Can Ford Pull it off?
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Most car manufacturers are in trouble and Ford is in deeper than most, recording their biggest losses ever in 2006.
I had the pleasure of working with the Ford Motor Company UK on a Management Course back in 1993. Whilst the management team were very professional and in good spirits. I remember that even then I had feelings of doubt creeping in. They had just launched
the Ford Ka and remodelled the Fiesta. I thought the cars looked bland compared to their peers. There certainly wasn't the same buzz at the launches of these vehicles!
I had the pleasure of working with the Ford Motor Company UK on a Management Course back in 1993. Whilst the management team were very professional and in good spirits. I remember that even then I had feelings of doubt creeping in. They had just launched
the Ford Ka and remodelled the Fiesta. I thought the cars looked bland compared to their peers. There certainly wasn't the same buzz at the launches of these vehicles!
- Its all about the product
- Its about giving consumers what they want... not what we like to produce.
Have you been watching events unfold at fordboldmoves.com?
The video footage of the attempted turnaround is gripping.
And they even correctly define the root problem.
Americans are turning to smaller engined vehicles in response to the price of fuel and possibly even to climate change worries.
The amazing thing is that Ford then goes on to hail the gas guzzling Shelby GT and the Ford 150 as the vehicles that are going to boost their companies fortunes in the short term.
Whilst it is true that they are making efforts towards using cleaner fuels, Hydrogen and Bio, these are still medium to long term solutions.
I am sure that they have chosen a terrible short term strategy... wasting time that they don't have. As a result I dont think that they can turn it around. It will be a sad day for America.
Whilst still on the subject of the motor industry, have you noticed just how many second hand cars are stuck on garage forecourts these days? It seems like serious over supply to me. And sometime soon I expect retail car prices, new and second hand, to start sliding. We'll just wait and see... But remember you heard it first here!
The amazing thing is that Ford then goes on to hail the gas guzzling Shelby GT and the Ford 150 as the vehicles that are going to boost their companies fortunes in the short term.
Whilst it is true that they are making efforts towards using cleaner fuels, Hydrogen and Bio, these are still medium to long term solutions.
I am sure that they have chosen a terrible short term strategy... wasting time that they don't have. As a result I dont think that they can turn it around. It will be a sad day for America.
Whilst still on the subject of the motor industry, have you noticed just how many second hand cars are stuck on garage forecourts these days? It seems like serious over supply to me. And sometime soon I expect retail car prices, new and second hand, to start sliding. We'll just wait and see... But remember you heard it first here!
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