Ford's efforts gain fans at auto show

[Project Grudge]

Source: The Courier-Journal

DETROIT -- Amid the bleakest auto sales crisis in a half century, Ford Motor Co.'s steady progress in quality, reliability, fuel efficiency and style is showing results, analysts said yesterday at the North American International Auto Show.

Ford's announcement that it will enter the market with battery-powered vehicles in coming years also was welcomed.

"The stuff they have coming for 2009 is exactly what they need," IHS Global Insight analyst Aaron Bragman said of new cars that include a hybrid Fusion sedan, with fuel efficiency touted to exceed Toyota's Camry hybrid; a redesigned Taurus; and the Transit Connect van. "Finally, they can say the quality is better than Toyota."

The new F-150 snagged the title of North American Truck of the Year. The boxy and well-appointed Flex sport utility vehicle fell only nine votes short,

Read more: http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20090112/BUSINESS/301120002&referrer=FRONTPAGECAROUSEL

---

Ford has been the strongest of the big three and it looks to continue.

[Idealism]

1. The only bad thing I can say about Fords showing at the NAIAS

was their yet another high-performance 500+ hp Mustang. I understand its a 'halo' brand, but do you really need that much horsepower? Its going to get 12 mpg if they're lucky. Its going to draw more flack than car sales imo

Other than that, they are looking good among bad company.

[NBachers]

3. A lot of the vehicle press will like the Mustang

There are still a lot of vehicle enthusiast magazines that will cover the Mustang favorably. I agree with you on the 500 hp, but many Americans are still lagging behind.

[Idealism]

5. Do you think the favorable press will be worth the public opinion?

I can already see the headlines in the WSJ shitting on Ford for building 'yet another gas guzzler with our money!" even though we didn't give Ford any money and this car has been in the works for years...

[WriteDown]

7. Pathetic...

Lagging behind? Some of us just appreciate modern marvels. I'm not even a mustang guy, but I am sorely tempted to get the new Camaro as a "fun" car.

[CRF450]

47. Me too, even though I already have a sports car.

[liberal N proud]

6. Car companies use racing and speed to draw customers

Ultimately most customers still go with practical but they like their practical sedan or hybrid in future cases to have the racing genes.

American consumer psyche has to change before the high power vehicles will not be important.

[Idealism]

9. But with the consequence for it public outrage

or faux outrage, do you think it will be worth the 'halo' they think it to be? I can literally hear Hannity saying how "we are giving Detroit billions and all they're making is MORE gas guzzlers" even though we didn't give Ford any money and they have been in working on this concept for years.

[county worker]

12. Ford hasn't taken any money yet.

I think the new Mustang is a Shelby GT and I saw prices of 99K for them. Not too many will be sold I think and it won't make much of an effect on fuel issues. The regular mustang is a 4 cylinder with 26 hwy mpg.

[liberal N proud]

14. Racing is R&D for these companies

R&D is vital to the develop future products.

As asinine as Indy racing is, it has always been an testing ground for new technology, same for NASCAR.


BTW: Did you ever listen to NASCAR on the radio?


zzzzzzzzzzooooooooooom, they're making a left turn, zzzzzzzzzzooooooooooom, they're making another left turn (repeat).

[Idealism]

15. I personally can't stand to watch/listen to that genre

A bit too boring for my tastes. I don't watch much t.v. unless its basketball, or podcasts.

[liberal N proud]

17. Same here

[happyslug]

48. Racing has not been R&D for Autos for decades, it is advertising

And every one of the Companies that participate in racing (and that is ALL of the Auto Companies) believe it is worth every penny as advertisements. Real R&D goes on on their own test tracks where they can do things Racers can NOT even do. Some of this R&D goes to the Race Track to get more advertisement value, some goes into your own car (Example would be the various safety improvements in Race cars over the last 20 years, reducing the risk to life and limb if the car gets in an accident but never appears in your car, including emergency fire equishitioners, four point seat belts, re-enforced driver protection etc.

Yes, NASCAR is boring to many people, seeing people race around a track, but it is one of the most watched sports in America, and the Car Companies know it and NOT going to leave that crowd NOT see they car. NASCAR is real liked for the cars MUST look like the manufactured car. It can be completely re-worked, with not parts not even the body parts, the same as on the car made for the general public, but it has to LOOK like that car. For the car makers that is all that is needed, for then the spectators of NASCAR see themselves as driving like the racers when they test drive the regular car.

