ford's in trouble

Topic: ford's in trouble (Read 1885 times) previous topic - next topic

ford's in trouble

January 12, 2006, 02:25:37 AM

Looks like GM isnt the only one in financial trouble

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4604076.stm

ford's in trouble

Reply #1 – January 12, 2006, 09:33:29 AM

Some day Ford and GM will realize that the only thing that's going to save them is building desirable cars. As long as they keep fumbling around with Impalas and Five Hundreds they will continue on their skid

ford's in trouble

Reply #2 – January 12, 2006, 10:54:18 AM

[COLOR="Magenta"]I heard a rumor that people like trucks.[/COLOR]

[COLOR="Red"]QUICK! Shut down all the car plants and convert them to building only huge fricking trucks... 6000lbs of double-cab, extended-box, 4x4, dualie-rear-tired monsters. That will get granny into the showroom.[/COLOR] :shakehead :wtf:

ford's in trouble

Reply #3 – January 12, 2006, 11:22:33 AM

Quote from: Thunder Chicken

Some day Ford and GM will realize that the only thing that's going to save them is building desirable cars. As long as they keep fumbling around with Impalas and Five Hundreds they will continue on their skid

I thought the Five Hundred was doing decently? Monthly sales are virtually on par with the "hot" Chrysler 300 (12,453 vs. 12,647)

I have faith that Ford is on the right track. The F150 is still the king of trucks, the Fusion/Milan is selling well, the Five Hundred/Montego is regarded by many as the safest car on the road, GM/Chrysler will be 4-5 years late with their muscle cars, and it looks like Bill Ford is giving some serious thought to the revival of the Lincoln brand.

ford's in trouble

Reply #4 – January 12, 2006, 11:28:05 AM

Yeah I think Bill is the right man to run that company. Ford is not in dire straits yet and they can still turn it around.

ford's in trouble

Reply #5 – January 12, 2006, 11:50:52 AM

Quote from: 4thqtr

I thought the Five Hundred was doing decently? Monthly sales are virtually on par with the "hot" Chrysler 300 (12,453 vs. 12,647)

I have faith that Ford is on the right track. The F150 is still the king of trucks, the Fusion/Milan is selling well, the Five Hundred/Montego is regarded by many as the safest car on the road, GM/Chrysler will be 4-5 years late with their muscle cars, and it looks like Bill Ford is giving some serious thought to the revival of the Lincoln brand.

I dunno how much it's selling elsewhere, but I know that around here you can't walk across a parking lot without tripping over several 300's, while I have seen exactly two Five Hundreds on the road since they made their debut (and oddly enough, both were in the same parking lot). I also know that in comparison tests the Five Hundred finishes consitently last due to its lack of power and refinement compared to the puppiesanese (and even Koreans). It's not that the Five Hundred is bad, it's that it was rushed to market before the drivetrain it should've gotten (3.5 V6, six-speed auto) was ready. That drivetrain would've at least put it on equal footing with its competitors...

ford's in trouble

Reply #6 – January 12, 2006, 12:08:31 PM

I also have seen 2 500's in my area. One probably needs to travel to predominantly Ford-safe areas in the U.S. (Cleveland, Detroit, Atlanta) to see lots of them. In 1996 I took a road trip to Atlanta, from Ohio, and once you got outside of my area it was astounding how few GM cars were seen. I saw ONE F-body on the whole trip. So in certain parts of the country, the 500 and all the other Ford offerings are probably doing better than we realize. But that kind of sucks in a way, because it shows how prejudiced car buyers can be in some parts of the U.S. It's like, they stick with what they know, and don't jump to other brands or models. The only way U.S. carmakers will success is to offer something that crosses over all boundaries. That's exactly what the 1986 Taurus did. And I don't see anything coming up that is going to break the current mold. Hopefully the Fusion will at least get its foot in the door. Speaking of those...I've seen about half a dozen. Still many more Focus owners out there.

ford's in trouble

Reply #7 – January 12, 2006, 01:59:29 PM

Here's one I don't understand. I thought the 500 was the Taurus replacement (RIP), but then I've also heard that the Fusion is the Taurus replacement. Which one is right? Isn't the Fusion a lot bigger than a Focus? The Focus is still a relatively young model compared to a Taurus. It shouldn't be needing an entirely revamped replacement. Is the Focus on its way out? It seems like one of those models (500 or Fusion) should not be necessary. If I had to guess, I'd say that the Fusion will be the more successful car. They sure are promoting it more than they did the 500.

A couple years ago when Chevy came back out with the butt-ugly Malibu, I had barely seen even one on the road and I read that it was the #1 selling domestic vehicle or something of that nature. I asked, "so where are they all?". It even took a while for me to start seeing the new Gen Mustangs, and they were already bragging about record Mustang sales. I guess it does matter where you live.

ford's in trouble

Reply #8 – January 12, 2006, 02:13:57 PM

Least we aint this bad

Toyota looks to overtake gm

ford's in trouble

Reply #9 – January 12, 2006, 04:28:51 PM

The 500 may be selling well compared to the 300, but what about against the Toyota Camry or Honda Accord?

ford's in trouble

Reply #10 – January 12, 2006, 04:36:32 PM

Quote from: Paul Flockhart

The 500 may be selling well compared to the 300, but what about against the Toyota Camry or Honda Accord?

Good point. And one that's about to get even pointier, since a new Camry is due, and they claim to have put much more effort into de-blandifying the hot seller.

http://www.toyotanation.com/photos/showphoto.php/photo/5177

ford's in trouble

Reply #11 – January 12, 2006, 06:01:02 PM

Kinda looks like a mazda 6

ford's in trouble

Reply #12 – January 12, 2006, 06:03:39 PM

Quote from: 20th anny 5.o

Kinda looks like a mazda 6

Which isn't a bad thing, IMO.

ford's in trouble

Reply #13 – January 12, 2006, 06:05:58 PM

Not sayin it is, tho i would buy a six before this kinda goes back to brand loyalty. Yeah i know people really dont have that anymore its just im the kind of guy.

ford's in trouble

Reply #14 – January 12, 2006, 06:50:42 PM

Quote from: EricCoolCats

I also have seen 2 500's in my area. One probably needs to travel to predominantly Ford-safe areas in the U.S. (Cleveland, Detroit, Atlanta) to see lots of them. In 1996 I took a road trip to Atlanta, from Ohio, and once you got outside of my area it was astounding how few GM cars were seen. I saw ONE F-body on the whole trip. So in certain parts of the country, the 500 and all the other Ford offerings are probably doing better than we realize. But that kind of sucks in a way, because it shows how prejudiced car buyers can be in some parts of the U.S. It's like, they stick with what they know, and don't jump to other brands or models. The only way U.S. carmakers will success is to offer something that crosses over all boundaries. That's exactly what the 1986 Taurus did. And I don't see anything coming up that is going to break the current mold. Hopefully the Fusion will at least get its foot in the door. Speaking of those...I've seen about half a dozen. Still many more Focus owners out there.

There's alot of Taurus out there...cant keep them on the used car lots, the taurus is going into fleet sales...until like 2010...so there will still be used taurus for awhile, if they were all eliminated the 500/fusion would sell better...hard to beat a 20 year rep