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Ford Dropped to 4th Place in Market Share Last Month
The New York Times ^ | December 2, 2006 | Nick Bunkley

Posted on 12/03/2006 1:05:12 AM PST by Zakeet

DETROIT, Dec. 1 — Sales by the Ford Motor Company declined even more last month than its management had expected.

The company fell into fourth place in November for the first time in its history, behind Toyota Motor of Japan and the German-American automaker DaimlerChrysler, figures released Friday show.

Ford sold 10 percent fewer vehicles than it did a year ago, sending its market share in the United States down to 14.8 percent from 16.9 percent last November, according to Ward’s AutoInfoBank.

By contrast, Toyota’s sales increased 16 percent, giving it a market share of 16.5 percent, while DaimlerChrysler, which includes the Chrysler Group and Mercedes-Benz, sold 5 percent more vehicles to earn a share of 15.6 percent. General Motors is the largest automaker, with a share of 24.6 percent.

Ford’s numbers were particularly disappointing because they were being compared with last November, one of the worst months in company history, when Hurricanes Katrina and Rita cut demand for trucks as gas prices spiked.

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: automotive; deathspiral; decrease; ford; sales
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To: AlaskaErik

The first new car I bought after I graduated from college and got a job was a ford. After being locked in a broom closet for an hour at the dealership during one of my many trips trying to get it fixed, I decided then I would never waste another penny on something I would have to Fix Or Repair Daily.


41 posted on 12/03/2006 5:48:19 AM PST by MissEdie (Liberalscostlives)
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To: SMM48

it took the US car companies 30 years of making crappy cars to get in this shape, if they spend 30 years making good cars they might get some of their sales back


42 posted on 12/03/2006 5:53:06 AM PST by antti tuuri
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To: napscoordinator

You can trace the decline of Ford's market share to dropping the idea that "Quality is Job 1." When they bought into the idea that cars don't matter and that quality is for others they gave Toyota and Honda a shot at the Tarus, once the #1 car in America and now F150. The San Antonio Toyota pickup plant will end a major portion of the market share of Dodge in Texas and then the F150. Turn out the lights.


43 posted on 12/03/2006 5:53:42 AM PST by q_an_a
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To: SMM48

You're right about Toyota recalls. This year they have recalled more vehicles that they have sold.

In fact, it has delayed some new model introductions because of quality problems. Toyota dealers treat customers like carp. They are well below the industry average in sales satisfaction and service satisfaction. But, it has maintained its Teflon image.

My guess is that most MSM members drive imports on their way to vote Democratic.


44 posted on 12/03/2006 5:55:54 AM PST by BW2221
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To: BW2221

Not sure it's due to the costs of raising a kid or due to the pollution.


45 posted on 12/03/2006 5:58:23 AM PST by Joe Boucher (an enemy of islam)
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To: q_an_a
The bigger Tundra (built in Texas, by Texans, for Texans as Toyota likes to say) will definitely hurt the F-150 and particularly Ram.

In Texas 25% of all registrations are for full-size pickups. Building the plant in San Antonio was a stroke of genius. They are going to be marketing it at high school football games, rattlesnake roundups, all the things Texans like to do.
46 posted on 12/03/2006 6:00:41 AM PST by BW2221
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To: Joe Boucher

I think its the cost of raising a kid. The Japanese have acquired very expensive tastes (much like liberal Democrats).


47 posted on 12/03/2006 6:02:04 AM PST by BW2221
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To: Zakeet
This is a well-written article describing some of Ford's problems.

Given all the bad parts they have been putting on their trucks the last few years I can understand the drop. Tailgate fell off my powerstroke last month. Transmission went for a walk, bad pump. Etc. Etc. Etc.

48 posted on 12/03/2006 6:54:20 AM PST by org.whodat (Never let the facts get in the way of a good assumption.)
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To: goldstategop
In the end only GM may be left around.

So that is why Kevorkian(or whatever) is selling his stock and getting out. Sell at the bottom so you don't have to pay tax? What planet are you from??

49 posted on 12/03/2006 7:01:12 AM PST by org.whodat (Never let the facts get in the way of a good assumption.)
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To: Blind Eye Jones

My brother and sister-in-law have put their 2001 Escape through the
ringer without any problem.

And I say that as a routine critic of American cars/carmakers.


50 posted on 12/03/2006 7:04:22 AM PST by VOA
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To: Zakeet
Ford sold 10 percent fewer vehicles than it did a year ago

Surprising it's not worse, given Ford's inept of use of advertising.