One of the concepts of Advertising is that it is more then saying "Buy X" it is making X look like something people want, and NASCAR fulfills this dream.

Indy racing is also supported by the Car Makers, but the people watching are NOT looking to see what they can buy (at least in their own mind driving a NASCAR speed car) but hearing that the winner is driving a car made by Company X. If X can make a car that can win an Indy Race, how good are the cars they make for the general public. Now, you can say these are two different design teams with two different design concepts (Indy vs the car you drive at home) but by winning the race, the spectator see and hear what they want to hear, and that is what the Car makers is depending on.

No, very little research comes out of Racing (Some goes into Racing, but not out of racing) the main purpose of Racing, since the 1930s, if not the 1920s has been advertising.

[Brucie Kibbutz]

16. It might get decent mileage if it didn't weigh two tons.

Ford and their 4,000 pound "sports cars". :eyes:

[Idealism]

20. Well, if you put carbon fiber into it

like Ferrari does, it would be wayy more than Ford wants to market their 2nd best Mustang...

[Brucie Kibbutz]

21. I'm not talking carbon fiber.

Maybe something besides the cast iron engine block from a pick up truck, for starters. I think the Z06 proves you can have world class performance for much less than the price of a Ferrari.

[Idealism]

22. Yea but have you been inside a vette lately?

Dime-store interior with plastic galore. If I am paying 50k for a roadster, I would at least like some chrome touches or something nicer than putty.

[Brucie Kibbutz]

24. Yeah, but

is the interior of the Rustang any better? If it is, would it be worth the penalty of over 800 pounds more weight?

[Idealism]

26. Good points, sir n/t

[Brucie Kibbutz]

27. Hey

If you are fortunate enough to be able to afford one, I hope you get it and enjoy it. I can't say shit with my 10 year old Nissan Frontier that hasn't even been washed in two years. :shrug:

[Idealism]

28. Nah, not really a mustang fan n/t

[CRF450]

32. Do you know anything about todays performance cars as far as fuel consumption??

That car probably average right around 20mpg driving normally and get 26+mpg on the highway. The Corvettes have 436hp 6.2 V8's and get 30mpg easily on strait highway/interstate driving and average in the low 20's, its a much lighter and aerodynamic car compared to the Mustang. I have an 01 Trans Am WS6, it averages around 22-23mpg, and has gotten a best of 31mpg on the interstate. High powered v8's are half the gas guzzler they once were.

[Fumesucker]

34. The Z06 Corvette has over 500 hp and gets close to 30 mpg on the highway..

With recent technology high performance does not automatically mean poor efficiency.

[DainBramaged]

35. So you advocate everyone drive little econobeans and we become 1984?

It amazes me how DU has become the place to advocate gun rights, gay rights, shopping rights, but God forbid you want anything but a Toyota Hybrid and you are a danger to mankind, the outrage!


How elitist of you. :eyes:

[jsamuel]

2. "they can say the quality is better than Toyota"

Well, hmm. The Camry has more space and is bigger which means it gets less milage. However, the Prius is about the same size as the Fusion and gets much more MPG. Then there is the unknowable question of, will it break and how often?

[Idealism]

4. According to Consumer Reports

Ford is on par with Toyota and Honda now. Some reports other than CR mark Ford higher in certain categories. They have been making a solid effort in improving the quality of their vehicles since Mulally took over a few years back.

[JCMach1]

42. You are correct... as Toyota has also slipped slightly in recent years...

[liberal N proud]

8. The Toyota is better quality than American cars doesn't fly

Not anymore at least. And I'm not sure that it ever did.

I will continue to buy American as long as there are American car companies with viable products.

[high density]

10. The 2010 Fusion is competing against the Camry

The Prius is the size of a Focus. Yes, there will be a hybrid Fusion, but looking at the pricing I don't see why somebody would buy one. At that point you're paying close to $30k for a $20k car.

Any car has the "unknowable question," and that's not unique to Ford.

[TommyO]

11. The Fusion and Camry's dimensions are within a fraction of an inch

in most cases.

The Ford Fusion has a passenger compartment that is 100.4 cubic feet, the Camry's passenger compartment is 101.4 cubic feet.

They are comparable cars, despite your spin.

[Javaman]

13. Imagine if the supreme court didn't violate the constitution and appoint moron*?

and Al Gore had been prez?

man, instead of these failure auto mega corps promising more pie in the eye bullshit, we would have had cars like this already.

sigh. somewhere in an alternative universe, my other me is driving an electric car, the housing market problem would have been arrested, etc...

oh well.

here we are.

