Ford slashes production again...

So sad.
The company that made some of the most beautiful car designs of all time, not to mention the flathead V-8, and still bleeding:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060818/ap_on_bi_ge/ford_production_cuts

"Fitch Ratings downgraded Ford's debt further into junk status, while Standard & Poor's Ratings Services placed the company on review."

 

Somehow or another when everyone is buying bigger and bigger vehicles and ignoring economy models . . . why is it always the manfacturers fault when reality b*tch slaps someone at the gas pump? I was reading an article about JD Powers quality ranking -- headline read "Toyota leads JD Powers Quality Ranking" but it was Lexus listed up there . . . . Toyota came AFTER Mercury, Cadillac, and some other domestics . . . but they really ripped Ford/GM for their other siblings (Saab, Range Rover, etc...) Figures eh?

 

In the early 1980's I headed a project to build OHC conversions with variable size valve events that were bolt on conversions for pushrod engines. The project resulted in 12 patents and we built proto types for Ford Chrysler and we did 5 engines for General Motors. I still have the original prototype which is a 1965 Corvair.

The big three could have saved billions of dollars in tooling cost and now,25 years later, they are incorporating variations of this technology in almost all new cars.

Some additional info at these sites with related links http://cleverlever99.blogspot.com/ http://modifiedatkinsoncycleengine.blogspot.com/

What a shame that the Not Invented Here syndrome has cost so many Americans there jobs.

 

But the suits are still making millions in salaries.

 

This will never change...for the upper white collar folks...its all about the money....when is enough, enough?



they better do something now before its too late and were all driving foreign Asian cars.

Fords desings are looking good in the past few years....its a shame, I hope it helps.

I wonder where they sit in comparision with GM?

 

When all you make is trucks and SUV's, and fuel costs jump like they have...what else would you expect?

Old people and police by Crown Vics. Nobody under 30 buys a Five Hundred. The Fusion sells ok and the Focus sells well and the Mustang sells like gangbusters, but in the grand scope of the CAR market, Ford has nothing other than the Mustang and possibly the Fusion to really offer. Focus is a kid/entry car. The crown is on borrowed time and the Five Hundred is only selling so-so. Right now there are TOO many automobile manufacturers. Competition is veryhigh and you either need to deliver what people want to buy or you go away. It's a fact of business. Ford worked themselves out of the car market while under the leadership of Jaque Nasser and they're really paying for it now. Plus they have an incredibly arrogant corporate attitude toward the customer and the dealer network.

 

Ford became a truck company because that's what consumers bought. You can blast them for not having other offerings, but why would they produce a small fuel efficient car that not enough people were buying and makes little profit?

 

People want to be proud of thier purchase... If you buy a Toyota, you can always say "Yeah, it's ugly and small, but it gets great mileage and Toyota's last forever".

When people can stop making excuses for why they bought a GM or Ford, they'll start selling again.

If two nieghbors both bring home new cars, one a Ford 500 and one a Dodge Charger, who's car you gonna check out first?

 

The 500...at least it's American!! The "Charger" is far too ugly!

Also, check out the attached to see what DCX REALLY thinks of the USA.

Dave

 

tjm, you are so right. same for Chevy. what do they have other then trucks and SUV. a corvette.. and a bunch of rental cars. thou I have driven the Impala alot as rentals and its a good driver

 

It seems the low mpg cars that the big are making and have been making for years is coming back to bite them in the ass. I believe that if the big 3 would have been listening to the people instead of the gas companies we could have some cars that could get better mileage.

From a report I read last week Honda and Toyota are having record sales. I belive this is due to the fuel sipping cars and trucks they are building.

I have never owned a forign car in my life but with gas going for over 3.00 per gallon this might change.

The biggest loser to all the plant closings are the auto workers. With the closings it puts a strain on state and local economys.

My prayers go out to all of the workers that are going to be without work.

