Ford....what they should be doing

Nopantz · Jan 7, 2007

I saw an article recently on MSNBC regarding the fact that Ford is giving the Five Hundred and Focus facelifts for 2008 because they are not doing well. Yesterday I read the Editor-in-Chief write up in the Febuary 07 Modified Mustangs.

It really hit me and interested me and I wish Ford would take his advice. He recommend, for those who didnt see the write up, that Ford should axe all the models like the Focus, Fusion, and even explorer. Have a commuter car, compact car, mid-size car, fullsize car, a sporty car, compact and full-sze trucks, SUV and personal luxury car.

He says that the F-series, Rangers, and mustangs should stay so that takes care of your trucks and sporty car. Since the SUV market is on a downfall build one SUV and name it bronco. Name the other cars Escort, Falcon, Fairlane, Galaxie, and thunderbird. All popular selling cars in their time.

I think the whole point is that the Mustang since its redesign has done so well, especially since it took cues from the 60s-70s models (I still am not totally in love with the redesign personnally) and that Ford should do the same throughout the entire model lineup. Ford has a great history and should use it to thrive not struggle.

I wish someone at Ford would read this write up and pay attention to it because I for one dont want to see Ford go the way of companies like Oldsmobile and Plymouth.

90 · Jan 7, 2007

im +1 on this too, ford has to many names out there... explorer, expedition excursion escape, F 150 250 350, econoline, edge , freestyle, five hundoe, focus, freestar, ranger, taurus and all types of the mustang, v6 gt cobra shelby boss

im sure i missed a few give or take, i think if limit there makings (only make 6 -8 differant cars instead of 15-18 ) they will sell alot more, they offer to many differant models and theres so much to dislike about each one seperate... for instance my brother own a 500 limited, everytime i see a focus i think its my brothers car.. theres just to many options out there that ford offers.. back when they had the f150, ranger, said thunderbird, escorts (best thing on wheels for gas savings!) world class mustangs... i beleave they would do so much better!

WilwoodFiveO · Jan 7, 2007

just dont even get me started on this subject ford has f***ed up and needs to re-think all their ideas and needs to go back up to the top. i can't take seeing ford go down the drain my whole life (17 years) although not that long my family has had ford nothing but a ford we would live and die fords but now that they are going down it is changing my dads point of view and my moms i can't take seeing FORD's downfall

Adams91LX · Jan 7, 2007

well... have any of you actually ridden in any of the fusion's?
because good gracious... for a mid-size sedan it's pretty quick...

and ummm....

also i agree that there are just too many cars.... spend more time on developing good ones, and you don't have to diversify as much, hoping that the consumer will be interested...

90 · Jan 7, 2007

Adams91LX said:
well... have any of you actually ridden in any of the fusion's?
because good gracious... for a mid-size sedan it's pretty quick...

no but my brothers V6 ford five hundred feels like a V12... its sweet as hell all balls but its like classy at the same time.. its Burgendy with vinilla leather interior..
i dont have any pic on my Pc... but it looks, handles good and rides like a Rolls Royce

Nopantz · Jan 7, 2007

They MSNBC article said the fusion is doing well they claimed the complaints about the Five hundrend was lack of power so in 2008 its getting a 60 hp bump. I think instead of calling these cars fusion, focus and five hundrend call them escort fairlane, falcon. Use the old names because theyll sell better. The Chrysler 300 is doing very well. Why because it hints at the old Chrysler.

I live and breath Ford as well and up until the last batch of cars my family has owned it has always been Ford, but my mom went and leased an Audi A4 and now she is hooked and will probably never turn back. Prior to that she had an Explorer then an Expedition. My Dad has an explorer and is looking for a truck to replace the explorer. I'm doing my best to make sure he still has pride in the F-Series cause I still believe Ford builds the best truck.

5.0 Nostalgia · Jan 7, 2007

CAMAROEATER01 said:
I think instead of calling these cars fusion, focus and five hundrend call them escort fairlane, falcon. Use the old names because theyll sell better. The Chrysler 300 is doing very well. Why because it hints at the old Chrysler.

