Posted on 05/19/2009 3:42:10 AM PDT by IrishMike
The Ford Motor Company says it will not match big dealer cuts made by General Motors and Chrysler, and expects to benefit from the elimination of nearly 2,000 competing showrooms. The companys director of North American sales, James D. Farley, said in an interview Monday that Ford had been pushing steadily to consolidate its dealers, rather than trying to end contracts or let them expire. Ford has reduced its dealer network by 700 since 2005, leaving it with 3,700 nationwide. Mr. Farley declined to specify Fords targets for additional reductions, but said they would be small compared with the cuts by G.M. and Chrysler.
Last week, Chrysler, which is in bankruptcy, said it would terminate nearly 800 dealers, or 25 percent of its total, by next month.
G.M. said it would cut 1,100 dealers next year in the first phase of a plan to reduce its dealers by 40 percent, to about 3,600 from 5,900.
Ford is not accepting any government bailout money, in contrast to its two crosstown rivals. It is taking every opportunity to highlight the difference, even as it searches for ways to match some of the cost-cutting structural changes at G.M. and Chrysler.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Whoo-Hoo!!!
Aye.
"And now UAW runs GM - but theyre supposed to 'represent' the Ford workers, and its a total conflict of interest cluster**** - and its completely owned by the libs."
Uh-huh, bingo.
It'll be through the UAW our government {spit} will force Ford to its knees, succumb to the will of zerO, America's first Caesar.
Watch 'n see.
"Somehow - Ford will pay - Ford MUST pay."
Not to worry.
Ford *will* pay alright and our very own government will see to that.
If you Company has a 401K see if you can’t buy stock through that.
FbORD
My 2007 Focus is a fun car to drive, gets 37 MPG, and cost less than $14k. That’s hard to beat and still buy American.
later
How much doesit cost GM or Chysler to have a dealership agreement? I don’t understand why reducing dealer locations improves the bottom line.
Somebody help us understand this, please. Is there some big retainer fee the dealership gets paid, or what?
Ford BUMP
Actually, that brings up an interesting topic. Can the UAW ever strike against Ford if it owns a major portion of a competitor. I think such an action would run afoul of antitrust laws.
I wouldn't buy any American built POS if there was a need for a new car, preferring the Subaru. Ford Motor Company for years catered to the Homosexuals in their marketing of the upscale cars, the Jags and Volvos and it was just recently, with a ton of pressure from Christians, that they shifted that policy.
My sister has a Fusion. I haven’t driven it, but she really likes it. Looks good to me!
A gun to my forehead will NOT force me to purchase a gubmint car!
...2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid
The 2010 Ford Fusion hybrid gets up to 41 mpg officially. But with a little effort, you can easily double that.
That's what a team of Ford engineers, a hypermiling legend and NASCAR star Carl Edwards managed to pull off this week, registering an average of 81.5 mpg in a 1,445.7-mile journey designed to show off the eco prowess of the new hybrid sedan.
The crew left Mount Vernon, Va., on Saturday morning and finished on the George Washington Parkway in Washington, running out of gas just before dawn. They clicked off the 1,000-mile mark the original goal Monday morning, with Edwards at the wheel.
The EPA has rated the Fusion Hybrid at 41 mpg in the city and 36 on the highway, besting other hybrids including the Toyota Camry. By using hypermiling techniques, such as accelerating smoothly and coasting to red lights, the Fusion drivers were able to considerably increase the car's fuel economy. ... http://editorial.autos.msn.com/article.aspx?cp-documentid=1028245
Ford knew the new standards were coming and have already prepared for them. Of course, they don’t like it, but they are ready.
They're bringing back THE SHO !!!
They broke up the drive into two- and three-hour stints. Edwards, fresh off a dramatic crash Sunday at Talladega that saw his No. 99 car get airborne, said he was excited to be a part of the drive. He noted that he owns a Fusion Hybrid.
He got out and ran across the finish line!
If American doesn't want to buy enough Ka cars to make the CAFE whatever the gov't says it needs to be, total sales volume will be impacted (just as CAFE has done over the decades), and they still may be unprofitable. Note that the profitability date keeps moving out into the future at least a year per year.
As of EO April 2009, Ford now has 16% of the market....(FOX NEWS)
16% of 0 is zero. What counts is the sales volume (and mix) vs. the break-even sales volume (and mix). Fords sales are too low for their current break-even point. A new CAFE std and increased gas prices is not likely to improve sales volume all that much. There may be some pent up demand effect as the years go on. If Ford really were prepared, they’d be fine (and much smaller) now.
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