Ford Market News

[Dirtymilkman]

1 hour ago, kscarbel2 said:

It's actually due to Germany's social welfare policies and its co-determination act of 1976 (Mitbestimmungsgesetz) which requires that half the seats on a company's board be held by Works Council (union) members (companies with over 2,000 employees).

What a great idea! 

[Maxidyne]

Yup, would have been cheaper for VW Group USA to declare bankruptcy than to accept the TDI Settlement! But VW Group USA is about 5% of VW Group, and a 5% job loss was unacceptable... So VW Group paid out billions to save about 30,000 jobs.

[Dirtymilkman]

3 hours ago, Maxidyne said:

Yup, would have been cheaper for VW Group USA to declare bankruptcy than to accept the TDI Settlement! But VW Group USA is about 5% of VW Group, and a 5% job loss was unacceptable... So VW Group paid out billions to save about 30,000 jobs.

Pretty sure Volkswagen isn't worried about employees. It's all about shareholders and bottom line. They might say it's to save jobs and want people to think they're saving jobs but sadly not true. If they were so concerned about people and so compassionate, they wouldn't have been spraying dirty diesel exhaust into the world's atmosphere. They would be looking to exceed all emission standards. One thing matters in the corporate world.......$

 

[Maxidyne]

Where Ford is headed: https://fordland.com/commercial-office-space/

Why mess around building cars and trucks when you can make a killing in real estate...

[kscarbel2]

Ford explores major job, product cuts in Europe

Bloomberg  /  September 2, 2018

Ford Motor Co. may cut up to 24,000 jobs and stop producing models such as the Mondeo as it tries to revive its European business, the Sunday Times reported.

The carmaker lost $73 million in Europe between April and June, hurt by declining diesel sales and weak car offerings, the newspaper said. Ford faces additional uncertainty from Brexit, which could lead to tariffs on cars and parts traded between the U.K. and continental Europe, the Times said.

Morgan Stanley analysts estimate Ford will shed 12 percent of its 202,000 workers, mainly in its European operations, the Times reported. Ford has about 12,000 workers in the U.K. in factories, r&d, administration and dealerships, according to the newspaper. Ford is likely to end production of the Mondeo, Galaxy and S-Max people carriers in favor of more profitable crossovers and SUVs, the Times said, citing unnamed people familiar the plans. The sources said Ford may also cut its amount of dealerships.

The review’s conclusions, which aren’t expected for several months, may also recommend putting some or all of Ford’s European unit into a joint venture with a rival such as Volkswagen AG, the newspaper reported. Ford Europe President Steven Armstrong said the company is focused on “aggressively attacking costs, implementing facility and product program efficiencies to lower product and material cost, as well as capital intensity in Europe,” the Times reported.

Last week Ford canceled plans to import a new crossover model from a plant in China after President Donald Trump’s tariffs undermined the business case for bringing the vehicle to the U.S. market. Moody’s Investors Service last week lowered Ford’s credit rating to a step removed from junk, citing risks associated with a turnaround effort that CEO Jim Hackett has warned could cost $11 billion and take years.

[Maxidyne]

Is the last few months press releases from Ford a clever disinformation campaign, or is this their real strategy?

[grayhair]

1 hour ago, Maxidyne said:

Is the last few months press releases from Ford a clever disinformation campaign, or is this their real strategy?

I think the real strategy is soon to be hatched at the "cathedral of knowledge" railroad station.   Inept management led to bankruptcy at GM.  Improbable  as it may seem, a few more missteps and Ford could fail.

Edited September 3, 2018 by grayhair

[kscarbel2]

Emergency damage control. Note how the global market Ford Mondeo is so much richer in appearance than the US market variant (Fusion).

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Ford Says It Plans to Upgrade Mondeo Family Car, Not Kill It

Aine Quinn, Bloomberg  /  September 3, 2018

Ford Motor Co. said it’s standing by its Mondeo family car, adding it will move forward with plans for an upgrade of the 25-year-old model and denying a Sunday Times report that it plans to halt production.

The Mondeo remains a “core part” of its product line-up in Europe, and there will be improvements introduced later this year, the U.S. automaker said Monday in an emailed statement. The Sunday Times reported that dropping the Mondeo and other models would be part of a global revamp that would see up to 24,000 jobs slashed, many of them in Europe.

“We have upgrades coming for Mondeo later this year, which will see new powertrains as well as exterior and interior updates as well as enhancements to the Mondeo Hybrid range,” the company said.

Speculation over changes to the lineup follows an acknowledgement by Ford that its European operation needs a major redesign to deliver on targets and that it is focused on cutting costs to improve performance. Unite union, which represents workers at Ford engine plants including in Bridgend and Dagenham in the U.K., said it was pressing Ford to invest and future proof its British factories.

