I’d really like to see ford bring back the functionality of sync that my fusion had back in the days. Being able to control the AC and the radio from the steering wheel without having to take your eyes off the road at all was great. I’d be ok with no physical buttons if I had that ability.
Volume is on the steering wheel and with auto climate you really don’t have to adjust it very much. Given a choice I would take physical buttons but even with those you still have to glance at it. It’s really not a big issue if you don’t have to go through menus.
But the platforms don’t have to be different. C2 is a great example. CD3 and 4, D2, C1 and all its variants in different countries were a complete waste as has now been proven by C2 with three drivetrains. You can still do different tophats and other cosmetic changes but you need a high volume low cost platform to start with and that means make it once and use it everywhere.
5G Ranger would have been better off if had been designed for US markets originally. And for Bronco. And they could have done a lot more with CD6.
Meanwhile Toyota just keeps rolling out Camrys and Corollas and Tacomas with the same platforms as 20 years ago just with minor updates and a few new bits here and there and new tophats. Their platform costs must be minuscule. And it works.
I have a 2012 F250 and was thinking about replacing the seats as they are old and worn out. I would love to replace them with new factory seats but as those are discontinued. I am not able to find any seats for my truck that are much better than mine. I have however been able to find 2018-2022 seats. Does anyone know if it is possible to swap the 2018-2022 seats into the 2012 truck? And if so what all would it take? Also, the truck does have a center console.
Tried searching to see if this has already been discussed but search results yielded 20,000 hits. I’m looking for contact information for somebody in Labor Relations at the Glass House. The only result Google supplied was the main 800#.
I am a current Ford employee. While working on my ancestry, I discovered that my Grandfather worked for Ford prior to WWII (his draft card listed employer as Ford Motor Company). I only knew that he retired from Chrysler Dodge Main. I would love to find out which Plant he worked at and in what capacity? He passed way in 1994 and my father wasn’t even aware that he worked for Ford either.
Can anybody point me in the right direction? Thanks!
A screen doesn't give you any feedback and you have to take your eyes off the road. What Ford should do is innovate like Xiaomi and add attachable physical controls that connect to the screen. People that want them could easily purchase it as an accessory through the dealership.
https://insideevs.com/news/713044/xiaomi-docking-buttons-screen/
IMO, physical controls on Lincolns should be standard - at least the main ones such as volume, temp, fan speed, etc. There is a new Bugatti that is going almost exclusively back to analog. Not sure how much staying power Tesla-style minimalism (aka cost cutting) has in the luxury segment.
I think that the One Ford strategy didn't actually work. Every market is different, and we have to adapt to each market individually.
I spent five years in China working on China and Asia-Pacific Manufacturing Engineering. I think now, wow, what a waste. Everything we accomplished is now for naught and completely undone, because the Chinese market is different. The Australia market is different. India is different. South America. Europe.
By Indian standards, the India-built EcoSport was overpriced. By American standards, it was a cheap, Indian piece of junk. By European standards, it was a pretty good entry to the market. We didn't even import it into China, because the Chinese government is a mercantilist dictatorship that lets in very few foreign vehicles.
We actually _did_ important Lincolns, and they needed close to 100% re-work at the ports because they didn't meet the quality standards of the Chinese consumer. I'm not joking or being sarcastic or ironic.
Mulally saved the company, and I'm grateful for his leadership. I'm proud to have met him on his "goodbye tour" (he visited us in Nanjing). "One Ford" makes a lot of sense on paper, but boy, it didn't work in real life. Our plan to turn 10 different Ford Motor Companies into a single, global Ford Motor Company was just misguided.
Certain aspects are still extant. Ranger is a good, global vehicle. Focus was. Fusion was a different product globally. China won't buy 400,000 F-150's per year (you actually need a special drivers license for that).
So, yeah, you're right, FOE and APA doing their own things will drive up costs, but I think it's the only way to get the volume.
That seems like a logical conclusion.
What are the thoughts about Ford’s divestment in Rivian? Positive or Negative?
Im not sure personally. I actually wished they would have bought Lucid out and turned them into Lincoln. They seem to have good product that is attractive which doesn’t receive a ton of attention.