My Bronco has physical controls, and I do like them. I have not had experience with the new interface with HVAC on the screen, but I think the permanent docking on the bottom will make a difference vs. other setups where you have to dig through multiple menus just to change the air.
That said, I have it set to Auto, so I rarely touch the A/C unless I want the temp up or down a degree or two, or the recirc on/off.
My view on it is sort of mentioned above. I think One Ford was the right strategy, but wasn't fully implemented to its full potential.....
Ford had to make drastic changes at the time given the company health, and I think the idea of consolidating to a few worldwide platforms (small vehicles, midsize/large, and 3 truck/suv sizes - mid/Ranger, f-150, super duty) made complete sense vs. the 8,000 different platforms for different models that they had.
It was fine to pare down to minimal platforms......the problem for me was that once pared down to that with the few key models, they stopped. After that point, they should have then used those platforms to branch out into regional models on top of those platforms - that way you get the savings of a few global platforms, with the ability to customize the lineup regionally specific to the market tastes.
For instance, the NA market didn't like smaller cars, so it could get Fiesta, Focus, and Escape on a small platform, whereas Europe likes smaller cars, so it could get Fiesta, Focus, Kuga (Escape) and maybe an additional model or two of various body styles on that same platform in the smaller segments appropriate for Europe. For an example of a platform where they did this path a bit better - Europe didn't want bigger cars like Edge, Taurus, Explorer, Flex, but did want Mondeo - so they used CD3/4 to give Europe the Mondeo, but added several other models on the same platform for the NA market.
You might want to try the UAW and the pension plan(s) too- The Teamster Local I was in had membership records going back at least to the 1930s, and pension plans have had a legal responsibility to maintain records of pension contributions for employees since the 1970s.
but that goes against spreading your self too thin because of costs of developing these products.
From what I understand-Ford of China was in desperate shape (most likely still is) before 2020 or so with sales shrinking.
That forced Ford to spend money on three different C products, in the shape of the Mondeo/Evos, Edge and Nautilus.
The EV program was more NA/EU focused then CN market....not to mention being started after the debacle above.
I use audio controls the most. And here, moving more of those controls to the center screen works just fine. I thought that I would miss the center console physical controls for station browsing, but I don't. The new steering wheel controls for volume and station browsing are better implemented than before, and the new infotainment system now has so many more pre-select stations (that keep scrolling from the end back to the beginning, which is huge -- I came from Sync3) that I never need to worry about finding a station I like. When my wife is in the passenger seat and is doing audio selection, she just uses the big volume knob (which is great) and the on-screen browsing which works fine for her as a passenger.
But I use the temp controls second most. And as stated above, I find it a pain to use when driving (and sometimes dangerous because it takes more attention away from driving). Again, when stopped it is just fine.
The fact that “Ford of Europe” even exists should be a red flag. You don’t hear Honda of Europe or Toyota of Europe or VW of Europe.
They all need to answer to the same executive team.
Yes and no.
Yes the plateau in EV sales was a bit unexpected and they did have to plan for continued rise in sales.
However, it was poor planning to go with large expensive 3 rows with questionable styling and to completely discontinue Edge and move Nautilus to China to do it.
Had they instead targeted smaller cheaper EVs for Louisville from the get go we’d have new C2 Edge and Nautilus in Oakville with the possibility of other C2 products if volume allowed.
You can go after new stuff without burning the bridge behind you in the process. You just have to be a little more conservative and keep options open.
Ford Management Shakeup Puts Detroit in Control of Europe
https://fordauthority.com/2024/06/ford-management-shakeup-puts-detroit-in-control-of-europe/
Ford Europe has been in the midst of a major shakeup over the past couple of years, which began back in 2022, when The Blue Oval announced that it would no longer operate as its own separate entity after 55 years of doing precisely that. Instead, Ford has ended its regional earnings reporting and is instead reporting financial results from its five total businesses – Ford Blue, Model e, Ford Credit, Ford Pro, and Ford Drive. Now, a recent management shakeup at the automaker has resulted in an even bigger change, it seems.
According to Automotive News, Ford plans to downsize its management team in Europe – from nine directors to four – following the departure of Martin Sander, general manager of Ford Model e Europe, who is heading back to Volkswagen next month. Rather than replace Sander, Ford will eliminate his position and the deputy role, leaving FoMoCo’s U.S.-based management team in charge of its European operations.
Thus far, Ford has only two of those four European director roles sorted – Rene Wolf will remain manufacturing director of the automaker’s European plants, while Christian Weingaertner will continue to oversee marketing and sales in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. A third position will be filled internally, while Ford will look outside the company for the fourth. Additionally, personnel manager Rainer Ludwig will retire, and all remaining, lower-tier executives will now report to Dearborn. All of these changes are set to take place on the first of July.
“This change simplifies our administrative and management structure in Germany, gives us more speed of action and allows the management team to concentrate fully on its operational tasks and lead Ford into a successful future,” Ford Germany Supervisory board chairman Kieran Cahill said in a statement.
In the meantime, Ford’s future in Europe is a bit murky at the moment after the automaker nixed its plans to go all-electric across that region’s lineup by 2030 or sooner. At the same time, Ford has been trimming its European workforce for months now, but it reportedly isn’t done laying off workers there, either.