Mulally thanks Fusion buyer

[SVT666]

Mulally personally thanks Fusion Hybrid buyer

It?s not uncommon for a salesperson or dealership manager to personally thank new car buyers with a phone call - but to have the CEO of the automaker pick up the phone himself? That?s what Ford CEO Alan Mulally did when he learned that a Grand Rapids, Michigan, lawyer chose to buy a Fusion Hybrid over a Toyota Prius.

?Hi Mike, it?s Alan Mulally from Ford,? the voicemail to Grand Rapids lawyer Michael Snapper began. Mulally congratulated Snapper on the purchase and thanked him for his support of the Dearborn, Michigan, automaker.
Snapper says that he hopes ?saying some nice things? about the Fusion Hybrid moves him up on the wait list. The Fusion Hybrid is set to arrive in showrooms in March.

[TBR]

That's really weird, why this guy?

[cawimmer430]

Damn. That's what I call "desperation". Good PR is everything now!

[FoMoJo]

That's really weird, why this guy?

...because he decided to buy the Fusion Hybrid rather than the Prius he had planned to.

Mulally is a pretty clever guy.  Just look at all the press he got out of this one little gesture.

[TBR]

And he's the only one?

[the Teuton]

Mullaly wants to see his company succeed.  This isn't a bad gesture and it doesn't look too desperate, either.

It's smart.

[FoMoJo]

And he's the only one?

It doesn't matter.

I expect that the gesture had been reported to the press as soon as the guy got the phone call.

Mullaly wants to see his company succeed.  This isn't a bad gesture and it doesn't look too desperate, either.

It's smart.

Hardly desperate and very smart.  It sends a positive message to the public that the domestics have vehicles worth waiting for.  This is far more important in changing public perception than paying for high-priced commercials that no one takes seriously.

[Speed_Racer]

And this lawyer is going to give good PR to his friends, maybe convincing more to purchase Fusion hybrids over Prius.

[Payman]

The guy's name is Snapper?    No wonder Al wanted to call him.

[GoCougs]

Meh - Ford has yet to belly up to the trough of Big Government, so why not?

[SVT666]

Despite the fact that I really want a G8 GT, I think if I was buying a brand new car, I would buy a Ford for the simple reason that they have said no to government money.  Buying used, I will buy the G8 though.

[Payman]

Despite the fact that I really want a G8 GT, I think if I was buying a brand new car, I would buy a Ford for the simple reason that they have said no to government money.  Buying used, I will buy the G8 though.

According to Motor Trend, they're not accepting the loans... not because they don't need to... but because in accepting the loans, they cannot payout dividends to their shareholders. Dividends are the main source of income for the Ford family.

[the Teuton]

Despite the fact that I really want a G8 GT, I think if I was buying a brand new car, I would buy a Ford for the simple reason that they have said no to government money.  Buying used, I will buy the G8 though.

It's not your tax money that's supporting the car companies.

[3.0L V6]

It's not your tax money that's supporting the car companies.

Yeah, GM turned down Canada's loans.

[Payman]

It's not your tax money that's supporting the car companies.

No? The Canadian gov't ponied up nearly 5 billion for them. Per capita, that would be equivalent to your gov't giving them 50 billion.

[Payman]

Yeah, GM turned down Canada's loans.

Remember what I said about the Camaro being stillborn? GM is going to pull out of Canada.

[the Teuton]

So which one of you is distorting the truth?

[The Pirate]

It's not your tax money that's supporting the car companies.

Canadian market absorbed some bailout cost too, I believe.  I'll try to find the article.

[Payman]

So which one of you is distorting the truth?

Neither. The gov't is pushing the money at them, but I guess since GM is leaving Canada, they don't want any strings holding them here.

[3.0L V6]

So which one of you is distorting the truth?

http://www.newsdurhamregion.com/article/118211

GM turns down $3 billion short-term bailout

[the Teuton]

Neither. The gov't is pushing the money at them, but I guess since GM is leaving Canada, they don't want any strings holding them here.

With the exception of NUMMI, Canada used to be home to the best manufacturing facilities GM had.

[280Z Turbo]

I saw this on the local news last night. I didn't think it was national news!

http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/Ford_CEO_personally_thanks_GR_buyer

[Payman]

The federal government of Canada and the provincial government of Ontario agreed on Friday to supplement any aid package automakers receive in the United States by about 20 percent. Tony Clement, the federal industry minister, told reporters Friday evening that ?If the United States comes forward boldly for the auto industry, we also need to be at the table for Canadian production.??The federal and the Ontario governments are prepared to move quickly if and when the Americans approve a support package,?

The negotiations between the CAW and the government have been going on behind closed doors and been kept secret until now. There has been no official announcement of the dollar amounts that have been discussed but a report by the New York times said Friday that ?officials, who spoke on condition they not be identified because of nondisclosure agreements, confirmed Canadian news media reports that the amount totaled about 6 billion Canadian dollars, or $4.8 billion US. Only the Ford of Canada has sketched out its request for help, a standby line of credit worth 2 billion Canadian dollars.
News reports have indicated that Chrysler Canada, which apparently asked for about 1.6 billion Canadian dollars, threatened to close its two Ontario assembly plants (one in Windsor and the other in Brampton), which employ 8,000, if it did not receive help from Canada. Production at those plants would be moved to the United States. The United Autoworkers and the Canadian Autoworkers split in the 1970?s and have separate and independent labor agreements.

[3.0L V6]

With the exception of NUMMI, Canada used to be home to the best manufacturing facilities GM had.

Currency fluctuations can hurt or benefit any product produced here. GM is under significant pressure to save jobs in the United States. Canada simply can't offer the same backing the US gov't can.

[FoMoJo]

According to Motor Trend, they're not accepting the loans... not because they don't need to... but because in accepting the loans, they cannot payout dividends to their shareholders. Dividends are the main source of income for the Ford family.

Ford still has $10 billion + cash to draw on, from their loans made a couple of years ago, so they are not in the desperate shape that the other 2 domestics are.  However, if they continue to burn cash through-out '09, they soon will be.

[SVT666]

Neither. The gov't is pushing the money at them, but I guess since GM is leaving Canada, they don't want any strings holding them here.

That's a rumour.  I watched the news last night and an industry analyst says GM just can't afford to pull out of Canada at this time.

[hotrodalex]

That's a rumour.  I watched the news last night and an industry analyst says GM just can't afford to pull out of Canada at this time.

How could they pull out? I doubt they could move production to another facility easily.

[SVT666]

It's not your tax money that's supporting the car companies.

If they had accepted the Canadian bailout, it would have been.  I still want to support a company that isn't relying on tax dollars, no matter who those tax dollars come from.

[3.0L V6]

How could they pull out? I doubt they could move production to another facility easily.

The Oshawa Car plant only produces Impala and LaCrosse at this point. Since the W-body is near the end of it's life, they may not bring the new platform to Oshawa. They're supposed to bring the Camaro on-line, but that remains up in the air with GM's current problems.

That leaves CAMI, which is in Ingersoll, which produces the Equinox, Torrent, and Suzuki XL7 crossovers (Theta platform). Since GM already has a plant that produces Vues, they can potentially move production elsewhere and shut this one down also.

[3.0L V6]

Then they could shut down Oshawa Metal and St. Catharines components and that's pretty much all the factories they have.

Windsor Transmission is already being shut in 2010.
St. Catharines engine/transmission closed in 2008.
Oshawa Truck assembly is gone in 2009.