Go Ford!

[SVT666]

Mulally: Ford now competitive
 
Two years after taking control of Ford, CEO Alan Mulally says the automaker is now capable of competing with it European and Asian rivals. ?We are competitive now,? Mulally told the Detroit News in an interview. ?The downturn is a temporary thing. We just have to make it through it.? Unlike GM and Chrysler, Ford has not sought ?bailout? loans from the U.S. federal government.

?We have the economy on the top of the agenda, and we?re moving decisively to deal with it,? Mulally said. ?We?re not taking taxpayer money.?

Over the last 30 days, Ford succeeded in obtaining all the concessions it requires from unions and creditors to weather the economic storm and come out stronger, explained Mulally. The company has slashed its overall labor costs per worker to less than $50 per hour, which is on par with Japanese carmakers. Moreover, the company has renegotiated its $36 billion of debt, reducing the amount it owes to lenders to under $25 billion.

Mulally said Ford?s mission now is to accurately match production to demand. Despite steeply declining sales for the whole industry, Ford has managed to reduce the number of vehicles on dealer lots by 32 percent, compared to a year ago. With that, Ford is hopeful it won?t have to turn to Washington and the American taxpayer for help.

Mulally took a voluntary salary decrease of 37 percent in 2008 and another 30 percent for 2009 and 2010.

[Submariner]

Good...Obama's little nationalization rape scheme wont hit them, at least.

[sportyaccordy]

Very good. Bring over the Mondeo & Euro Focus and I think they will really take off...

[2o6]

Yay!


At first, it looked like Ford would be the first to go, and GM was on the fast track to success. How the tides have turned.

[SVT666]

Good...Obama's little nationalization rape scheme wont hit them, at least.

I don't think that will stop Obama from trying though.

[GoCougs]

Ford is far from saved; not only is it still losing boatloads of money and the UAW still exists.

Sales volumes won't return to 2007 levels for years, and as long as the UAW remains anything remotely close to its current form, Detroit will forever be on the brink.

[Tave]

"The company has slashed its overall labor costs per worker to less than $50 per hour, which is on par with Japanese carmakers."

[SVT666]

"The company has slashed its overall labor costs per worker to less than $50 per hour, which is on par with Japanese carmakers."

Exactly.  I don't see what the problem Cougs has with the current state of the UAW since their all-in wages are on par with Toyota and Honda now.

[Submariner]

I don't think that will stop Obama from trying though.

Sadly, it's true.

[Tave]

Exactly.  I don't see what the problem Cougs has with the current state of the UAW since their all-in wages are on par with Toyota and Honda now.

I don't either. The Germans all belong to unions, and there's bound to be a myriad of different labor structures across the industry. It doesn't matter what form it takes as long as the company can keep the costs low.

[SVT666]

Ford's lineup...

[SVT666]

[GoCougs]

Exactly.  I don't see what the problem Cougs has with the current state of the UAW since their all-in wages are on par with Toyota and Honda now.

Uh, and what happens in the off chance Ford recovers, and eventually turns a healthy profit? The UAW will get right back to its old ways.

The UAW, like any good union, is death.

And GM has the better lineup, BTW.

[SVT666]

Uh, and what happens in the off chance Ford recovers, and eventually turns a healthy profit? The UAW will get right back to its old ways.

The UAW, like any good union, is death.

I agree, but right at this moment, there is nothing bad about the union.  When they start turning a profit there will be strikes as the union looks for their concessions to be reinstated.

And GM has the better lineup, BTW.

I disagree.  With the Euro Focus coming over and the Fiesta on it's way, Ford has far and away a better lineup.

[r0tor]

I saw the new Taurus SHO at our local car show and that thing was sweet!

...Ford however needs to drop Mercury and completely redo Lincoln as their products are complete trash..

[SVT666]

I saw the new Taurus SHO at our local car show and that thing was sweet!

...Ford however needs to drop Mercury and completely redo Lincoln as their products are complete trash..

The Lincoln MKS looks really nice.  The rest needs to go though.

[Submariner]

Uh, and what happens in the off chance Ford recovers, and eventually turns a healthy profit? The UAW will get right back to its old ways.

The UAW, like any good union, is death.

And GM has the better lineup, BTW.

The UAW needs to die, yes, but unions are not inherently evil.  Remember, they sprung from the deplorable work conditions that arose during the industrial revolution.  There's a healthy balance, something not seen with the UAW.

And GM having a better lineup...uh...

***edit***Cadillac blows Lincoln out of the water, but in general, Ford's lineup is better than what Chevy has to offer***edit***

[Vinsanity]

And GM having a better lineup...uh...

***edit***Cadillac blows Lincoln out of the water, but in general, Ford's lineup is better than what Chevy has to offer***edit***

I was going to post something to that effect, but I'll keep it short

Ford lineup > Chevy lineup
Cadillac > Lincoln

FMC > GM

[the Teuton]

It would be nice to see how much the Way Forward plan has been modified since 2005 to compensate with the downturn in the automotive industry.  It wouldn't have happened without Mulally.  The guy is an effin' genius!

[GoCougs]

The UAW needs to die, yes, but unions are not inherently evil.  Remember, they sprung from the deplorable work conditions that arose during the industrial revolution.  There's a healthy balance, something not seen with the UAW.