8 more days until this miserable alternative reality ends.

[Veruca Salt]

23. Yeah but in that alternative universe do you know what happend

last election? PALIN was elected. That's right, now begins four (maybe 8!) years of terror in the alternate universe. Poor fools. :scared:

:evilgrin:

[Touchdown]

18. That re-designed Taurus is just a re-badged Five Hundred

500 didn't sell well, so they just gave it a new front grill, and a popular name.

The "new" Taurus has none of the break from tradition, radical re-design that the Taurus name has been known for.

[Romulox]

25. My wife drives a 2008 Taurus, and I think you're mistaken.

Her car is based on a Volvo platform. It's a FWD 4 wheel independent suspension full size car, which is a first for Ford as far as I know. It is nimble for its size, and a champ in the snow. It gets 18/28 mpg. It has Microsoft Sync. And it's the safest car in its class.

It gives me some piece of mind to know that my wife is driving one.

So what's the problem with this car again? Not trendy enough?

[Touchdown]

29. Okay. Quality & safety weren't my argument.

and I don't doubt that the 500/Taurus is a good car.

It's the design, the lines, the appearance, the style. It may not be that important to you, or to most people when finally narrowing down a purchase, but it most decidedly doesn't deserve the name Taurus.

In 1986, Ford was losing money, and on the brink of bankruptcy. They gambled their entire future on a new car with such a radically new, and revolutionary design that it would either be the biggest flop Ford has ever seen, even worse than the Edsel, or the new benchmark for which all other cars would be judged.

The result was the Taurus. released in 1986, it was laughed at, gawked at, and sold like hotcakes. 3 years later, every other car in not only Ford's line up, but every other makes were aping the Taurus design. and the rounded, aerodynamic "egg" shape with a never before heard of drag co-efficient that saved gas as a bonus, shaped the automotive world even Today.

To place that historical name on a mundane, also ran design of a car is tantamount to heresy. But that's just my opinion.

I have no qualms with the quality, safety, or features of the current model. Just that it's not at all the benchmark of design that it used to be, and that's a shame.

EDIT: And... Trendy keeps auto companies in the black, and people employed. But you missed the point. The Taurus was never trendy. It was a trend setter, that made history.

[Romulox]

36. In other words, it's not trendy enough for you. Got it. It's not about safety, or MPG.

Or technology. Or comfort.

It's about narcissism and the need to project a phoney sense of wealth to the world. Right?

"To place that historical name on a mundane, also ran design of a car is tantamount to heresy. But that's just my opinion."

A full size car based on an all-new platform that gets 18/28 mpg and is the safest car in its class is "also ran"? :wtf:

[Touchdown]

37. Why do I bother writing so much

... if people don't bother reading?

Once again... "Trendy" is what keeps auto companies in the black AND thier workers in jobs.

The rest of what I can say, I already said. History isn't important to you though.

[Romulox]

38. Perhaps what you've written isn't as profound as you think?

"Once again... "Trendy" is what keeps auto companies in the black AND thier workers in jobs. "

Right. The stupidity of the American consumerate is legendary.

"History isn't important to you though."

Just like facts aren't important to you. This entire strand is attempt by you to cover for the fact that you don't know the first thing about the new Ford Taurus, and yet chose to rant about it! :hi:

[Touchdown]

40. So you have no appreciation of art, beauty, aesthetics or creativity.

The NEA is a waste of taxpayer money. Music is just music, it doesn't matter if it's Vivaldi or Linkin Park, it's still superfluous. Personalizing a home is not self expression, but a vain ego trip. Purchasing something appealing is a trend follower.

This is essentially what your telling me. Only utilitarian means should be pursued. I find it hard to believe that you would actually agree with that statement, but it is exactly the stance you are taking with me.

I never claimed to be profound, and I do know that it is a Ford 500 that's been re-badged. The pic below from a poster who probably was responding to me, is the 2010 model. It's yet to be released.

Is this your car?

http://image.motortrend.com/f/auto-shows/taurus-whats-in-a-name/6218817+w600+cr1+re0+ar1/2008-ford-taurus-front-three-quarter.jpg

It's a Ford 500.

http://blogs.motortrend.com/6200630/auto-shows/taurus-whats-in-a-name/index.html

"So Ford wants to rebadge the slow-selling 500 as the Taurus. I guess the logic goes something like this: Slap a well-known name on a car that seems nailed to the showroom floor, and you'll get buyers stampeding through the door. Only problem is, the things Taurus is well known for now ain't what they were when the car was America's best selling sedan back in the late 80s and early 90s."