I completely agree. Those names are classics. I don't think they should entirely go with a retro look for all their cars though. That trend already seems to be getting old. That would be putting all their eggs in one basket and a big risk.

TheUser · Jan 7, 2007

Adams91LX said:
well... have any of you actually ridden in any of the fusion's?
because good gracious... for a mid-size sedan it's pretty quick...

not a fusion, but my mom has an 03 taurus 3.0 (the fusion replaced the taurus) and it's pretty quick. I've driven her car a few times and it kinda makes me mad that I dog her car a lot, but it's actually got balls for what it is. It feels like it's nearly as fast as my 90 LX 5.0. I know I'm not the only one because a guy I used to work w/ had a 93 LX 306 w/ edelbrock heads, e303 and trickflow intake, full exhaust and 3.73's, etc and I was telling him about my moms car; he said he had driven one too and thought it was quick. I don't like 'em, but some of those *other* cars do have some pep

310stanger · Jan 7, 2007

Ford needs to stop cutting corners and jus build a quality transmission for starters. If they could handle building jus a quality product, that'd be a good start. 2nd, make cars that people actually want. 3rd Lower the effin prices. Have you guys priced what their suvs go for these days? For the prices they sticker their product at you can get in most luxury models. It might be a low end model but still.

310stanger · Jan 7, 2007

I do have to say though that the Fusion is one hell of a car. Its unlike any Ford ive seen in recent memory. Its quick, rides nice, the interior is good and theres no rampant problems that the customers are complaining about. The Five Hundred is a real piece. Its real loud on the highway, wears out rear brakes super fast, its extremely slow and it looks like grandpas car.

Nopantz · Jan 7, 2007

I am debating writing Ford an email/letter about this. What do you guys think?

310stanger · Jan 7, 2007

Ford doesnt listen to consumers, jus like the other 2 makes that represent the big three. They have a bunch of suits that make these sorts of decisions. Thats what makes the demise of offshoots like SVT such a bad thing. SVT cared about the customer and the performance minded guy. Theres jus not enough John Colletti's anymore. I think that any kind of a letter will kind of fall on deaf ears but it cant hurt either. I for one dont think that the names of the cars is necessarily the problem (excluding freestyle and freestar). Its jus that cars like the 500 instead of going after the *** makes in the price point, they choose to make them jus extremely plain and boring. Who other then someone with an AARP card is gonna wanna drive that car? Its ugly, it has excessive road noise, and its extremely underpowered. Yes I hate the 500. I get to drive all the new fords nearly all the time because I work at a ford dealer. The EDGE on the other hand is freakin awesome. The problem with the EDGE? It has no edge in terms of pricing. 36k for a nice one.

For the people that think that Hau thai tang or however you spell his name is good for the company. I have a feeling hes not. Yes he brough forth the new mustang, but that was gonna happen no matter what. He grabbed the reigns in advanced product creation and SVT and now SVT is gone. He doesnt have the killer instinct that John Colletti had. I also dont think hes as much of a car guy. I recently read Iron, Fist, Lead Foot a book about John Colletti and the 03 cobra and Colletti was one of the greatest american car engineers in automotive history.

jus my 2 cents. im very opinonated about stuff like this lol

Nopantz · Jan 7, 2007

310stanger said:
Ford doesnt listen to consumers, jus like the other 2 makes that represent the big three. They have a bunch of suits that make these sorts of decisions. Thats what makes the demise of offshoots like SVT such a bad thing. SVT cared about the customer and the performance minded guy. Theres jus not enough John Colletti's anymore. I think that any kind of a letter will kind of fall on deaf ears but it cant hurt either. I for one dont think that the names of the cars is necessarily the problem (excluding freestyle and freestar). Its jus that cars like the 500 instead of going after the *** makes in the price point, they choose to make them jus extremely plain and boring. Who other then someone with an AARP card is gonna wanna drive that car? Its ugly, it has excessive road noise, and its extremely underpowered. Yes I hate the 500. I get to drive all the new fords nearly all the time because I work at a ford dealer. The EDGE on the other hand is freakin awesome. The problem with the EDGE? It has no edge in terms of pricing. 36k for a nice one.

