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Is Ford's End Right Behind Chrysler's?
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Another excellent decision, passing on redesigning the Focus and 3 together, so Focus could suck up some (but not all) of it's goodness.
Good Call!
Another bad decision: The Crown Vic should be made available to every 80 year-old who wants one (that's the real market
Mets win again. (Yawn here.)
DrFill
Why buy the Focus when you can go buy the 3 and get this stuff on an updated platform, instead of Ford's outdated platform without those options? Mazda3, with this stuff, is selling like hotcakes, as well as maintaining high resale value. Focus, cheaper but without this stuff....isn't. Doesn't take a genius to figure this out.
DrFill
The Mazda 3 is actually cheaper than the Focus, if you buy it new and sell before it falls apart.
They can still buy a Mercury Grand Marquis.
Many of the Crown Vics in CA are CNG to cut pollution. They do not need to be designed for speed. There will always be something faster.
It will still be anonymous when it becomes the Taurus, and even with a whole year of sales of the 3.5 under its belt, I don't think it's going to jump way up in sales.
As for Escape, they CALLED it a "total redesign", but I would like someone in the know to tell me what was redesigned besides the plastic on the ends of the vehicle. It has the same powertrains, doesn't it?
That is about as TOTAL a redesign as the "new" Focus, going into year eight with nothing more than fewer configuration options and a spiffy new face, not all that different from the old spiffy face.
I saw an Edge on the street for the first time yesterday - liked the look in person. It seems heavy on paper, and not having a third-row seat in a vehicle like this seems to be a very bad idea.
When we look at "what's old" at Ford, we see that it is VERY old. When we look at "what's new", it just doesn't seem to be all that.
From the looks of the new vehicles at Chrysler, it looks like they have pretty much given up, hoping that gimmickry will somehow save their hides. While Ford SAYS they are going full steam ahead, there isn't a lot of hard evidence, seems to me. But hey, it's GRRREAT they're selling the Taurus again! :confuse:
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Edge is decent, but a CX-7 is more than decent.
The problem with Ford is always the same. They can't think but five minutes in front of there faces. :sick:
DrFill
Just curious.
GM is no better, as they are discounting just as much. Name a full-size that isn't pulling out all the stops?
Perception is everything. If Toyota gets sales numbers up, and more and more are seen on the street, momentum is what Toyota wants.
I don't think they care how they get the ball rolling, as long as it rolls.
Last month was a good month. Let's see where things go from here.
The domestics are no better off, from what I can tell
DrFill
Okay, that would only happen in somebody's sick dream.
Odie
Odie's Carspace
And just a wee fact to throw into the churning mix of Edmunds posting: the maximum cash rebate on any model of the new Tundra is $2000, and there are no incentives at all on the CrewMax models. Sales of the extended cab are zinging along so far, and availability of the CrewMax will now be building up until there is a normal supply at dealers.
Anyway, Toyota and Dodge are not what Ford is worrying about for the F-150, it is the MIGHTY Silverado!! ;-)
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Chevrolet Silverado down 11.8 percent
GMC Sierra down 18.1 percent
F-Series down 15.1 percent
Dodge Ram pickup truck down 5 percent
Tundra up 7.8 percent
Looks like Tundra sale is the only one went up in March in the full-size pickup segment.
Reference: March Sales Data
http://www.aicautosite.com/editoria/asmr/homesedan.asp
13k for Tundra last month is one of it's best months ever, and CrewMax is just now becoming available.
The 2nd quarter will be much more revealing than the first quarter.
DrFill
Most was so used to the regular cabs being bare bones stripper work models from the other makes they didn't know how to react when a regular cab had so much equipment
Toyota doesn't have a stripper model as bare bones as GM/Ford/Dodge so some thought they were forcing a highly optioned model on them
The commercials most be working...
i know it is not for every model, but who can say the incentives won't get larger?
they are having to play the same game as the other truck producers.
i think all the pickup truck manufacturers are unhappy, right now. the only one i've seen that i can say for sure is an '07, was a ridgeline. it was still shiny underneath.
Depends on what you need in a truck. One person's best is another's worst.
Some want power (Tundra 381 horsepower, 6-speed Auto GREAT, F150 300 horsepower, 4-speed Auto NOT SO GREAT)
Some want classy looks inside and out (F150/New GM twins tie for the win IMO, Tundra definitely doesn't with its black and white interior)
Some want the best interior room (Dodge wins with its MegaCab)
With the Ford F150 being the last to have any substantial updates (along with the Nissan Titan, I believe?), Ford needs to catch up in the acceleration department.
First truck with power rear windows in the extended cab ("Double Cab") models, plus fully-independent rear doors. :surprise:
DrFill
EDIT: Just got this from Edmunds.com
--This makes for a lot of "biggest" and "first" claims for the Mega Cab: The largest, longest cab in its class, at 142.2 cubic feet and 111.1 inches, respectively. Largest interior cargo volume of any full-size pickup, largest second-row legroom
Apparently this was before they had Tundra measurements?
The Cerberus buyout at Chrysler specifies a period of 5 years that Cerberus will invest in future product and pension liabilities at Chrysler, and after that if they haven't turned it around entirely, I am sure we will see Chrysler sliced and diced and sold to the highest bidders.
