No comment: I'll just post the link.

http://www.forbes.com/columnists/200...0622flint.html

 

I don't disagree with alot of what he is saying.

The new Colorado is bufugly. But, Chevy has been off the mark for years so that doesn't surprise me.

If I was in the market for a "smaller" truck, I would buy a Toyota long before I would the domestic offerings. Small is small and Toyota has been at the head of that game for a long time.

My wife bought a new '97 Ranger STX because she wanted a truck. She sold it 7 months later because the lack of power from the anemic V-6 drove her nuts. I've looked at (briefly) the new Rangers and I am hard pressed to tell the difference from the '97 she had to the new ones.

So yes, the domestic manufacturers have dropped the ball there (not saying they ever had it). Remember the Chevy S-10? Major POS.

Full size pickups are the last stronghold of the domestics. If they screw around like they did with cars and let quality lag, that will be gone too.

Ford did an excellent job with the 2004 F150. They need to continue that aggressive and smart posture to stay King.

Just my .02

 

I agree with you Blitz.

I also think we have to improve our quality, and keep pricing under control too....

Remember when Tundra's were sky-high, now there's a decent price range. Price them too high, even your fans will lok at cheaper alternatives...


Honda's rumor'ed to be building a full-size truck. As meticulous as the Japanese manufacturers are in design and execution, Honda is even moreso, and they have a rabid fanbase already.

If they build a small pick-up, it'll clean house; I'd be interested to see what they could do in a full-size market. To my knowledge, Honda doesn't make a V-8 anywhere, but- I could've sworn I read a few years ago that Honda had an engine deal with GM. GM can build V-8's with the best of them...

 

The deal was for Honda to supply their Ohio built 3.5L V6 (used in 2004 Saturn Vue), and Honda would receive diesel engines from Isuzu (GM Affiliate). I don't think Honda will build a full size V8 powered truck yet, but a cross over based on their Pilot platform is expected soon, but it looks like a small Avalanche, ugh!

If Honda does surprise the industry with a full size V8 powered truck, expect the auto industry to be on full alert for that one, Honda does have a very loyal fan base, many of whom have a domestic full size truck sharing garage space next to their Accord.

 

Just for the record, Honda does have a V8 albeit not suitable for a pickup. The H13R 3.5L (213.6 cubes) DOC 4V with 650HP@10,300rpm built for the IRL IndyCar Series last year.

 

Hey, I'd love 650 HP in my truck.
Zero to Lowe's in 4.4 seconds.

 

cia...OH YEAH!!! Can y'all just imagine the sound of 10,000 rpm through your dual rear exit Borla system? Yum-Yum!

 

They also have a V10 from their F1 car (3.0L Naturally Aspirated 925 hp @ 19,000+ rpms).

The only problem will be that your truck would idle at 6,000+ rpms sitting at the stoplight

 

And I'm sure we'd all see quite a few more threads concerning gas mileage. ...

 

The guy makes a valid argument. The big3 don't really look at the small trucks the same way. Not enough profit is a big reason. Focus on the large trucks and SUVs that you get the F-A-T premiums on and call it day. I wouldn't be surprised if another automaker took over the small truck market from the big3. Hell, GM is gonna get knocked off their #2 spot in the next year or two anyway. We'll see if Ford can do to the Ranger what they did for the new F-150. Otherwise, its toast.

Its time to wake up and smell the motor oil, those wacky foreign automakers can and will build a great product... ... and people will buy it. Lots of them.

 

Then I guess it's toast. They sell far less Rangers than F Series and make far less profit on those that they do sell.

Every dollar they put into the next Ranger is 1 dollar less towards the next generation F Series. Ford only has so many R&D dollars to go around.

I ask you, would you rather they up the bar on the full-size or the compact truck?

 

Well, since the big dollars on R&D for the F-150 are already spent and the product released, let's see some $ move to the Ranger. And those dollars that previously went to the mustang should now go to the Taurus/500/whatever so they can actually make a car that can compete with a camry/accord.

DISCLAIMER: I have no friggen' clue how the internal workings of Fords budget works, the above is simply a pipe dream I came up with. I'm sure Ford knows MUCH better than I do.


EDIT: I just realized that's the thinking that can get an american automaker in trouble. "Hmmm... our sales of the low-profit ranger blow, lets ignore it and not spend too much $$ to update that pile. Our F-150 rocks, more money for it!" Now, is there a small truck market? Of course there is! And the japs are taking it over. I would think that the thought of the Big3 CEO would be "Hmmmm... our sales of our small truck are slipping. We need to figure out why and put out a superior product and squash those slant-eyed freaks". Profit is profit. If the trend is to ignore developement on low profit vehicles and focus on high-margin full-size trucks & SUVs, then in 10-20 years the big3 will be nothing more than 3 pickup truck makers.

 

I actually like the Colorado and before I saw it in person I was actually thinking of buying one because I thought the F150 was out of my reach. I was looking at the Colorado or the Tacoma but once I saw how small and chinsy the inside of the Colorado was, I quickly changed my mind. Then Ford had huge 6k off MSRP so I went and made my deal. If GM could supersize the Colorado it woudl be a nice truck. I think the full size GMs have a looks problem that is hard to pinpoint, it just doesnt look right.

 

I don't disagree with this, but at the same time ignoring your biggest seller is also a recipe for disaster. Look at the Taurus' fall from grace.


As far as the redesigned F150, yes its out, but the R&D for the next redesign has already begun. 2007 is the expected model refresh.


It really is a tough call. There are finite resources. Do you prop up the older models before you lose all of the sales or do you continue to lead with your biggest model for fear of losing sales on that?

That's why Billy Ford makes the big bucks and we don't. Look at Nasser. He make a few bad decisions on where to put the money and see what happened?

 

Yup, your right. Billy Ford has done good thus far, I'll leave the R&D dollar decisions in his hands! But he can always call me if he needs help.