For the people that think that Hau thai tang or however you spell his name is good for the company. I have a feeling hes not. Yes he brough forth the new mustang, but that was gonna happen no matter what. He grabbed the reigns in advanced product creation and SVT and now SVT is gone. He doesnt have the killer instinct that John Colletti had. I also dont think hes as much of a car guy. I recently read Iron, Fist, Lead Foot a book about John Colletti and the 03 cobra and Colletti was one of the greatest american car engineers in automotive history.

jus my 2 cents. im very opinonated about stuff like this lol

I totally agree with you the day Colletti left Ford really began there demise. It was almost like a foreshadowing, and honestly i dont like Hau Thai tang (sp?) either.

90 · Jan 7, 2007

lol Looks like you have my name in your signature....... lol just happen to catch my attention..

Nopantz · Jan 7, 2007

90mustang_GT5.0 said:
lol Looks like you have my name in your signature....... lol just happen to catch my attention..

I do thats pretty damn funny

RED2001GT · Jan 8, 2007

Wasn't that Vietnamese guy that Ford hired the same moron who designed the new Nissan 350Z a few years back? Or was it someone from India who was the designer?
I would like to see Ford build some nice looking cars. Ford automotive designs are getting to be like the boring GM designs. The ONLY Ford vehicles which look nice is the new Mustang, F150, Ranger and the Explorer. The rest of the Ford vehicles look ugly.

poneypower89 · Jan 8, 2007

I might be going against the grain here... but I don't think anything in that article is something ford should do..

Have anyone of you guys looked at the cars ford produces in Austraila and Europe? They are absolutely amazing. In my opinion they need to scrape their ENTIRE line of cars save for the stang and f-series and bring in their Aussie/Euro lineup.

Imagine, tubo 6 AWD sedans made by FORD..

AWD Turbo Escorts pushing 300+ hp (would put a hurt on the Subie and Evo craze thats for sure.)

Just go to the Aussie specific ford site and look at the vehicles they offer. No Joke. Ford is like freak'n BMW over there.

http://www.fpv.com.au/

Nopantz · Jan 8, 2007

I would love to see Ford bring there Aussie lineup here but when the hell would that ever happen....that would only make sense. Notice how you said Escort as well

Ford would trully give cars like the WRX, EVO and any Audi a true run for themselves with there aussie lineup. I wonder how much it would cost to import one of those cars here.....if I had the money I would

1990Coupe · Jan 8, 2007

RED2001GT said:
Wasn't that Vietnamese guy that Ford hired the same moron who designed the new Nissan 350Z a few years back? Or was it someone from India who was the designer?
I would like to see Ford build some nice looking cars. Ford automotive designs are getting to be like the boring GM designs. The ONLY Ford vehicles which look nice is the new Mustang, F150, Ranger and the Explorer. The rest of the Ford vehicles look ugly.

its funny the ranger is still doing so well.. if you park a 1989 and a 2007 ranged next to eachother, they look alike i just dont get the ranger crazy lol

Prime Lord · Jan 8, 2007

ponypower, you hit the nail on the head. They've done that in a few instances w/ the Focus and the Fivehundred (the Mondeo in the UK). I mean really, look at Ford UK's line up. Its simple and to the point (Including a high performance Focus). The same is true w/ Ford Australia. They have really uniqe, cool, powerfull, road machines. If Ford would just pull their heads out of their asses and bring those cars to the US, they wuould have a real shot at competing w/ all the asia-in-a-box cars that people are buying. As it stands now, American cars are boring. The new Mustang is really the first American car in YEARS to actually insprie people. That why the US car market is suffering....all these foreign companies are building cars that are more exciting, cheaper, more fuel efficient, and more durable. Ford is huge in the UK due to its success w/ the Mondeo and they have really tailored their cars over there to the people that drive them.

Heres an interesting idea, in the US Ford is so reliant on the F-series that they basically don't give a rats ass about the rest of the cars. All they have to do is make the F-series and they'll stay afloat. In the UK, pickup trucks are not popular at ALL, so they've had to make cars that people will buy. Why they don't employ that philosophy here, I'll never know.

Oh yeah...and bring us 60MPG deisel cars!!!

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