rowing team's management structure was totally reorganized to 4 Steering Supervisors, 3 Area Steering Superintendents, and 1 Assistant Superintendent Steering Manager. They also implemented a new performance system that would give the 1 person rowing the boat greater incentive to work harder. It was called the "Rowing Team Quality First Program," with meetings, dinners, and free pens for the rower. There was discussion of getting new paddles, canoes, other equipment, and extra vacation days for practices and bonuses. The next year, the Japanese team won by two miles. Humiliated, the American management laid off the rower for poor performance, halted development of a new canoe, sold the paddles, and canceled all capital investments for new equipment. The money saved was distributed to the Senior Executives as bonuses, and the next year's racing team was outsourced to India.

 

Funny & true except one major flaw, it would be...

...and the next year's racing team was outsourced to China.

[RichardJensen]

Maybe I'm the absolute raving lunatic here, but I just -- I can't help but wonder why it is newsworthy that the CEO of Ford Motor Company spends Thursdays making sure that the company's plans are in sync with macro-economic conditions.

 

What should Ford be modelled after? The USSR, with rigid 5-year plans? Maybe the rest of the industry should get used to a little constructive chaos at the top.

[RichardJensen]

Do we get tactical nukes like they do? :happy feet:

No. I was thinking more of Stalin's USSR. No nukes. Just tractor factories.

[RichardJensen]

Damn. And I wanted a ride on a submarine.

Too bad you're going to get 'voluntary' resettlement instead.

[J-150]

A Japanese company (Toyota) and an American company (Ford) decided to have a 5-mile canoe race on the Mississippi River. Both teams practiced long and hard to reach their peak performance before the race. On the big day, the Japanese team won by a mile. The Americans, very discouraged and depressed, decided to investigate the reason for the crushing defeat. A management team made up of senior management was formed to investigate and recommend appropriate action. Their conclusion was the Japanese team had 8 people rowing and 1 person steering, while the American team had 8 people steering and 1 person rowing. So American management hired a consulting company and paid them a large amount of money for a second opinion. They advised that too many people were steering the boat, while not enough people were rowing. To prevent another loss to the Japanese, the American's rowing team's management structure was totally reorganized to 4 Steering Supervisors, 3 Area Steering Superintendents, and 1 Assistant Superintendent Steering Manager. They also implemented a new performance system that would give the 1 person rowing the boat greater incentive to work harder. It was called the "Rowing Team Quality First Program," with meetings, dinners, and free pens for the rower. There was discussion of getting new paddles, canoes, other equipment, and extra vacation days for practices and bonuses. The next year, the Japanese team won by two miles. Humiliated, the American management laid off the rower for poor performance, halted development of a new canoe, sold the paddles, and canceled all capital investments for new equipment. The money saved was distributed to the Senior Executives as bonuses, and the next year's racing team was outsourced to India.

 

 

 

you're missing the part where the Japanese canoe had an outboard motor provided free-of-charge by the Japanese government.

[Sizzler]

you're missing the part where the Japanese canoe had an outboard motor provided free-of-charge by the Japanese government.

 

That was provided in the 2nd year's race, which is why they won by 2 miles (instead of 1).

 

In the 3rd year, the outsourced team will be handicapped by forgetting to pull in their state of the art modular anchor...

[J-150]

That was provided in the 2nd year's race, which is why they won by 2 miles (instead of 1).

 

In the 3rd year, the outsourced team will be handicapped by forgetting to pull in their state of the art modular anchor...

 

 

 

you're also missing the part where the American taxpayer (via southern politicians) paid for the Japanese canoe and subsidized the wages of their rowers by excessive taxation on the American canoe and its rowers.

 

 

 

You also fail to mention the American canoe was towing a boat full of retirees which, being true Americans, had no intention of leaving behind (rightfully so)

[KinneticBrian]

Selling off Jaguar wouldn't yield anything worth of Value.

 

Perhaps the best bet would be the Merging of Jaguar and Range Rover into a single dealership network, Jag for Cars and RR for SUV's

 

Mercury is a cheap way to make Ford's different, they just need more product.

