http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/15/fords-drive-one-campaign-moving-full-speed-ahead/ Autoblog Comments for http://www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2008 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/15/fords-drive-one-campaign-moving-full-speed-ahead/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/15/fords-drive-one-campaign-moving-full-speed-ahead/Apr 15th 2008 4:39PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/15/fords-drive-one-campaign-moving-full-speed-ahead/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/15/fords-drive-one-campaign-moving-full-speed-ahead/is your comment because YOU dont like their cars? because guess what? Ford is legit and their products are legit. and the pipeline of products coming is going to blow you away.
]]>Apr 15th 2008 4:49PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/15/fords-drive-one-campaign-moving-full-speed-ahead/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/15/fords-drive-one-campaign-moving-full-speed-ahead/Apr 15th 2008 4:53PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/15/fords-drive-one-campaign-moving-full-speed-ahead/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/15/fords-drive-one-campaign-moving-full-speed-ahead/
you sound very blissful...]]>Apr 15th 2008 4:55PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/15/fords-drive-one-campaign-moving-full-speed-ahead/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/15/fords-drive-one-campaign-moving-full-speed-ahead/
They may have the fit, finish and initial quality, but would I drive a new Ford? No. Why? Design, dynamics and a product portfolio that favors the purchase of trucks/SUVs.

I loved the refreshed ZX5 (5-door Focus), save for the dash materials, but now? It feels smaller than its predecessor and I've never felt this unattracted to a car before (the styling is something I could live with, but there's little about the car that I like (the Fusion's FINE, but why would I pick fine when I can get awesome?).

Needless to say, the only ones I've been seeing on my roads (Canada) are all wearing fleet plates and 'Enterprise' badges... Hell, even the dealers are replacing their old courtesy cars with them (usually overstock/stuff that didn't sell at the end of the MY). Aside from SYNC (which I despise anyway) and general cheapness... Seriously, why would I buy one when I can get better for about the same money?]]>Apr 15th 2008 5:05PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/15/fords-drive-one-campaign-moving-full-speed-ahead/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/15/fords-drive-one-campaign-moving-full-speed-ahead/
oh, wait, no they dont. another typical rant from a bitter consumer lost in the previous decade of blunders. the whole point of the campaign is looking ahead. driving the vehicles again to see the changes. a portfolio that favors SUVs and trucks? are you kidding? for one, Ford has always dominated trucks and SUVs and will continue to do so, because even if gas hits $14.00 a gallon people will continue needing them. for two, ford is DOMINATING CUV and small car (finally) segments in terms of pure growth. in the next 2 years you will get the euro focus, you will get the euro suvs. etc. in the mean time, every product will be best in class in terms of fuel economy, safety and technology. you may hate sync, but guess what? 88% of people in the market for buying a car WANT sync's capabilities.
it must be cool to hate sweet technology and forward thinking in canada or something...
]]>Apr 15th 2008 6:19PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/15/fords-drive-one-campaign-moving-full-speed-ahead/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/15/fords-drive-one-campaign-moving-full-speed-ahead/
Actually, I was pretty happy with last decade's product, I owned an Escort until last Summer and I've been pretty happy with it, disregarding all the problems it had (due to poor maintenance from the previous owner, be it rust (re-coat your cars after 5 years, please) or anything else. It's the stuff that's been planned under Bill Ford's (and that the current guys are being accounted for, just like Lutz was being accounted for the crap that had already been planned once he got his current job) reign that I hate (looking ahead, things aren't looking so grim, but right now? Bleh, nothing for me).

So what if they dominate those markets? I could care less, I don't need a truck, I never needed a truck, and I will never need or want a truck. SYNC is a novelty the first couple of times you try it, but the thing gets absurd after a while. Do I want Bluetooth and USB in my car? Of course. Do I want a passable voice-integration system? No, I'd rather wait 'til the technology's really there (SYNC 2.0 probably addresses a lot of the problems with the present iteration).

If there's one thing I'm pissed at them for is certainly discontinuating the Focus wagon (didn't really have an interest in them) and hatchbacks. :P Their trucks have served my grandpa well and Mazda makes cars that I love... And they made cars my father loved back when he was alive.]]>Apr 15th 2008 7:02PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/15/fords-drive-one-campaign-moving-full-speed-ahead/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/15/fords-drive-one-campaign-moving-full-speed-ahead/Apr 15th 2008 8:30PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/15/fords-drive-one-campaign-moving-full-speed-ahead/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/15/fords-drive-one-campaign-moving-full-speed-ahead/Apr 15th 2008 4:41PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/15/fords-drive-one-campaign-moving-full-speed-ahead/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/15/fords-drive-one-campaign-moving-full-speed-ahead/Apr 15th 2008 6:31PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/15/fords-drive-one-campaign-moving-full-speed-ahead/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/15/fords-drive-one-campaign-moving-full-speed-ahead/Apr 15th 2008 4:43PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/15/fords-drive-one-campaign-moving-full-speed-ahead/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/15/fords-drive-one-campaign-moving-full-speed-ahead/Apr 15th 2008 4:46PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/15/fords-drive-one-campaign-moving-full-speed-ahead/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/15/fords-drive-one-campaign-moving-full-speed-ahead/
One must give Ford credit for at trying a bold and distinctive style, even if its a touch garish on some products *cough* Focus *cough*]]>Apr 15th 2008 5:10PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/15/fords-drive-one-campaign-moving-full-speed-ahead/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/15/fords-drive-one-campaign-moving-full-speed-ahead/
Which ones you are talking about, I am interested in reading them. BTW, that TGW one is Ford paid.

