Autoblog

Mr_Oak @ Nov 20th 2006 9:09AM

Last time I checked, GM was doing much better than Ford. GM actually made money selling cars this year. Can't say the same about Ford.

What is Ford doing about the Asian market? not hearing much on that front. Cadillac and Buick (yes Buick) are doing rather well over there.

A funny thing happened at Ford in the past couple of years, back in 2000 they launched the Lincoln LS, a rather nice automobile, I bought one. Instead evolving an already excellent platform to make it better, they reigned it in so that it doesn't overrun the Jaguar S-Type with which it shared a platform and some drivetrain components. This practice choked the life out of what could have grown into something good.

Then brought you the Zephyr, nice on the outside, but the El Cheapo Leggo look interior makes me gag every time I see it. After one year, they've screwed with the exterior that didn't need it, left that ugly interior untouched. My bet is they won't sell many more that they did last year.

What do you think would have happened to Toyota if the took the highly successful Camry or Corolla and changed the name every few years, then blow a wad of cash informing the public that they changed the name.

I once sold Toyotas, I sold Camrys to people who brought their car that they were perfectly happy with in for service, decided to take a peek at the new "Camry" and bought it. Because it was a "Camry", even if it was an ugly piece.

It's called name recognition. Once you've established a brand and model name, you stick with it. Quit blowing bundles of cash establishing new models.

That my friend is Ford's rendition of the old classic: "A dog chases it's tail".

GM has been somewhat guilty of this practice too, but less so than Ford. It's as if they're ashamed or afraid of their past.