 

Lincoln, well not sure what to do with them, since they are just an even more gussied up Ford product vs a Mercury model...maybe Volvo could replace Lincoln? Even though their markets are oppsited to one another? Maybe move Mercury up to replace Lincoln?

 

Future Growth though a new line up?

 

Ford

Mazda

Mercury

Volvo

Jaguar/Range Rover

 

 

Killing Lincoln would be a huge mistake. Volvo will never be competitive in image or product with Cadillac. Right now Lincoln is enjoying a recovery, albeit slow. The MKZ has been generating more showroom traffic than anything in the Mercury lineup according to a friend of mine who manages an L-M dealership here.

 

If anything gets dumped at all - send Jaguar packing. That brand has never produced and seems oddly placed in Ford's lineup.

 

Revamp Lincoln by killing the Mark LT and Navigator and if anything, moving them over to Mercury. Then keep the MKX and MKZ as is - bring out the MKS as soon as possible. Follow that with a Mustang based Mark IX Roadster, a next generation Continental and a revamped Town Car - both of which are based off of the current Explorer chassis as opposed to the Panther chassis. Once this is done, combine Lincoln/Volvo/Land Rover into a single prestige dealership.

 

Revamp Mercury to compete head to head with Buick. Bring out a Grand Marquis replacement based on a stretched Montego that competes with the Buick Lucerne, and perhaps even an all new Cougar XR-7 to generate some real interest.

[silvrsvt]

Killing Lincoln would be a huge mistake. Volvo will never be competitive in image or product with Cadillac.

 

But your forgetting that Cadillac wants to be come "The World Standard", and Lincoln is content with "American Luxury"...they are no longer true competitors with one another like they where, due to the PAG

[NickF1011]

Perhaps the best bet would be the Merging of Jaguar and Range Rover into a single dealership network, Jag for Cars and RR for SUV's

 

Ford has already been heading in this direction for some time now. I don't know of any standalone Jaguar or LR dealers in my area. They just opened a new Jag/LR dealer down the road. I know they have already been combined in several markets. They just need to take it further and make them ALL that way for consistency.

[Mark B. Morrow]

We have two Jag dealers in the Pittsburgh area. One is Jag/LR/BMW (LR was recently added) The other is a Rahal dealership with Jag/LR/Aston Martin/Volvo which sits next to Rahal's Lexus store and down the road from their Benz location.

[KinneticBrian]

But your forgetting that Cadillac wants to be come "The World Standard", and Lincoln is content with "American Luxury"...they are no longer true competitors with one another like they where, due to the PAG

 

 

No, I haven't forgotten that - although I do forget a lot these days... Denny Crane... Denny Crane...

 

All joking aside, Cadillac can want to become the Standard of the World but with overpriced, understyled crap like the current STS and laughable product (in the European view) like the Escalade trio, that isn't going to happen anytime soon. Cadillac is just American Luxury as much as Lincoln - always will be. The difference is, Lincoln isnt ashamed of it.

[7Mary3]

I think Cadillac has made some real progress. I am in the Los Angeles area a lot and the new Caddy's are a lot more popular now then there were 10 years ago. And, it's not all Escalades, either. Since Mercedes has done such a great job of running themselves into a tree for the last 5 years it looks like many former Mercedes owners have rediscovered Cadillac. As for Lincolns, only the Town Car is common, and most of them have 'Livery' plates (limo service). Lincoln just doesn't seem to make anything anyone wants to buy anymore. Not many Lincoln/Mercury dealers around here anymore either. Jaguar's reputation is damaged beyond hope. Ford made those cars a lot better, but they still spend too much time on the backs of tow trucks. I think Ford should sell off Jaguar, Range Rover, and Aston Martin as fast as possible, and try to revive Lincoln. How about a retro car styled after the '61 Continental?

[Mark B. Morrow]

How about a retro car styled after the '61 Continental?

 

 

Many of us have been begging for that for months. If only someone was listening. How about a new body for the TC or something along the lines of the last Continental concept.

[Roadrunner]

As long as it's the Continental concept and not the final-gen DEW98 Continental barge.