 

When i was shopping for a driver last summer, I couldn't find a flaw in most jap cars, just the prices. I test drove every chevy, just to be sure. Brand new they creaked, rattled, vibrated. I wanted a silverado bad. then i drove one. rode worse than the 79 c10 i used to have. the colorado felt like it was going to crumble when i tugged on the bed side. the nissan and toyota trucks felt so much nicer, had comparable power and room, it pained me to buy a new foreign car, but it is assembled in tennessee and 30 % of the parts were made here, same as most chevies. I was sad, but 27-30 mpg keeps more in my pocket for the REAL car.

ford didn't have anything that compared to my new car. fit and finish- Altimas have them by a mile.

But in 50 years, nobody is going to love the nissan the way i love my chevy.

 

It's funny, here in NW Missouri, all people really want are still full size trucks and SUVs. Doesn't appear as though gas prices have had much bearing on sales around here (sure, a lot of farmers need trucks no matter what the price of gas is). I'm not a farmer and am still looking for a full size truck. I think it is styling and options would be more of the problem than gas issues with Fords, although the 04+ don't look too bad but they still drive like a Ford unfortunately.

Mootz

 

I'm a machinist at Ford Chicago Assembly, so these comments hit really hard. If you really think about it, it is just a symptom of the media's anti-Americanism. You never see front page news of forign automakers having huge recalls but you ALWAYS see American companies. It's not just automakers either. You can't barely buy anything American-made. Wal-Mart used to pride themselves on selling American-made products. Then Sam Walton died and the all-important dollar took over. What would happen if we went to war(heaven forbid) with China or Japan? Or they just decide to stop selling us electronics? It is terrible that we are so globally dependant. And as for Toyotas being built in the us.....no union...lower wages...no legacy costs and all the profits go overseas. The American automakers took great care of their employees and retirees. Will Toyota do that? Sorry about the rant, but I always figured this would be a very strong pro-American forum. Sad.

 

looks like UAW really stood up for the working man this time. bet none of the union heads are giving up thier fat paychecks nor thier jobs after failing miserably.

Demming is right.

The American automotive industry (that being the execs) is blind. This happened right after the oil embargo, foriegn car sales shot up drastically. Yet hear we are again, the industry is caught with thier dicks in thier hands. Sad.

 

They wont get any of my American money.

 

I think the whole gas prices being blamed for poor American sales is a farce. I don't see any drop in traffic and I'm seeing buttloads of stupid H2's driving around. I certainly have done little to curb my driving. I think it's just they missed the boat with what they're offering, their advertising, poor management of production costs, who knows. I know there is maybe one or two new cars from any manufacturer I'd be interested in owning. I know it will be probably forever before I buy a new car of any brand, I just can't afford it, I'll probably always buy used, like, 20+ years used at least By the time I can afford a new foreign made Ford (read: by the time it depreciates enough) it will be 2020!

My '73 Chevy stops better and accelerates better than my father's 2004 Chevy, and it only rides marginally worse. I can't justify all that expense to pick up 5 or so MPG's. PLUS, nothing ever breaks on my truck, and if it does I can buy a STEEL replacement piece for it, not plastic.......

 

But in 50 years, nobody is going to love the nissan the way i love my chevy.


But in 50 years how many people are going to be dreaming of restoring a 2004 Cavalier. I bought a new civic for $9900 CDN drove the piss out of it for 13 yrs. (couldn't break the damn thing) I didnt maintain it properly and it got repaired only if it didn't run, put maybe 3 grand into it in 13 yrs. And I still had a guy willing to fly in from another province and pay me 2 G's for it.(no charge for the custom rust) I'd buy another civic for a get to work beater in a second but they ain't cheap like they used to be!

 

Amen brother, toolmaker here at KTP, we were just told of an additional 5 weeks downtime on top of the current temporary down weeks(10 shifts) that we just started. All we can do is hang on and ride it out. Good luck!

 

This argument has been going on since 1972 or 73 and nothing has changed. It's the same thing, over and over again. When you think about it, everyone in the world is running the US companies except the people in charge. The government is telling the manufacturers what has to be put in the cars, the environmentalist are telling them how to build engines, the stockholders are demanding higher dividends, the media shoots them in the face every chance they get, the unions fix the wages so high they can't control labor costs, the oil companies are gouging them for electrical and heating and all other petro related services and products....so why is it any suprise to hear this news? The auto manufacturing business in the US is crumbling and will not, in my opinion, survive unless some major changes are made in this country. It's not just the auto guys, it's everything and you know what? It's only going to get worse. The only thing that's going to save this country are the small businesses. Period. The major corporations are being pilfered at the highest levels and nothing can change that, i.e. Enron. That's enough depression for today, over and out. Wake up American. On second thought, maybe the 22 million illegals can save us.

