So the plant manager is advertising the fact that the folks who build them won't drive them unless forced to do so. I'd probably be willing to drive a second rate car to work if I got the kind of discount the carmakers give. Ford must be turning out real junk if they have to resort to this.
On the Contrary...
You have employees that are financially strapped and some that are extremely frugal and won't buy new. You have all types at any major employer.
What gets unmentioned reported over on the the Detroit News and Free Press is some individuals (Union?) were putting pamphlets on Ford brands such as Volvo and Land Rover, on company sites and who knows if on company time, saying they should also buy American. Which is really stupid, because some of these lines are making money for Ford.
These brands are becoming the basis for some of their product, ergo the Mazda 6 is the base for the Ford Fusion. Which is smart use, the best DNA you can.
Now if these are union guys, don't they have better things to do with there time? How about researching HSA's and bringing a demand for them to the bargaining table to save the company some money so they have the R & D seed corn to got head to head to Toyota. Or how about attending college classes instead to better yourself and your company?
The plant manager did this, it is not company sanctioned, yet they haven't stopped him. I wonder what his relationship with the union is, very bad timing on his part.
This story is a little on the weird side for me...
The discount isn't that great. The effective result of the discount is that you are basically even when you drive the car off the lot (wheras you'd be $1k-$2k in the hole otherwise).
You also have to pay taxes on the discount. That's right, it's considered a taxable benefit.