Ford giving workers sneak peek at future lineup
"Check your cell phones at the door." That's what current Ford workers and retirees will hear when they arrive at Cobo Arena in Detroit on November 27th and 28th to witness a sneak peek at their employer's lineup of vehicles extending all the way out to 2010. About 25,000 people are expected to attend six sessions Ford will be hosting, each showcasing future vehicles through the use of images, animations, short videos and actual vehicles. The idea is to restore the faith these workers and retirees have in Ford Motor Company by showing off the actual product that's being planned to turn the company around. Each person will be required to sign a confidentiality agreement and no cameras, along with camera-equipped cell phones we presume, are allowed. There's not much we wouldn't give to be a fly on the wall of Cobo Arena during these preview sessions. What will they see? The 2010 Mustang? The next generation C1-based Focus? The F-150 that will tangle with the Tundra? Ford cleverly scheduled the event when most of the automotive press will be on its way to California for the L.A. Auto Show, but with that many eyes privy to Ford's future product, something's gotta give.[Source: The Detroit News]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Ryan 7:57PM (11/16/2006)
LOL,
I got $1.00 on it that in 2015, we will have a washed up Fusion, Edge and C1 Focus, the 500 will be gone and the Crown Vic, god only knows.
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James 3:20PM (11/16/2006)
In the title, should it be spelled Sneak Peak, or Peek?
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chriseh 3:25PM (11/16/2006)
All well and good for the remaining faithful workers, but they should be showing this to the "Faithful Buyers" ASAP, since without any, the faithful workers will be looking for work.
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Max 3:40PM (11/16/2006)
Ford is assuming that their next generation of products will actually inspire the workers. If the Edge is any indication of the "bold moves" Ford has in store, the workers might get even more desperate.
Neat idea though.
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joearlo 3:46PM (11/16/2006)
From what I hear, Ford will be showcasing several exciting new concepts at this year's Detroit Auto Show. Only problem is, they have no plan for production. Basically, they are going to show concepts that are currently not in the product plan for the purpose of generating faith in the media/consumers/employees. Too bad its a false sense of hope for a dying automaker.
Whether or not Ford employees sign a confidentiality agreement - information on all the vehicles will be leaked. In fact, Ford is counting on this. Ford wants/needs to generate some positive press and regain faith in their employees. This will especially be necessary in January in advance of 4th Quarter and Annual Results (which don't look to be getting any better for FoMoCo).
I have seen nothing from the executive management that leads me to believe Ford will bring exciting new products to market. I know Ford has the talent, I just have no faith in their ability to utilize and direct it. This latest stunt simply frustrates me. Stop talking about "Bold Moves" and actually do something!
Sorry to be so negative, but Ford has done nothing but continually built up my frustration and I don't want them to get away with this deception.
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jordan 4:00PM (11/16/2006)
Re: joearlo
A dying automaker? Hardly. Every company goes through it's ups and downs. Obviously this is a pretty big down, but this "down" comes in a market where billions of dollars is considered normal. From their inception until now, they have made more money than they have lost, so I still consider them successful. Are you on 's PR team?
A company is successful when it has so many customers. Right now, companies like Toyota and Honda are at the top because they've shown they can be reliable (in most cases) vehicles. These things tend to come in waves. I guarantee you that as consumers begin to see that GM/Ford products are improving in quality to be near/at/past that of , they will purchase what best meets their needs. Just look at the recall #'s for this year. I believe Honda is ranked #1 in worldwide recall totals this year. (maybe it's Toyota)
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C. McFeeny 4:09PM (11/16/2006)
joearlo,
Nothing in your post indicates that you may have some kind of inside information that the rest of us are non privy to. I know this site is mainly known for the openness of communication, but everything you stated here was worded in a way that presented it as a fact when it is merely your own speculation. What evidence do you have to speak with such conviction?
I don't believe there is any deception intended by The "Showroom of the Future" presentation. Is it being put on to generate hype? Hell yes! Do they need some hype right now? You betcha. Deception? Not really. Just marketing.
Unless the dude that's telling you about Ford's production plans lives in Florida and flies a Gulf Stream jet to Detroit every week I wouldn't believe a word of it.