The carmaker also denied the Sunday Times’ claims that plans are afoot to end production of the Galaxy and S-Max models. All three are manufactured at Ford’s plant in Valencia, which also makes the Kuga and Connect. The site employs approximately 3,480 people.

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[Red Horse]

I wonder what percentage of Mondeo sales are the wagon??  I see enough BMW/MB "station wagons" running around in this area that I would think there would be a good market for these-in particular now that Hackett has declared the "3 box sedan" a dead vehicle.

[Maxidyne]

I suspect a lot of customers that really want a wagon are buying SUVs because that's the closest thing they can get to a wagon.

[Red Horse]

25 minutes ago, Maxidyne said:

I suspect a lot of customers that really want a wagon are buying SUVs because that's the closest thing they can get to a wagon.

Agree-that is my point-a Fusion Wagon would give someone with 3 little kids the room they need, and if they are not in the "snow belt" a cost savings as they don't need that extra driving axle.  And for those in the snow belt, they could get the cube and AWD without the higher ride associated with the typical SUV.

[Jamaican Bulldog]

On 6/21/2018 at 8:32 PM, Maxidyne said:

Minnesota is similar, over half the new vehicles sold here are AWD. do you think customers are buying SUVs primarily to get AWD and would prefer a sedan if they could get AWD?

Yes I think more people are buying SUVs because of the AWD option in the snow region but also for functionality, ease of entry and egress ( especially older people) and also because they are more efficient that they used to be. However many people still prefer sedans like me and they are generally less expensive. We also sell Subaru's and their sedans do primarily well in the snow region because of the AWD. Sedans to many people are more stylish and sporty than SUVs

[kscarbel2]

Automotive News  /  July 16, 2018

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Fusion's not the problem; it's Ford

TO THE EDITOR:

The Fusion was the right car at the right moment, but Ford's current decision process for the car is wrong ("For Ford, Fusion was right car at wrong time," autonews.com, July 1). Floating the idea of scrapping a car that still sells over 200,000 units says more about Ford management than the car.

Since its 2005 launch, the Fusion has at many times ranked as high as the top sedans in this segment in quality. It offers all-wheel drive (AWD), which is not only rare in this segment, but one of the most-demanded options, especially in the snow regions.

While Ford complains about declining sales of the Fusion, dealers and customers have not been able to get enough of the AWD versions, especially for lease renewal customers who do not want a crossover. Ford is mistaken if it thinks 200,000 customers will automatically buy Ford crossovers.

Ford has been heavily courting Wall Street reaction to its strategies, but it may want to court reaction from loyal customers and dealers. It did not help to fuel speculation last December by implying — and much later confirming — that the Fusion will go away. Dealers can attest to the number of disapproving calls from customers.

Good decisions by Ford have been to reduce ordering complexity for 2019 Fusion models and make more safety features standard. It may want to also consider changing the name of the Sport model to "ST" and having high-riding/sitting sedan and wagon versions of the Fusion to boost sales and profits.

KARL MILLER: White Plains, N.Y, The writer is a sales consultant.

[kscarbel2]

Why can't Ford's US market videos look this good?

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[41chevy]

11 hours ago, Red Horse said:

I wonder what percentage of Mondeo sales are the wagon??  I see enough BMW/MB "station wagons" running around in this area that I would think there would be a good market for these-in particular now that Hackett has declared the "3 box sedan" a dead vehicle.

Were made in Australia. I'd like one!!

 

 

 

[kscarbel2]

 

[kscarbel2]

Ford stops national ads for sedans, including Fusion still in production

Michael Martinez, Automotive News  /  September 5, 2018

DETROIT -- As Ford Motor Co.'s car cull takes effect, its dealer network will have to figure out how to sell any remaining Blue Oval-badged sedans without the help of national advertising campaigns.

Ford has ended all nationwide, or Tier 1, marketing for the Fiesta, Focus, Fusion and Taurus and also is dialing back regional spending in certain markets -- even though the Fusion will remain in showrooms for at least the next two years. Mark LaNeve, Ford's vice president of U.S. marketing, sales and service, said the automaker plans to redeploy that money on vehicles such as the Mustang, EcoSport and a slew of next-generation utilities coming by the end of the decade.

"It allows us to focus our resources," LaNeve said in an interview Tuesday. "If we can take that money from sedans, where we have a middle-of-the-road position, to be the leading brand in SUVs, that'd be a really good position."

In April, Ford revealed plans to end sales of all sedans in North America as it transitions to a crossover- and SUV-heavy lineup. The automaker had said it would import a wagon version of the Focus to the U.S. from China but nixed that plan last week because of the Trump administration's escalating trade war, leaving the Mustang as its lone car nameplate within a few years.