When a car company needs to save itself, adverts need to communicate the
basic value/durability of the vehicle.
Instead Ford ads are about "bold moves" and other metrosexual themes.

Maybe that's because Ford itself thinks their vehicles don't have
basic value/durability?
51 posted on 12/03/2006 7:07:05 AM PST by VOA
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To: BW2221
The bigger Tundra

Basically a city slicker truck, Not big enough are powerful enough to do as work/farm truck.

52 posted on 12/03/2006 7:09:17 AM PST by org.whodat (Never let the facts get in the way of a good assumption.)
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To: PAR35

Ugly+slow+no power{wouldn't pull the hat off your head}+Toyota.


53 posted on 12/03/2006 7:09:58 AM PST by Vaduz (and just think how clean the cities would become again.)
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To: napscoordinator

Ford eliminated 1/2 their market with their recent

"men are stupid metrosexuals with women bosses" commercial and the whold "buy a ford suv before you divorce him" commercial. Ford petty much eliminated any chance men would buy a ford as a first car or switch from some other car maker.

They traded the Mercury Marauder for the B*tchmobile.

Ford where marketing is job stupid.


54 posted on 12/03/2006 7:11:03 AM PST by longtermmemmory (VOTE! http://www.senate.gov and http://www.house.gov)
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To: napscoordinator
It is a shame that Ford is losing ground in America.

It's amazing this day of reckoning has been so long coming.
Ford builds some pretty good cars in Europe, Australia,
and Japan...then sells their "B" team in North America.
(e.g., selling the old-model Focus here, the new one in Europe)

Some of the autom mags have been telling Ford "Just start marketing
your foreign-built models in the USA!".

I wonder if the folks at Ford just don't read automotive magazines
thus they don't even consider this appoach.
55 posted on 12/03/2006 7:11:47 AM PST by VOA
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To: BW2221
The bigger Tundra (built in Texas, by Texans, for Texans as
Toyota likes to say) will definitely hurt the F-150 and particularly Ram.


I remember a Ford executive pooh-poohing the idea that Toyota would
have any impact on Ford truck sales (this was in the Wall Street
Journal, summer of 2005). Even though Toyota was building a
truck plant in Texas (truck country)

I can't help but wonder if that Ford exec still has a job.
56 posted on 12/03/2006 7:15:12 AM PST by VOA
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To: VOA
Don't know. Lots of "packages" at Ford.

Toyota always will have a problem selling in rural American. It has about 1,200 dealers while the Detroit Three each have about three times that number. It's unlikely that a farmer in the middle of Nebraska will switch to Tundra when the closest dealer is 200 miles away.

The Detroit Three produce good trucks. They just don't market them well.
57 posted on 12/03/2006 7:33:57 AM PST by BW2221
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To: BW2221

What Toyota said about building in Texas was, "We want to understand the truck culture." Where better than a state with hundreds of miles of Farm to Market roads that are used by pickups 10 to one over cars. When they are finished understanding the culture they will bring Mercedes/Dodge to their last days and the F150 will be in the fight of their life- Cheavy will die beside Ram.


58 posted on 12/03/2006 9:12:28 AM PST by q_an_a
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To: BW2221

Chrysler dealers may have a 49-day inventory, but D-C seems to be building up a substantial "sales bank".

From Detroit Free Press:

Workers, dealers and analysts -- each with their different concerns -- are troubled that they can't understand what Chrysler is doing.

Part of the problem, they say, is that the last time they couldn't get reasonable answers -- earlier this year -- it was about why storage lots near Chrysler assembly plants seemed to be overflowing with inventory.

Chrysler eventually told dealers in September that it had built more than 100,000 vehicles that dealers hadn't ordered.

"They have a credibility problem," CSM's Langley said.

Chrysler has since pledged to eliminate that so-called sales bank and reduce its reported inventory.


59 posted on 12/03/2006 9:41:27 AM PST by NY.SS-Bar9 (DR #1692 Check your elevation.)
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To: BW2221
but Tojo was the only Japanese to be hanged.

Your ignorance of history is profound.

Seven were executed after the Tokyo trials, General Doihara Kenji, Baron Hirota Koki, General Itagaki Seishiro, General Kimura Heitaro, General Matsui Iwane, General Muto Akira, General Tojo Hideki. A dozen or so were executed at Guam. Yamashita was executed in Manila. A couple of leaders were executed by the British at Singapore. The Australians took care of Nishimura, etc. About 150 were executed in China. Total executions were probably in the 900 - 1000 range.

60 posted on 12/03/2006 4:15:17 PM PST by PAR35
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