 

Check out this link if you want a good read! How can a common man be loyal to a company anymore? They are not loyal to you in any way, they are going around your back and are going to screw you from the rear befor you know it. Every time toyota makes a sale GM makes money. Be loyal to your friends and family but not to corparations, Its the haves and the have nots (thats me and you). Useless

http://www.gminsidenews.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34213
There's no G.M. In "Alliance" - GMInsideNews Forums

 

The News beating up on US companies is not different then thembeating up on the old Legacy Airlines. People like to talk bad about the giants (they are evil) and the poor little guy (small airline or foriegn car companies) are just trying to get the public what they want, a better product.. (as we know that is not always true.)

 

GM & Ford are very guilty of ignoring the econo/hybrid market and not being able to see the woods through the trees due to all the SUVs blocking the way with all their fat profits attched to them.

For years every sign has been pointing to gas being $3.00 a gallon in the future and well, here it is! They have had many ways of making their cars have much better fuel economy fore quite some time, but it would have taken alot of effort and a little money. Sure they both are barking about Flex Fuels and future hybrid designs, but it's not avalible everywhere and it's too little too late.

Poor marketing and forcasting is what has cost jobs, not MPG. if every single car & truck they sold had a hybrid option from 2005 on they would not be in this trouble



Mind you this is coming from a guy who now has only V8's in his driveway & the smallest one being a `05 Hemi, but since I sold my Subaru I have learned to ride my bicycle more (which is good for my fat ass) and leave the truck in the driveway unless i have to travel more than 10 miles from my house or need to haul something, so I am just as guilty as every other gas consuming lazy american... but I am trying...

 

The problems of the american auto industry have been caused by the shortsightedness of the principals and directors of these companies. They have misjudged the market and it's needs since the early seventies. The Clinton administration called the Big 3 in and suggested they joint venture to
build an auto capable of 75/80 mpg .Gave them all the incentives necessary.Just asked that the new technology be shared amongst them.
It took almost 2 years for them to get together and then the Big 3 all walked away, after a short effort saying it cant be done.
2 years ago Ford signed a royalty agreement to buy Toyotas hybrid technology for it Escape. Interestingly they bought Toyota's 3rd or 4th hybrid design ,while at the time Toyota was selling their 6th generation design to the public. But at least someone realized the problem. GM and Chrysler still dont have an offering. and seem uninterested. In the early years of the automobile the U.S. was the world leader in production and design. The american auto industry must once again start being the leader that it once was if it wants to survive.This must start to happen immediately in the boardrooms of the manufacturors as these are strategic issues which will chart the future of the companies. Hopefully they will wake shortly.If you dont have that winning atitude you wont win the game.

Larry

 

you know its funny since gas prices went up ppl are buying older 4 banger cars. a used car salesmen said he cant keep them on his lot very long. my 97 pontiac sunfire gets 30 mpg and the brand new ones are even better. ford had zx2 and the escort that made had tons of gas milage. my bro inlaw had a zx3 which he drove so much he wore out the engine. I had a shitty old mercury tracer that got like 35 mpg highway and the thing lasted 11 years driven to kansas city to st. louis and back alot. my 88 5.0 thunderbird gets around 19 mpg with a v8. people just wanna buy brand new suvs and dub them to make up for thier small wangs and bitch about its gas milage cuz they have to bitch about something.

 

That's true. Tried to get your hands on an early 80's VW Rabbit diesel lately? They bring incredible money. I've seen some really clean Chevettes cruising around lately and some other little hatchbacks have been finding thier way back on to the road. I even caught myself lusting after a '81 Sunbird with a 4 cyl/4 on the floor RWD setup, but it sold before I could get it.

All the guys restoring stuff in the 80's thought no one would ever want those cheap econo cars but they're making a comeback, surprisingly.

I'm not surprised that Ford is cutting production, and I won't be surprised if they're not able to turn it around before it all goes down the shitcan. Kind of a shame, but the world will continue to turn after Chapter 11 is filed.