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/FirstDrives/articleId=121321

"So Ford has dusted off the Taurus tag after a one-year hiatus and rebadged the Ford Five Hundred. Yet it's the 500 or so other changes that have been made to transform the old Five Hundred into the 2008 Taurus that ultimately prove that there's more to this exercise than just a marketing experiment thrown together in 30 days."

You end up looking stupid if you accuse someone of not knowing facts, when those facts are a simple google search away.:hi:

[CRF450]

41. You got your info wrong. The Taurus is totally redesigned for 2010

This is the actual car. Nothing like the rebadged 500. By the info in this blog, it should be released sometime durring this summer. http://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/2009/01/2010-ford-tauru.html

All that stuff you posted is old news. Everyone knows the current Taurus was the 500 and obviously it didn't sell well.

[Touchdown]

44. That's teh 2010 model. The other poster has a 2008.

It says Taurus on it, and it's a re-badged 500. Read my links.

It'd not a bad car, just a bit sedate looking.

[CRF450]

46. You said the one in the picture as your were told is a 2010 model, when thats not true.

They wont have that body style anymore as of this coming summer.

[Touchdown]

49. I did?

Oh' yeah. I re-read it. Sorry. I meant the pics in your post, not the one I posted right below that line. :dunce:

[Romulox]

43. What an idiotic straw man. Admit you were wrong and move on for Christ's sake!

:hi:

:silly:

[Touchdown]

45. I'm not wrong.

There is no right/wrong when taste is concerned.

Why don't you admit that I was criticizing the name change on a car that I didn't know you bought, and you took it as a personal affront, which is why you've been going after me personally since your first reply?

And, while we're on the subject. You have a lot of nerve accusing me of being shallow, when you bought a brand new luxo-boat instead of being "practical" and getting a nice used one with better mpg. 21/city is laughable. Nothing to brag about.

[LanternWaste]

50. we've bought into the American mass-marketing...

"...and you took it as a personal affront"

Let's face it, we've bought into the American mass-marketing and commercialization trends of autos for so long now, they've become part and parcel of who and how we define ourselves as individuals-- hence, if we have a negative opinion of a particular model, a lot of people will erroneously re-define that as our negative impression of them.

"Insult my choice of consumer products is insulting me". The unspoken American motto.

[Grinchie]

33. I bought a 1997 Taurus Jellybean and it's the best care I've ever owned.

It's quiet, maneuverable and comfortable, and it has a unique look.

Another surpring thing I found last year was when I went to a pick and pull to get some panel pins and a few spares for the future. 10 acres of cars and all I could find were 3 Taurus Jellybeans. I mean they were a fleet care for years, bun damn if they aren't semi rare in the junkyard.

Additionally, if anyone wants to get sick to their stomach, just walk through a Pick and Pull junkyard and cound how many different ways they can engineer technology that has been around for 70 years, yet does the same thing.

The waste of material, the lack of reusable parts, the mish Mash of metric or S.A.E. fasteners. One use fasteners. Overengineered crap. Specialized tools for each model of car.

I refuse to get anything that needs oil other than that in a transmission or gearbox to run. Give me electric dammit!

Ford had a very popular EV Pickup once... They didn't crush it and grind it up like GM did with the EV-1, yet here we are with the same old crap, waiting.

[saigon68]

51. I have a 2005 Ford 500

Its a Volvo except for the price.

It is the best car I have ever owned.

It has AWD and a CVD trans

It gets 28 on the Highway

I'm going to buy another one when this one rolls over 200,000 or so

[0xDEADBEEF]

19. Ford is changing their name to...

American National Auto Leage (ANAL)

Their flagship products will be:

ANAL Focus
ANAL Escape
ANAL Edge
ANAL Flex
ANAL Explorer
ANAL Expedition
ANAL Excursion
ANAL Probe
ANAL Fiesta
and last but not least,
the ANAL Ranger.

[Touchdown]

30. LOL!

:spank:

And I also remember when a Hummer was a verb.

[SpartanDem]

31. wrong

the taurus is all new for 2010. It was the previous model that was a renamed 500 this looks nothing like it. Thank God.

[CRF450]

39. That interior looks pretty good.

Never liked Ford's cars though.