Hugh Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 :reading: I don't know how to post links here but Autoblog, Jalopnik and the Winding Road all have articles saying they went to Cobo Arena today to see Fords "Showroom of the Future". Just like the employees: They can't say anything Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZanatWork Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 Oh, great...invite reporters, but allow no reports! BARTENDER!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh Posted December 12, 2006 Author Share Posted December 12, 2006 (edited) Oh, great...invite reporters, but allow no reports!BARTENDER!! From what I read: they were hanging out at a Starbucks deciding what they can and can't write. "Once they get that latte in them they get antsy in their pantsy" Edited December 12, 2006 by Hugh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 (edited) I'm sure that alot of what was shown at the showroom of tomorrow will be at the NAIAS in a couple weeks... Edited December 12, 2006 by silvrsvt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF1011 Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 I'm sure that alot of what was shown at the showroom of tomorrow will be at the NAIAS in a couple weeks... Wouldn't that be a Bold Move? Ford laying all its cards on the table, competition be damned, and telling consumers "we're still alive!" With all the articles references "no products in the pipeline" at Ford, I don't blame consumers for jumping ship now. They have to be getting the impression that Ford is getting ready to close up shop for good. A BOLD MOVE would be to show off their current crop of concepts in addition to clay mockups of products that are still a ways off and even some sketches of products that are still 3-4 years away. Sure, it would give the competition a sneak at Ford's future, but seriously, who is using Ford as a benchmark right now anyway? And yes, it may discourage consumers who see something they like and find out they have to wait and wait and wait for it. As long as Ford handled it properly and made sure people were aware the new products are still a ways off, it could work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueblood Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 Hopefully then some pics surface, you can get cameras that snap onto your shirt that are the size of a button, you'd think somebody would figure this out before going in there empty handed... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF1011 Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 Hopefully then some pics surface, you can get cameras that snap onto your shirt that are the size of a button, you'd think somebody would figure this out before going in there empty handed... But what's the motivation for an auto journalist to take such pictures? Sure, he/she may be a car fan, but it's not like you can sell embargoed photos for any worthwhile amount of money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheLemon Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 Here's something nice.... That's Volkswagen's car tower. That's a showroom of tomorrow! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF1011 Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 Here's something nice....That's Volkswagen's car tower. That's a showroom of tomorrow! That must have the price tag of tomorrow too! Pretty cool looking though I will admit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheLemon Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 That must have the price tag of tomorrow too! Pretty cool looking though I will admit. It was designed for women I think.... On the first floor there's buttons.... Press #1 for a blue car Press #2 for a red car Press #3 for a grey car etc.... Ford should do that... Press #1 for a Lemon buy-back Press #2 for a free towing Press #3 for the list of recalls and tsb Press #4 to talk to the CEO.... ha ha ha ha! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swenson88 Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 Wouldn't that be a Bold Move? Ford laying all its cards on the table, competition be damned, and telling consumers "we're still alive!" With all the articles references "no products in the pipeline" at Ford, I don't blame consumers for jumping ship now. They have to be getting the impression that Ford is getting ready to close up shop for good. A BOLD MOVE would be to show off their current crop of concepts in addition to clay mockups of products that are still a ways off and even some sketches of products that are still 3-4 years away. Sure, it would give the competition a sneak at Ford's future, but seriously, who is using Ford as a benchmark right now anyway? And yes, it may discourage consumers who see something they like and find out they have to wait and wait and wait for it. As long as Ford handled it properly and made sure people were aware the new products are still a ways off, it could work. I don't think that would do much at all for the typical consumer. The only thing that would improve Ford's image in the eyes of a typical consumer would be more excellent vehicles for sale right now down at the local Ford dealer. That, we know, is not going to happen no matter how many "Showroom of Tomorrow" type expositions Ford has. Your average Joe doesn't care about Ford as a company, they care only about Ford in light of a vehicle they are interested in buying. Showing people what they MAY be able to buy 3-4 years from now if everything goes right is a waste of time. Like I've said before, don't show any vehicle unless you can have it at your dealers in a maximum of 3 months time. No tease intros like the Thunderbird went through. No fancy sketches of the 500 and Freestyle, only to be followed up by boring-ass reality. No hot concepts like the Zephyr only to again be followed by boring-ass, beancounter reality. If Ford shows anything at NAIAS it better be on dealer lots by March, not freakin' September. The hype is simply dead after that amount of time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JETSOLVER Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 (edited) I don't think that would do much at all for the typical consumer. Your average Joe doesn't care about Ford as a company, they care only about Ford in light of a vehicle they are interested in buying. Never underestimate the value of the enthusiast. I get LOTS of people who come to me asking my advice aobut cars and trucks and many are on their third or fourth go round. I help people make a decison that makes them happy(mostly anyways) and help them with the stress of making what for many non enthusiasts is a really stressful descision(especially the ladies. Most just freakin hate buying a car, can you imagine!!) A few I have turned into enthusiasts and a few have gotten the bug worse than me! There is Mazda 3 owning woman I know who is close to making it unstreetable :shades: Last spring she had never had a speeding ticket and had never driven a standard. Just two summers ago Ford placed a value on my services too Ford/Image is everything Now? :fan: Edited December 12, 2006 by JETSOLVER Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roadster2006 Posted December 13, 2006 Share Posted December 13, 2006 Is there any confirmation of a next Ranger or something in that nature Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
