Simple, when your at the bottom you can only go up. Investors know that.

Ford has not had a decent selling passenger vehicle in years, the lack of truck sales simply exposed this fact. It was nothing new and Ford should have addressed that issue instead of relying on truck sales to get them through. Its excuse making like your doing now that high ups at Ford used and have gotten the company where they are at now.

 

That or you you're going under.

I think the quality is still probably a little better at Toyota but I’ll most likely buy another F150. I like the styling and features and its an American company. Hopefully they can turn it around!

 

Ford has always been a truck manufacturer that happens to sell cars. Gas prices were never really an issue in the past and neither was emissions. So with the market being what it was for so long Ford bet on what it does best, the series. Now, the market has changed and it takes a long time and a huge investment for a company that big to make the changes it has to.

 

Ford’s problems stem from many things. At this time, it's mostly the effects of gas prices have had on their trucks and SUVs, restructuring costs, and don't forget the buy-out of many thousands of employees, all that adds up.

Funny thing is that Ford sells a lot of vehicles, but makes little or no money in the process. Their in-house costs of health care, retirement, etc. have really hurt them as well.

Why do you think Ford is trying to work a "business association" with Toyota? Because they see how profitable and efficient that company is, and hoping it can help them. Ford needs to improve how it builds car, not just in quality control, but economies of scale.

With their newest products, like the Ford Fusion and Edge, they have done it right. They took a proven winner, in this case the Mazda 6 platform, and used it make the Fusion, MKZ, Milan, Edge, Etc. This saves money in development, and brings a good product to their dealerships.

Ford will need to continue being flexible like this, and hopefully get back in the black as soon as possible.

 

Dont say that, that will offend some on here. I've said for some time that Toyota sets the benchmark in production efficiency in the automotive industry. They have created many lean production techniques and quality control techniques which have put them where they are today. It goes much deeper than simply gas prices.

But even recently Ford has admitted that they willl need mimic what Toyota does in order to be successful. Im glad they are finally recognizing what some on here refuse to acknowledge for various reasons.

 

Yeah Dzervit! That's why I didn't say anything- but when I saw someone else had that happen, I thought it may be more widespread. Nice comeback though!

As for me: Licensed driver from 1984 - Present. 23 years of driving a bunch of different vehicles, automatics, manuals, (4-speed, 5-speed, 6-speed, paddle-shifters, etc..) No incidents or accidents, and the only time(s) my car or truck as been hit, is when someone has hit me. (Jack in the box drive through, 1998 *Funny story, I'll tell it one day*, The F-150/Cavalier incident which I told in another thread)

As for Ford. Focusing mainly on the F-series, and not on their (once viable) car line, bit Ford in the *** in a major way in 2005 and early 2006. Ford built cars good enough to get fleet sales to rental car and government agencies (to whom they sell at a discount)

Taurus/Sable
Crown Victoria/Gran Marquis
Town Car

And a few BS small cars: Fiesta, Aspire. They made a once nice Escort into a POS in it's later years, and let's not even discuss the Contour/Mystique mistakes. The Mark VIII went away, as did the Continental.

The Focus was the first appealing car Ford built (aside from the Mustang) in years. The Five Hundred was not as sweet as it should have been, but it is nice. But with the Fusion, Milan, Zephyr/MKZ- those are nice. Instead of retiring the Crown Vic, Ford needs to build a replacement. A big, roomy, RWD V-8 that will give police departments a choice ooutside Daimler/Chrysler and SUV's, and also make it a car that younger consumers as well as their core market (45 - 70) want too.

The redesigned Five Hundred needs to have a V-8 option, and AWD or both. The Fusion needs a peppier V-6 option to better compete with the Accord, Camry and Altima V-6's the weakest of which (Honda) offers 240 HP, the Camry and Altima are at 270.

The Edge is selling well (I hear), I have yet to see one on a lot, so it must be true (They're selling as soon as they arrive) and I see a lot of Lincoln MKX's on the road, looks very similiar to my MDX. Freestyle- I like it, but a lot of younger people don't- they say it's too station wagony.

I think Ford has realized what any first year economics or business student knows. The key to financial stability is to diversify. You can't put all your eggs in the F-Series basket. You have to spread the R&D bucks around, as they have been recently.

With a fully redone car line, and new trucks on the way, Ford will (should) make a comeback.

PS: Ford Credit may be keeping Ford afloat, but GMAC is doing the same for GM. I remember reading in a magazine that GM went from being a car company that did it's own financing, to a finance company that happened to build cars.

You can get a HONDA financed through GMAC.

 

Duplicate.