what will save ford?

whd507

whd507

Member
there is next to nothing on the lot I would want to make a payment on,and I dont seem to be alone.

what does ford need to do to bring us back?

for me, I'd like to see the Ranger EV come back,
obviously the Marauder is on my list.also crown vic sport.
my Diesel escort was nice on fuel
a panther stationwagon and ranchero would sell i think.(sedan delivery too)
the 09 F-150 looks as nice to me as anything since 1996, but $35K? damn its a pickup...

need a bronco (old style bronco)
a mustang based cougar

a 61-69 Continental looking Lincoln would be nice
 
whd507 said:
need a bronco (old style bronco)
Click to expand...


They came out with a concept that resembled the 66-77 broncos, I wonder if it will ever get produced.

I think ford needs to scrap their business plan and start from scratch. Spend less of their money trying to market the same cars they've had in their showrooms for the past 20 years and instead spend the money on R&D to develop a fleet that sells itself. The "three bars" design changes (that I'm sure they spent millions coming up with) doesnt cut it.

Personally, I think ford should do the following
1. Hybrid minivan under $35k
2. Hybrid focus w/ mpg to compete with prius
3. Keep the panther (but give it suicide doors, like the continental)
4. Market the hell out of SYNC and make it standard equipment
5. Reduce the number of small SUV/Crossovers/Wagons (you dont need Taurus X, Flex, Edge, Explorer AND Escape, pick two and focus on quality)
6. Lincoln needs a 2 door sports coupe!
 
I agree with a hybrid ANYTHING right now...

In this time of day hybrids are on back order at the Toyota dealer...


Ford need to step up...Make a Mustang hybrid and bring the Marauder back!!!
 
one of the big problems is that they have lots full of FWD cars that dont get any better mileage than a Grand Marquis. a 70s pinto wagon gets better mileage than a car of comparable size now.

they want to euro-ize the lineup, why then pick the crap of the crop from europe to send over? I for one dont want euro cars from an American company.
 
i would say the taurus like it did in the late 80's
fleet vehicle as it was marketed for and the middle class people :cool:
 
Although Hybrids seem to be the current flavour, a small, comparably sized econocar will get as good highway economy in a lighter package, so city economy might be a small issue. However, the extra cost of a hybrid means a 5-6 year recovery cycle on the initial cost, based on current fuel efficiency levels. How many would pay the extra now? I'd buy the econocar first since I do 80-90%+ highway driving anyway.

And I doubt you'll see the Taurus X and Flex together much longer - the X will probably go soon.
 
The proposed F100 looks interesting. It will probably get crapped up and priced too high though.
I need a pickup but I dont need my gig, in sync, satellite radio, navigation, power everything. I want a small DOMESTIC pickup that drives from point A to point B with minimal fuss. I want it to get better than my Dodge Rams 10 mpg in town. Did I mention I want a DOMESTIC pickup, preferably one made en los Estados Unidos.

The Taurus X was interesting. I looked at it when it first came out but wanted no part of a CVT transmission. I remember all the developmental problems they had with belts surviving high torque and question long term durability.

Ford needs a somewhat smaller packaged 5/6 passenger 4 door. How about an updated 49/50 Ford styled car. The 67/68 Mercury Cougar was in my opinion a stunning vehicle (my first new car). The 67 Fairlane was also a nice sized and looking package.

I hope that the new direct injection 4 and 6 cylinder engine live up to their promise. A Mercury Milan stripper with a direct injected twin turobo v6 would be a worthy companion to my Marauder.

Ford needs designers who are people of size (tall and overweight) to package interiors for someone larger than 5'6" 140lbs so when I find my dream car it will fit my tall and overweight body.

Ford needs new product, maybe Ford Europe has what is needed for the near term to help them survive.
 
The slightly redesigned 2005 focus should have been the current Euro Focus/ Mazda 3 platform.

(puts on Flame suit) the panther platform needs to be axed. It just doesnt make sense when you have a Large car with a midsize interior and a V8 that produces less power than Midsize V6's.

As far as a Minivan, the Flex does an excellent job albeit pricey.
Can the Taurus X
Mustang, F series trucks, Taurus, Fusion are fine for now.
 