In any case, there are way too many white Americans who seriously dislike Ford (for real reasons or percevied one), at least that's what I've noticed whenever I travel outside MI. ]]>Apr 15th 2008 5:09PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/15/fords-drive-one-campaign-moving-full-speed-ahead/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/15/fords-drive-one-campaign-moving-full-speed-ahead/
Yeah, that's a brilliant idea because it has worked so well in the past and currently. Saturn is the U.S. Opel and what has Saturn done? Over a 30% drop in sales. Never mind the Mondeo and other companies that have tried to imprt cars directly from other markets here.

The people who call for that do not seem to get that the U.S. market has VERY different tastes than Europe. For better or worse its the way it is but so many seem very short sighted and don't understand that. Just because a 100 or so people on Autoblog like the Euro cars doesn't mean a damn thing because this blog is a microscopic portion of the car buying public.

But I am sure this blog will be full of the cries.

Aside from that, Farley has shown he has what it takes to be a real leader for Ford. He listens to the consumer and he listens to the dealers, something Ford refused to do for years! That is huge because the dealer is often where the consumer voices their opinion, not Ford directly.]]>Apr 15th 2008 4:56PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/15/fords-drive-one-campaign-moving-full-speed-ahead/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/15/fords-drive-one-campaign-moving-full-speed-ahead/Apr 15th 2008 5:35PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/15/fords-drive-one-campaign-moving-full-speed-ahead/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/15/fords-drive-one-campaign-moving-full-speed-ahead/
I've asked a couple of Saturn people (couples in their 50's that bought Saturns because of the service (the dealer's on the opposite side of the town, so that means a lot to me when I take comments from my parents regarding the distance of the dealers (reason why my mom hasn't been buying Mazdas) into account), they say they can finally recommend the new stuff. :V And now they have cars for everyone too.

We'll see, but I'm under the impression that the clear GM link and the Relay thing didn't do them earlier favors.

... Man, I remember Lutz trying to avoid talking about the rebadged minivans when he got the job, lol (video's available on Youtube)... Meant a lot to me.

But yes, typically, Euros haven't been doing too well here, mainly for pricing reasons. Americans just aren't used to paying a premium for small cars... Let alone SATURNS (they're not playing on the Opel heritage enough, seriously). But let's just say that Saturn's been going through a lot of marketing mishaps lately. :\ All this to simply say that I don't believe the lineup is the issue...

I played the Opel card on one of my 'hurrr I hate GM' acquaintances regarding the Astra and suddenly he gained interest in it... IMO, they should just kill Saturn as a brand and call it Opel (wouldn't say the same thing about Pontiac to Holden for a number of reasons, though). It sounds fresh, the logo's fresh and it doesn't remind you of their plastic-mobiles from the 90's... Or the 'only women drive these' image it has in... Well, at least where I live, I don't know about south of the border... I know that statistically speaking though, it's unfortunately (it's only a problem image-wise, something I don't PERSONALLY care about) true.

... Okay, moving on...]]>Apr 15th 2008 5:21PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/15/fords-drive-one-campaign-moving-full-speed-ahead/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/15/fords-drive-one-campaign-moving-full-speed-ahead/
I live 35 miles outside of Detroit in prime GM country with a major Saturn dealer just 15 miles away and have yet to see one Astra. The Astra has been out for a couple months and I have seen zero yet have seen three Ponitac G8's. So if GM can call the Malibu a "runaway success" just a few months in then I can call the Astra a flop. Maybe time will tell but so far its hard to argue that Saturn is successful with its Euro lineup.]]>Apr 15th 2008 10:03PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/15/fords-drive-one-campaign-moving-full-speed-ahead/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/15/fords-drive-one-campaign-moving-full-speed-ahead/Apr 15th 2008 11:49PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/15/fords-drive-one-campaign-moving-full-speed-ahead/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/15/fords-drive-one-campaign-moving-full-speed-ahead/
If their vehicles have same or better quality than some of the quality leaders' vehicles than people will automatically start talking about it and eventually they will see the perception of their reputation chanigng in positive direction. It wil take time, there is nothing Ford can do. ]]>Apr 15th 2008 5:03PM