 

My friend since childhood Alexis Senter, daughter of Tom Senter lost her design job with the Volvo group at Ford.......

Sucks.........

 

I packed groceries at Kroger for 50 cents an hour in 1960. My son packed groceries in the exact same Kroger in 2002, and made $8.75 an hour. My gas normally cost around 25 cents a gallon, sometimes it went down to 20 cents, but more often went up to as much as 30 cents. I can guarrantee you that my 50 Ford did not get 15 MPG with teenage me driving it mostly in town, because I can't do much better than that on the highway now. I know for a fact that my son's Crown Victoria with in excess of 200,000 miles on the clock got 23 MPG over all, because the digital Dash had an average MPG display and that is what it said when he went into the Navy. I replaced it with another old company Crown Victoria that only had 140,000 milies on it.
Comparing wages for the exact same job in the exact same store, 42 years later, I see the wage change as 17.5 times higher. 17.5 times 20 cents is $3.50; 17.5 times 30 cents is $5.25. Our gas is still cheap. The problem is that the politicians have wrecked the value of the money. And we have a press that is totally without a clue about much of anything.
Us car nuts probably drive more than the average, but still, if you drive a 30 MPG car 15,000 miles in a year, it takes 500 gallons. At $2 that is $1,000--at $3, that is $1,500. How much is your car payment? How much is your insurance bill? Unless you are an old fart like me, driving a company car as a primary vehicle, living in a cheap rural area far from major population areas, your car insurance bill starts to lap at that figure. HOw much tax is taken out of your paycheck before you ever see it?
The prices of just about everything have pretty much kept pace with each other. Except the cost of government--I mean just the budget, not the extra costs of the regulations. Depending upon which government figures you want to use, prices have gone up by a factor of about 20 since 1953. But the cost of government has gone up by a factor of 45 in that time period. Which is why there are darned few stay at home moms anymore--they have to work to pay the taxes.
The quality of what we buy has increased immeasurably since then. Even the very cheapest new car has only increased by a factor of 10 since 1953, yet the equipment that is standard includes items you couldn't get on the brand that included the cheapest 1953 car. Not only that, but 50 years ago, maintenance was a whole lot more than an oil change every 3,000 miles, like it is now. Now, if we have to do anythign other than change oil and transmission fluid and maybe buy a set of tires before 100,000 miles, we complain that the car is a piece of crap. A clue as to how much cars have improved--60 and even 72 page payment books, not the old 24 and at best 36 page ones. The added digit on the odometer that tells how many times the car has seen 80,000 miles. Do you recall when the last seat cover shop closed? Not an upholstery shop, but the places that used to install seat covers while you waited.
Are we getting 40 times better government than we got 50 years ago. Maybe we would be better off if we were getting a whole lot les government than we are getting now.

 

Better check it for foreign parts.....

The American car companies have failed to innovate in the last 20 years if not longer. They just can't seem to look ahead or build a decent fuel efficient vehicle. I've got brand spanking new Dakota w/ a V6 and a 6 speed, it gets such horrible mileage I'm tryingto get it fixed but Dodge doesn't care. I'm seeing the same thing with all the other manufacturers as well. The best cars I've seen from Ford lately aren't even American designs (Contour, Focus) they ned to tigthen up or they're done for. Give us quality car that we can be proud to own, that will hold up, that gets decetn mileage.... This is not American bashing, and the fella that insinuated that can kiss my ass. Get over yourself, we don't make the best anymore....

 

That about says it all. I had the head off of my quarter million mile '90 Honda the other day, and it looks brand new inside, no ridge on the cylinder at all, valves were clean, and the water jacket design blew me away, all of the cylinders are completely surrounded by coolant, very well designed. It'll go another quarter million if it's kept up, and I don't intend on getting rid of it any time soon, 39 MPG on the first tank of gas I put in.

And the patriotic argument is pretty much useless at this point. There are no foreign or domestic cars, they're all a combination of foreign and US parts and manufacturing. Plus, they're all owned by the stockholders, and that's where the profits go, not to wherever the home office is. The best product will sell and the others won't, period.