And GM having a better lineup...uh...

***edit***Cadillac blows Lincoln out of the water, but in general, Ford's lineup is better than what Chevy has to offer***edit***

Unions sprung up because of government, not corporations.

Silverado, Camaro, G8, Malibu, Corvette, Traverse/Acadia, Tahoe, Suburban, CTS, et al.,? In total I just don't see Ford's lineup keeping pace.

[Payman]

Ford was always in better shape, because they are more global than the others. Their European lineup is just as strong or stronger than their NA one. GM and Chrysler have virtually nothing in Europe by comparison.

[Vinsanity]

Silverado, Camaro, G8, Malibu, Corvette, Traverse/Acadia, Tahoe, Suburban, CTS, et al.,? In total I just don't see Ford's lineup keeping pace.

Silverado? I prefer the F-150
Camaro? I do like it better than the Mustang, but if I wanted a convertible...
Malibu? I like the Fusion better
G8? I'd take one over a Taurus, but it's gotta have a V8. The new Taurus should put the V6 G8 to shame, in spite of my strong preference to RWD.
Traverse? I prefer the Flex
I'm in different to the Expedition vs. Tahoe/Suburban at the moment. Give me whatever's cheaper if I have so many kids that I need a full-size SUV to fit all of them into.

That leaves us with the Vette and the CTS, which occupy the higher price brackets. So basically, GM blows ford out of the water at $40k and above, whereas Ford has a stronger lineup below that point.

[Byteme]

Unions sprung up because of government, not corporations.

Silverado, Camaro, G8, Malibu, Corvette, Traverse/Acadia, Tahoe, Suburban, CTS, et al.,? In total I just don't see Ford's lineup keeping pace.

Not on this planet.    Maybe in a parallel universe.   

[NomisR]

Exactly.  I don't see what the problem Cougs has with the current state of the UAW since their all-in wages are on par with Toyota and Honda now.

It's not really just wages.  Wages are only part of the problem.  It's more long term goals.  The problem with American Unions vs other country is our Union are really not looking to help the company just like most of american employees are not looking out for the employer.  Conversely, American companies are not looking out for their employees either, they're just using them as tools.  In the end, there's a lack of cooperation.  Unions doesn't not help in this respect but only further fuel the bitterness between labor and management.   And honestly, I don't blame either side because they're all short sighted people

[nickdrinkwater]

What's the difference between:

The Freestyle, Ford Edge, Lincoln Edge-thing and Flex?  They look the same size.
The Ford Fusion and the Mercury and Lincoln ones?  They look the same except grille.
The Ford Explorer and the Lincoln truck (Navigator)?  Again, the same apart from grille, right?

And what happened to the Town Car?  I saw loads of them when I was in NYC a few years back..

[NomisR]

Unions sprung up because of government, not corporations.

Silverado, Camaro, G8, Malibu, Corvette, Traverse/Acadia, Tahoe, Suburban, CTS, et al.,? In total I just don't see Ford's lineup keeping pace.

Well, Unions were created not by government but by individuals organizing to go against the corporations.  The problem is Unions is that it's like a government agency now.  It does not allow for accountability and is just as bureaucratic as government agencies.  From older people that I talk to.. first generation Unioners, they actually cooperated with management to get things done.  But of course, once things drags along, there's a sense of entitlement and things change.  That's the problem.

[Vinsanity]

What's the difference between:

The Freestyle, Ford Edge, Lincoln Edge-thing and Flex?  They look the same size.
The Ford Fusion and the Mercury and Lincoln ones?  They look the same except grille.
The Ford Explorer and the Lincoln truck (Navigator)?  Again, the same apart from grille, right?

And what happened to the Town Car?  I saw loads of them when I was in NYC a few years back..

I don't think they make the Freestyle anymore. If they do, then noone's noticing.
The Edge is a mid-size 5-passenger egg-shaped crossover, and the Flex is a bigger 7-passenger box-shaped crossover. The Lincoln one is a fancier, more luxurious Edge.
The Lincoln/Mercury variants of the Fusion are supposed to be fancier, more luxurious versions; the Lincoln is supposed to be what the Lexus ES is to the Camry, with the Mercury in between.
The Navigator is a size or two bigger than the Explorer. It's based on the full-size Expedition.
They still make the Town Car, but I think only for fleet sales.

[ChrisV]

What's the difference between:

The Freestyle, Ford Edge, Lincoln Edge-thing and Flex?  They look the same size.
The Ford Fusion and the Mercury and Lincoln ones?  They look the same except grille.
The Ford Explorer and the Lincoln truck (Navigator)?  Again, the same apart from grille, right?

Think of it as the market definitions of Seat, Skoda, VW, and Audi, where often they've shared chassis and very similar sheetmetal, just in different economic segments.

[ifcar]

Think of it as the market definitions of Seat, Skoda, VW, and Audi, where often they've shared chassis and very similar sheetmetal, just in different economic segments.

Mercury is in a different economic segment from Ford only in theory, but the SUVs are indeed distinct.

[Madman]

Until the Fiesta and Euro-Focus arrive, you won't catch me dead in a Ford showroom.  As of right now, there's nothing in Ford's current US range I want.

Wake me up when the Euro-Fords get here.


Cheers,
Madman of the People