Functionally the cars they have are fine althought they could use more RWD models (read - bring over the Austrailian Falcon ASAP), it is their styling that is in the toilet. Lets count the good and the bad as I see them from a styling standpoint.
Good:
Mustang

Bad:
Everything else including the last CV that the public could buy (they screwed it up when they made the last front end/headlight change.
Fusion, Taurus, Edge, Flex - ugly front end, I hate the new grill that they came up with.
Focus - What the hell are those stupid looking vents on the side for anyway. Bring back the previous one in my opinion.
F150 - side panels are to tall and flat. From the windows down it looks like a brick on wheels.

I know I am missing a lot of them, but these are the ones that stand out. I don't really even like the looks of the Milan that I got for my wife. It was what she wanted and I liked it slightly better that the Fusion. I could rattle off some cars that I like, but they can't copy someone else at this point in the game. They need to come up with something exciting that compells people to choose them. Maybe that is what they were trying with the new grill style, but it doesn't work for me. Keep some of the platforms, but go back to the drawing board on the styling.
 
I drove a '69 Fiesta Sport for 150,000+ miles. It was a German made little gem that was virtually indestructible, and they replaced it with a POS Korean made Festiva, (read bigger profit) because of emissions issues, as I recall.
They have and continue to make huge corporate blunders, mostly, I believe, because, apparently, they think there's some genetic magic in the Ford name, when it comes to upper management, and decision making. I hold up that nut case, Elana Ford (how can I kill off the Mercury Division) as an example. Of course there has been a long line of Ford family members with the seeming bent on destroying the company. Remember the Edsel, or the Probe, followed by the new Thunderbird and the Ford GT? They may have been good vehicles; but were marketing and financial disasters.
Perhaps the only thing that might save the company would be the sale to an Asian company who would come in and send the lot of 'em packing.
 
I think we need more cars that only have a 1-star crash approval rating. Less weight means more MPG. Tell people they are for in-town commuting and they get 80 mpg! Why carry around 3500 lbs of weight just to go to the grocery store. Make them sell for $8500 tops.

You couldn't make them fast enough!
 
TooManyFords said:
I think we need more cars that only have a 1-star crash approval rating. Less weight means more MPG. Tell people they are for in-town commuting and they get 80 mpg! Why carry around 3500 lbs of weight just to go to the grocery store. Make them sell for $8500 tops.

You couldn't make them fast enough!
Click to expand...

I think you're right, John. Look at the volume of motorcycle and scooter sales, and condidering crash worthiness provided by a scoot, it boils down to: you crash - you die.
 
Ford/Mercury management have no clue as to what the buying public wants. Their answer is to streamline, drop models and try to squeez a profit that way. They are not in the business to make vehicles they are in the business to make money. That is how it should be, but they need to think long term and start bringing some vehicles to market that people will want to buy. The Marauder is a great example of the incompetence of management. It was never advertised. The proposed tv commercial was awful the "move over one". Fill out a post card at your dealer for more information. What were these guys thinking? Proper advertising would have made the Marauder a hit in my opinion. I know some will disagree and say lack of performance etc, etc . Advertising and perception is key in moving any product.
 
The EV Ranger was a great idea, horrible execution. I'd like to see a similar return, but with the closing of the plant, we'll see if there even IS a ranger past 2010.

I would love to see the ranger stay basically the same (as it has since 1993, minues front end changes). A redesigned interior would be a huge selling point for many current ranger owners to upgrade. Seriously...the dashboard has not changed since 1995 (1993 if you count the radio growing from single to double din) The changes in gauges and steering wheel are cosmetic, while what we need is something new and more functional.

BUT

add a 4 or 6 cylinder turbo diesel...great mpg's good towing numbers. Make it a compact truck with midsize power. The ranger is easily the only COMPACT pickup left. All the other "compacts" have grown to midsize.


i love my ranger(s).
 
The GM Canyon is a great truck.

If I were going to buy a new truck it would be one of those.

The ranger is too small for me.

Mind you 98% of people are short compared to me so, that might have something to do with it.
 
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