Posted on 04/09/2009 8:30:33 AM PDT by IrishMike
NEW YORK – General Motors and Chrysler put on their best brave faces here at the New York International Auto Show, but Ford Motor came out guns blazing, determined to separate itself from the other two Detroit-based auto makers.
Ford now has a more tightly honed message than I've ever seen in 20 years of covering the auto industry. The Ford people keep repeating over and over and over again that they get it – that the products matter.
If Ford is ever going to break from the Detroit pack, if Ford ever hopes to get away from the kind of deep discounting that has become commonplace for all three Detroit auto makers, the new models coming in the next year must live up to the hype.
We'll find out soon enough. Within the next year, 45 per cent of what you see in a Ford showroom today will be replaced by something new.
The Taurus gets a new design and the EcoBoost direct injection, turbocharged engine. The Fusion also gets a new look and other updates, not to mention a hybrid version. Ford says its hybrid Fusion is the most fuel-efficient midsize car in North America. That boast was painted right onto the side of a 2010 Fusion parked at Ford's stand. The Fiesta subcompact coming next year as a 2011 model was there, too.
And Ford, unlike its Detroit rivals, had an army of senior executives, designers, engineers and marketers here, all available to talk the Ford line. Ford is trying desperately to shape its message and that message boils down to this: “I'm not with stupid.”
Ford does not want to be lumped in with GM and Chrysler. Ford is not taking government bailout money, company types say. Bottom line: Ford is not Obama Motors.
(Excerpt) Read more at theglobeandmail.com ...
Evidence is mounting that the few customers who are shopping for new cars and trucks in this tough market are increasingly turning to Ford Motor Co. because it hasn't asked for federal aid and is perceived as healthiest of the Detroit Three.
BUMP
Ford should ask themselves....”What would we have to do to drop the price of trucks and high end vehicles by $10,000?” They need to make their money by selling in volume. Most can’t afford the prices they are asking today. Cut out a lot of the different models aslo.
I’ve bought Chevys my whole life, but I’ll be switching to Ford the next time.
I like it. Ford Motors is not Obama Motors. Built Ford tough not Obama weak.
A local Ford dealership has been running commercials mocking the bailouts for several months now.
I think the entire culture of Ford is on board with this strategy.
I think it will work.
I won't be buying another one for a while ...
Because it just doesn't seem to age. "Ford Tough" indeed.
In spite of my bad experience with Fords, my next purchase will NOT be a GM (Government Motors) car.
It is more than a perception that Ford is healthier than the others, it is an appreciation that Ford is an American company, independent of the social/fascism of the Obama government.
I personally reject GM and Chrysler, and will only buy Ford or one of the other non government owned auto companies in the US. I think there are lot’s of folks who feel the same way. We reject Obama’s vision.
Yeah, Ford is different, I’ll give ‘em that.
I have a feeling Ford may be ‘the last man standing’ so to speak, of the big 3.
Ford’s biggest problem , IMHO, is still the UAW contract and out of control labor costs. They can’t fix that without a bankruptcy filing. I guess they’ll exoect to copy whatever GM comes up with, which will be orchestrated by the Obaama adminsistration..
Where’s that damn Interceptor, that car looked awesome.
”What would we have to do to drop the price of trucks and high end vehicles by $10,000?”
Trucks are no longer trucks, they are cars with a cargo section in back.
If you are old enough to remember the late 50s - mid 60s trucks that were BASIC vehicles with manual transmissions, heavy duty suspension and tough bodies.
I have a F-150, I love it, but it is too plush and expensive for an actual work vehicle.
Same here, one ran something like “Ford works for you, our loyal customer, not the government”..
After I read that Ford was saying no to stimulus money I bought a chunck of their stock..now up 187%, Wahoo!
My next vehicle will be a Ford.
I’ve been a Dodge fan for a long time now... not sure how they relate to Chrysler, but he who thumbs his finger at the tenants of socialism GETS MY BUSINESS!
Several years ago, Ford stated they were going to address their problems by downsizing the operation. Fewer dealers, fewer models. I thought they were making a mistake then, as I figured that once they tossed market share to save money, they’d never get it back.
They were right and I was wrong. They downsized at the right time, as further contraction has forced other auto companies to downsize in a more willy-nilly manner.
The UAW is still killing Ford. They killed GM and Chrysler. Ford’s quality is very good and keeps improving. The Fusion and Fiesta are great. I hope we get the Fiesta in the USA. The mileage is off the charts and better than the Smart car or that Sedgeway BS.
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