igor Posted December 13, 2006 Share Posted December 13, 2006 Is there any confirmation of a next Ranger or something in that nature no not yet .. but the showing is not all inclusive - there are products that we not included .. like the 2010 all new Focus etc. Igor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
g48150 Posted December 13, 2006 Share Posted December 13, 2006 Lemon- That signature gets more and more disturbing. Its like a train wreck though, I just can't stop looking... It would make sense, now that Ford has parked all that real estate in Cobo, no sense in moving it all around, so those one of a kinds won't get a chance to fall apart or get scratched. Lord knows it wouldn't be the first time that something like that has happened to a show car. Think of it this way, as all the other car companies move their displays from LA to here, Ford is giving them the finger, "this is OUR town, we're here first". Call it the legacy of Hank the deuce. Oh well. Its all rumors right? What's this I hear about Carrol Shelby getting to do a Mazda CX-7 pimp vehicle? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark B. Morrow Posted December 13, 2006 Share Posted December 13, 2006 Here's something nice.... That's Volkswagen's car tower. That's a showroom of tomorrow! I used to have one of those for my Hot Wheels cars in 1970. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JETSOLVER Posted December 14, 2006 Share Posted December 14, 2006 I wish I had better news, but.... cnbc/Phil LeBeau on showroom Dammit, even if the man is absolutely wrong, lots of average and not so average car buyers hear and see this stuff. And an awful lot of potential investors/finance types too. Ford, tell you what. Put me up in Detroit at a clean but not fancy hotel, put me on a per diem big enough for three squares, give me a bus pass, and I'll do your freakin PR for free. I can't possibly be any worse at it...and at least I know what the customers need to hear... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueblood Posted December 14, 2006 Share Posted December 14, 2006 I wish I had better news, but....cnbc/Phil LeBeau on showroom Dammit, even if the man is absolutely wrong, lots of average and not so average car buyers hear and see this stuff. And an awful lot of potential investors/finance types too. Ford, tell you what. Put me up in Detroit at a clean but not fancy hotel, put me on a per diem big enough for three squares, give me a bus pass, and I'll do your freakin PR for free. I can't possibly be any worse at it...and at least I know what the customers need to hear... That's disturbing... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swenson88 Posted December 14, 2006 Share Posted December 14, 2006 That's disturbing... It's about what I expected. All the stuff in that "showroom" have been in the works for a long time. We have been told repeatedly that the Fusion styling was going to spread to the lineup, but realistically right now the Fusion and Edge are the only products that have it, so that leaves many future products to incorporate the new family look (Focus and 500/Freestyle are next in line). We already know the 2008 Escape/Mariner/Tribute aren't really going to wow the public, and the 2008 SuperDuty is evolutionary, not revolutionary. It sounds like the people that have seen the 2009 F-150 aren't impressed, either. What does that leave? Well, I hope the B-cars are segment leaders, because anything less is probably going to get slammed for being so damn late to the game. Crown Vic/Grand Marquis? Probably not much there. Ranger? Again, probably not much there. Explorer should be all new in a few years, but it sounds like people weren't impressed with that redo either. I don't know guys, I hope Mulally really lights a fire under the designers' asses cause things aren't looking that hot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZanatWork Posted December 14, 2006 Share Posted December 14, 2006 A consideration I haven't seen from anyone yet: The "showroom" is already obsolete. 90% of what was shown MUST have been in the works for what, maybe 1-2 years? The same period that had NO real game plan? Meanwhile, the new CEO is essentially throwing out anything that doesn't make sense in his global strategy-as he should. I think the majority of what was shown is "subject to change"-and the reactions of the employees and press will bring the changes about. The B-car seem universally liked, and the other vehicles received vague comments. Given the sudden reports of Euro and Aussie Fords being considered for quick usage...I think the "showroom" will end up being somewhat misleading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
g48150 Posted December 16, 2006 Share Posted December 16, 2006 (edited) Fellas, I'm telling you, Bill Ford sits on Ebay's board. The showroom of the future? You're reading the future everytime you visit here. Ebay, Paypal, Fedex, and BitTorrent to download "recalls". Now THAT'S the future! Edited December 16, 2006 by g48150 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noah Harbinger Posted December 17, 2006 Share Posted December 17, 2006 No fancy sketches of the 500 and Freestyle, only to be followed up by boring-ass reality. I remember seeing that sketch of the 500 -- the only difference between the sketch and reality is marketing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swenson88 Posted December 17, 2006 Share Posted December 17, 2006 I remember seeing that sketch of the 500 -- the only difference between the sketch and reality is marketing. I don't know. The sketch looks so hunkered down and sleek. In person, the 500 looks much larger, taller, there's more space in the wheelwells, and it's bland. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZanatWork Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 The sketch mostly shows the car on 20" rims more than anything else...it was hardly misleading. Then again, the styling babble is overblown to a huge extent. I remember that practically every CamCord since '90 was described the same way, yet received NOTHING like the hate-a-thon people have for a hell of a car for $25 grand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCK Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 I don't know. The sketch looks so hunkered down and sleek. In person, the 500 looks much larger, taller, there's more space in the wheelwells, and it's bland. The 500 could have launched in 1990 and wouldn't look out of place at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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