The company's August sales results suggest it's the right move, executives say. The Ford brand's car sales dropped 21 percent last month, while pickup and van sales rose 5.9 percent and utility-vehicle sales jumped 20 percent. Mustang sales jumped 35 percent as it continues to dominate the pony-car segment.

"We clearly have the right strategy," LaNeve said.

While Ford already has stopped building the North American version of the Focus and will end production of the Fiesta and Taurus by the middle of next year, the Fusion faces a much slower death.

Executives have said only that the Fusion will stick around for at least a couple more years. Bloomberg has reported that the company is developing a sport wagon version to compete with brands such as Subaru, starting in the early 2020s.

Although the Fusion will get no help through national ads, LaNeve said Ford still will support sales of the car with incentives for dealers to offer.

"Obviously, we can't let the dealers just sit on the inventory," he said. "We'll keep them competitive on incentives, but we're certainly not spending money there in a way where we'd be driving the market. We're accepting the share we've got."

[Red Horse]

8 hours ago, kscarbel2 said:

Ford stops national ads for sedans, including Fusion still in production

Michael Martinez, Automotive News  /  September 5, 2018

DETROIT -- As Ford Motor Co.'s car cull takes effect, its dealer network will have to figure out how to sell any remaining Blue Oval-badged sedans without the help of national advertising campaigns.

Ford has ended all nationwide, or Tier 1, marketing for the Fiesta, Focus, Fusion and Taurus and also is dialing back regional spending in certain markets -- even though the Fusion will remain in showrooms for at least the next two years. Mark LaNeve, Ford's vice president of U.S. marketing, sales and service, said the automaker plans to redeploy that money on vehicles such as the Mustang, EcoSport and a slew of next-generation utilities coming by the end of the decade.

"It allows us to focus our resources," LaNeve said in an interview Tuesday. "If we can take that money from sedans, where we have a middle-of-the-road position, to be the leading brand in SUVs, that'd be a really good position."

In April, Ford revealed plans to end sales of all sedans in North America as it transitions to a crossover- and SUV-heavy lineup. The automaker had said it would import a wagon version of the Focus to the U.S. from China but nixed that plan last week because of the Trump administration's escalating trade war, leaving the Mustang as its lone car nameplate within a few years.

The company's August sales results suggest it's the right move, executives say. The Ford brand's car sales dropped 21 percent last month, while pickup and van sales rose 5.9 percent and utility-vehicle sales jumped 20 percent. Mustang sales jumped 35 percent as it continues to dominate the pony-car segment.

"We clearly have the right strategy," LaNeve said.

While Ford already has stopped building the North American version of the Focus and will end production of the Fiesta and Taurus by the middle of next year, the Fusion faces a much slower death.

Executives have said only that the Fusion will stick around for at least a couple more years. Bloomberg has reported that the company is developing a sport wagon version to compete with brands such as Subaru, starting in the early 2020s.

Although the Fusion will get no help through national ads, LaNeve said Ford still will support sales of the car with incentives for dealers to offer.

"Obviously, we can't let the dealers just sit on the inventory," he said. "We'll keep them competitive on incentives, but we're certainly not spending money there in a way where we'd be driving the market. We're accepting the share we've got."

LaNeve obviously is getting his fair share of Hackett Kool Aid.  Get ready for all the future press releases when the monthly sales stats come highlighting the declining Fiesta, Focus etc sales..."The decline in the sales of these vehicles further confirms Ford's decision to discontinue these vehicles was the proper action".  Brilliant!

[Jamaican Bulldog]

10 hours ago, kscarbel2 said:

Ford stops national ads for sedans, including Fusion still in production

Michael Martinez, Automotive News  /  September 5, 2018

DETROIT -- As Ford Motor Co.'s car cull takes effect, its dealer network will have to figure out how to sell any remaining Blue Oval-badged sedans without the help of national advertising campaigns.

Ford has ended all nationwide, or Tier 1, marketing for the Fiesta, Focus, Fusion and Taurus and also is dialing back regional spending in certain markets -- even though the Fusion will remain in showrooms for at least the next two years. Mark LaNeve, Ford's vice president of U.S. marketing, sales and service, said the automaker plans to redeploy that money on vehicles such as the Mustang, EcoSport and a slew of next-generation utilities coming by the end of the decade.

"It allows us to focus our resources," LaNeve said in an interview Tuesday. "If we can take that money from sedans, where we have a middle-of-the-road position, to be the leading brand in SUVs, that'd be a really good position."

In April, Ford revealed plans to end sales of all sedans in North America as it transitions to a crossover- and SUV-heavy lineup. The automaker had said it would import a wagon version of the Focus to the U.S. from China but nixed that plan last week because of the Trump administration's escalating trade war, leaving the Mustang as its lone car nameplate within a few years.

The company's August sales results suggest it's the right move, executives say. The Ford brand's car sales dropped 21 percent last month, while pickup and van sales rose 5.9 percent and utility-vehicle sales jumped 20 percent. Mustang sales jumped 35 percent as it continues to dominate the pony-car segment.