That gives Ford the same five years, seems to me. I see good odds that GM will SIGNIFICANTLY infringe on Ford's already-dropping market share and sales in that time period. I do NOT see Ford turning things around by 2009 (as they have stated) with their current plan, in fact I doubt they will have much to celebrate in the next five years.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Stop in for a test drive!
Was surprised when the Sierra Denali with 6.2 still couldn't run with the 5.7 Tundra. :surprise:
DrFill
And what part of the Denali Tail lights were you seeing while driving the Tundra? Texas is a long drive from here. I have one dealer here that is civil. I will test drive one there. I would not want a stripped SR5. The limited would have to be real special to beat out the Denali. I do not See XM even offered. Is this an oversight or is Toyota still in the dark ages. A vehicle without XM is like a vehicle without an engine, almost.
PS
I have read about Toyota being XM ready. Then the dealer sticks it to you for a grand. Anything over $200 for integrated XM is a rip-off.
http://www.philly.com/philly/business/20070520_Wheels_Falling_Off.html
The thing that kept both of these antique concepts viable, the WWII generation of buyers, is going, going, GONE.
Best thing Ford NA could do is seriously study how its global subsidiaries manage to do well in the very competitive markets in which they sell.
Not to mention, it has been in the auto news more than once lately that the constriction on sales at Mazda of late has not been demand but rather production capacity nd a restricted number of outlets. Mazda rarely has trouble selling its vehicles - if only it had a bigger dealer network and more vehicles each year to sell, who knows what it might be able to do.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
I kind of wonder why the local "family of dealerships," which is polite speak for "if you want to buy in town we're about it," doesn't add Mazda. They are already FordLincolnMercury as well as other makes.
Ford has a long way to go to dig out of this hole they voluntarily threw themselves in. Good thing they have the Edge, although it seems to be further eroding Explorer sales. Like the MKX seems to be replacing some of the Nav sales. But at least they have those vehicles to fill in.
Let's face it - Ford is treading water for the next 18 months until they can implement the changes that started last year.
Frankly I'm ok with slightly reduced volume IF it means more profit (less incentives). The problem with Ford's average incentives is you have high incentives on a few high profit vehicles like the F150 and Town Car/Grand Marquis where it doesn't hurt that are skewing the overall results. With the Edge/MKX, Fusion/Milano/MKZ and Taurus/Sable/Taurus X I bet the average incentive is around $1000 - which is far below the $3K overall average and is a definite step in the right direction.
Market share and sales volume doesn't mean anything without profits.
But I guess you'd rather take things out of context for bashing instead of looking at the real facts.
Well I guess I'm not privy to the 'facts' like you are. Do you work for Ford? I merely repeated what the Detroit News said. They compared Fords' #s to everyone else and once again, Ford came out looking like sh%$.
I guess you'd rather be a sychophant for crappy, non-competitive product and an apologist for a company recently passed by Toyota in sales, passed by Hyundai in quality and exceeded only by Enron in stupidity of management decisions?
Ford is not even close to being passed by Hyundai in quality - where did you read that?
Ford's stupid management decisions of the past have now been corrected. In case you didn't hear Fields and Mulally are now in charge and making much better decisions. But you won't see the fruits of these changes across the company for another 18-24 months.
Try understanding something before you blindly start bashing.
Motor Trend this month has the Interceptor on it's cover. Says that it's a make it or break it for Ford. And sets 2012 as release date. It really takes Ford 5 years to get a car out the door? And about 10 to get a decent copy of a successful Chrysler product on the market?
As for Hyundai, I was referring to the Verzcruz which according to all tests I've seen bests everything in it's class including the Lexus, with the MKX at the bottom of the heap. Does it not bother you that Lincoln can not even compete with Hyundai??? And I havent seen comparos between the MKZ and the Azera, but I think I know how they would turn out.
Somebody at Ford better start designing and releasing competitve product SOON or even I will be driving a Korean or Chinese import.
As to the moderator, you expect information that is helpful to prospective purchasers, but you want to prevent the fact that the MKX has inferior brakes to be brought up again? If you applied that rule to all problems and all forums, you'd be down about 80% in total number of posts.
I don't have a problem with "again". But again, again & again gets boring, and causes me to question the objectivity and motivation of the poster.
Venting is OK, but please spare us and do it somewhere else.
Have you written to Ford expressing your concerns and profound understanding of what they should do, and the mistakes they have made?
If not, then it's clear that the motivation is to vent, damage Ford, and/or bash, and not to contribute anything positive.
Everything is hunky-dory with Ford and the MKX can stop on a dime.
Once again you don't have the facts straight. It wasn't his idea - but he approved it quickly and for good reason.
The 500 name had a recognition factor around 30% - the Taurus name has a 80% recognition factor. There are millions - yes, millions - of satisfied Taurus owners who never knew the 500 existed (or didn't care) but who are excited about the "new" Taurus. Let's come back to this discussion in about 6 months. I guarantee a significant increase in sales for the Taurus compared to the current 500.
As for the VeraCruz being better - that's subjective. Let's compare sales figures in a few months.