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joearlo 4:14PM (11/16/2006)
Jordan:
I realize my comments are a bit brash. I guess I let my emotions come through in a bit of a rant. I understand your points, but my frustration comes directly from what I gather coming out of the top floors of the Glass House. Upper management is what makes me the most worried about Ford's future. Granted their products are higher quality, and I do feel the quality advantage will slip from Toyota soon. But I feel as though the greater problems surround Ford's future product plans and lack of competitive vehicles. I actually would like to see Ford succeed, but I just can't maintain any additional optimism at this point.
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Bill Maher is an Idiot 5:24PM (11/16/2006)
Number of Ford concepts to be shown: twenty.
Number of concepts to go into production: zero.
Number of years Ford has left: five.
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doglet 2:14AM (11/18/2006)
if ford doesnt get its s*** together it will get bought. the problem is the company is too slow and too inefficient. everyone knows what cars they need to build to become successful, i am willing to bet that even they know what they need to do product wise.
the problem is that they always seem like the last ones to know. there are just too many layers of buracuracy for anything to actually get done. they became paralyzed by inefficency and the only thing they could get past the endless accountants was cost cutting and that was the opposite of what they should have been doing.
if this doesnt become a thing of the past soon ford is done.
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Brian 1:31AM (11/17/2006)
Wow, $1.00. You must be incredibly confident to wager that much cash.
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tron 10:18AM (11/18/2006)
Ford definitely needs to improve its marketing message. What happened to "Quality is job one"? Did they realize they couldn't meet it? The new one "Driving American Innovation" doesn't make sense either. They're not in their current predicament because of their failure to make cars that run on hydrogen or that parallel park themselves. They're losing market share because they're the cars are hideous looking and of poor quality. I agree with Max that the "Bold Moves" campaign isn't really working either. Has anyone seen the redesigned Escape and the Mariner? I don't think they know what the word "Bold" means.
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Grumpy John 12:22PM (11/21/2006)
Ford needs to sell its premium auto groups - Jaguar, Land Rover, etc. and go private.
Until that happens the bean counters will continue to push SUV's and fleet cars.
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Scott 11:41AM (11/26/2006)
Fords future looks bright. It is hard to believe how much upside potential Ford has, considering the changes made to manufacturing, changes made to Skilled Trades being flexible in everyplant. And lets not forget Ford is serious about change since they hired Allen Mullaly. Look at Mullaly's history at boeing to see the radical changes and improvements made there. The same thing is happening right now at Ford, and it pays to be a believer.
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Stephen Poma 10:47AM (11/27/2006)
The next concept will be bold visions.
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tC owner 12:31AM (11/28/2006)
I won a tC, got it sept 2004 as an 05. Miles: 67,000+ Yes, 67K+ miles. MPG with the automatic: 32-34, usually 32+MPGm 160HP. 0-60 in 8.2 seconds. Not too shabby for a 17,199 car(with mp3 player, sunroof, antilocks, cruise, cd player, reclining rear seats, and EXCELLENT quality, stlye, handling, etc).
Where's Ford's competing vehicle? It's not in the USA, I can tell ya that!
Not BOLD, but BONEHEAD moves!
Bring stuff like the 5 door Mondeo over(or a smaller version, say to compete against Corolla, Civic,etc..., dump the Focus).
Build something exciting, like the Refl3x concept(even if ya just use normal drivetrain, etc..).
Doesn't take much to figure out what's wrong( read small cars are outselling SUV's by a tinybit, 100,000 units since Nov1, 2006, YTD, read in on theautochannel.com when the monthly sales reports came out).
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Billy Bob 9:44PM (11/28/2006)
OK, so I was one of the fortunate (?) to have attended the Showroom event. Weak, at best. Where's the cutting-edge design? Innovation? What happened to the Ranger? A four-door Mustang??? Didn't see much about Mercury?
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Derrick 1:34PM (12/14/2006)
The way I see it, A lot of the success Honda, and Toyota have seen is due in part that they don't have four or five different brands under their umbrella! If you ask me, The big three are quiters. They make a vehicle... and when it doesn't sell after minor tweeks and upgrades, they scrape it to make another turd. For this reason alone is why the Accord and Camry are so loved by most, Honda and Toyota listen to their customers and improve accordingly. This isn't new news however i'm convinced no body is listening in Detroit
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