"We clearly have the right strategy," LaNeve said.

While Ford already has stopped building the North American version of the Focus and will end production of the Fiesta and Taurus by the middle of next year, the Fusion faces a much slower death.

Executives have said only that the Fusion will stick around for at least a couple more years. Bloomberg has reported that the company is developing a sport wagon version to compete with brands such as Subaru, starting in the early 2020s.

Although the Fusion will get no help through national ads, LaNeve said Ford still will support sales of the car with incentives for dealers to offer.

"Obviously, we can't let the dealers just sit on the inventory," he said. "We'll keep them competitive on incentives, but we're certainly not spending money there in a way where we'd be driving the market. We're accepting the share we've got."

Ford informed us a few months back that they will be pulling back marketing support for the Fusion. Another way to slowly kill the car and then say " see it is not selling". They complain about declining sales but like mentioned before and also by the person's letter in Automotive news, dealers are not getting the cars that can sell.

They also tell us that they will instead be supporting the slow selling Hybrid more than the regular version thus making the latter more expensive than the former. Probably to meet the requirements of some govt mandate.  Hybrid Fusion do not come AWD and have a smaller trunk.

They also told us they would not be scheduling regular versions in August, only hYbrids.

Even though more expensive the Sport should have been marketed properly and been the halo trim to attract people.

In the last week alone I encountered 3 people under 30 who love their Fusion and will NOT replace them with CUVs.

CUVs will never be as sporty as cars. Younger people prefer sporty and sexy cars then move onto CUVs later within the same brand if they develop a likeness for the brand and develop a relationship with the dealer. The successful brands that realize that sells both and make money doing it.

 

[Red Horse]

I just stumbled on a You Tube video..".2018 Ford Focus Titanium".  Beautiful hatchback with 6 speed manual. Was this vehicle ever available here? It was a left hand drive but speedo went to 220KM so assume this video was made in Europe.   

They are truly idiots!

[kscarbel2]

Ford recalls 2 million pickups to address seat-belt fire concerns

David Shepardson, Reuters  /  September 6, 2018

WASHINGTON -- Ford Motor Co. said Thursday it would recall 2 million F-150 pickup trucks in North America to address fire and smoke concerns in seat-belt pretensioners.

The automaker said it was aware of 17 reports of smoke or fire in the United States and six in Canada relating to the issue, but was not aware of any accidents or injuries as a result of this condition.

The recall covers 2015-18 Ford F-150 Regular Cab and SuperCrew Cab vehicles in North America for driver and front passenger seat belt pretensioners.

Ford said some front seat belt pretensioners could generate excessive sparks when deployed, resulting possibly in a fire. 

[kscarbel2]

First look: Ford's 2020 Mustang-inspired EV crossover

Michael Martinez, Automotive News  /  September 6, 2018

DETROIT — Ford Motor Co. has offered a first look at its upcoming Mustang-inspired battery-electric crossover through a sketch of the vehicle's backside.

The teaser image, first shared with Forbes as part of a peek inside its design studio with CEO Jim Hackett, features a dark silhouette marked with the Mustang's signature three-bar taillights. The roof is higher than the standard pony car.

Ford has said the vehicle, which will have a range of more than 300 miles, will come out in 2020. Details of the vehicle have been sparse; Ford originally floated the "Mach 1" name, but Automotive News reported last month that the automaker is unlikely to stick with that moniker.

Production was originally slated for Flat Rock, Mich., but Ford this year decided instead to build the vehicle in Mexico.

"The stakes are high," Darren Palmer, Ford's Team Edison global product development director, said in a blog post Thursday after the Forbes story was published. "We are being tasked to set the future trajectory of the company, and Team Edison is up for that challenge."

Team Edison is the name given to the group tasked with developing Ford's electric vehicles.

Hau Thai-Tang, Ford's product and purchasing boss, earlier this year revealed that the design team made a late change to the crossover after a group trip to China, where they decided to enlarge the infotainment display screen after noticing customers liked the larger size on other vehicles.

The vehicle will also debut Ford's next-generation infotainment system, Forbes reported.

Ford said earlier this year it had created a dedicated group — dubbed Team Menlo, after the location of Thomas Edison's New Jersey laboratory — to develop the next-gen system.

According to Forbes, Ford developed the Mustang-inspired design in a matter of six weeks after Hackett ordered a redo of the original EV concept, which he thought looked too generic.

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[kscarbel2]

So Ford is going to build a Mustang......in Mexico......that caters to the design taste of......Chinese buyers.

[Maxidyne]

Was bad enough when Ford tried to build the Mustang on the Pinto chassis... But an electric crossover Mustang?

[RoadwayR]

Don't forget the train station!