Ford CFO says most of line-up to be refreshed in 3 years, equates cars to donuts
2010 Ford Fiesta – Click above for high-res image gallery
Ah, cars and donuts – two of our favorite subjects together at last. According to Lewis Booth, Ford's chief financial officer and the man now charged with giving us a serious case of the munchies:
Analogy aside, Booth's point is that Ford will refresh between 70 and 90 percent of its lineup by volume in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Africa by 2012. The Blue Oval's product renaissance is largely made possible by an increase in global platform sharing measures that are on track to save the automaker billions of dollars per year and cut engineering costs in half.We're going to have fresh products. I don't know – what's the world's best doughnut? (Ford's vehicles) are going to be the Krispy Kremes of the world.
Oh, and for the record, we'll take our donuts from Dunkin' along with a steaming cup o' Joe.
Gallery: Ford Fiesta in NYC
[Source: Detroit News]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Matt 5:37PM (8/06/2009)
Good. This will give them plenty of chances to figure out how to make their products attractive, desirable, and exciting.
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Paul 5:48PM (8/06/2009)
Ever seen anything in the European lineup? GREAT cars. Well that's what we're finally getting. Cars like the Fiesta, Focus, Modeo and Kuga could actually make Ford a player again.
Hard to believe, I'm sure, but they're that good.
Matt 5:56PM (8/06/2009)
Yeah, the European products are great (although the Fiesta has the wrong name is is very ugly inside and out).
I wish Ford would ditch our terrible Focus, Fusion, Escape and Taurus for the MUCH BETTER Euro Focus, Mondeo, Kuga, and Australian Falcon.
But no...we get a goofy, useless van from Turkey.
Rich 8:06PM (8/06/2009)
Erm, the Transit Connect is your new F-150. It's definitely prettier than *that* heap, and infinitely more practical.
"Off road capability" be damned. Do you think the rest of the world doesn't have building sites?
Taglane 5:36PM (8/06/2009)
Oh kewl- it's gonna be like the 50's again!
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Taglane 5:39PM (8/06/2009)
Um... To clarify what I just said, I mean it as back in like the 50's (and maybe before idk) there'd be a thoroughly refreshed model every couple of years or so. Seemed kinda cool.
BigMcLargeHuge 5:39PM (8/06/2009)
mmm.... Krispy Kremes....
....
...
..
.
Wait. what were we talking about?
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geo.stewart 9:42PM (8/06/2009)
seriously, Dunkin's are best as a brand but the absolute best doughnut is a hot glazed KK fresh off the line.
Stuart 11:25PM (8/06/2009)
It's tough to be a hot, fresh off the conveyor Krispy Kreme, but when I need a perfect cake donut or maple bar, Top Pot is the only way to go :D
katatonics 5:43PM (8/06/2009)
Good call on the Dunkin'.
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Luis 5:46PM (8/06/2009)
Didn't KK go bankrupt? They tried and failed to grow here in the northeast. Ford can't be a regional player. They really do need to be the DD of cars. Ubiquitous, reliable and inexpensive.
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Jeff Banks 5:49PM (8/06/2009)
Dunkin Donuts bombed in the SoCal market. We still get loads of their advertising, though.
Farmboy 6:15PM (8/06/2009)
Dunkin' bombed horribly in central Indiana, but now they made an absolutely HUGE comeback and are extremely popular. Dunkin' is good, but there is a local shop near where I live that makes the BEST DONUTS EVER!!!
jv2k 6:33PM (8/06/2009)
Krispy Kreme was crap compared to Dunkin Donuts. Everything they had had that crunchy sugar glaze and the donuts were smaller.
DD>KK
epilonious 9:25AM (8/07/2009)
Krispy Kreme makes the best fresh donuts but they go stale in a day or two.
Dunkin Donuts keep the best, but they are the same consistency at day 1 as they are at day 4, which is a bit creepy... and if you try and get a specific type of donuts from a DD at 4:00 PM you are pretty much SOL.
Thus, if you just have a craving for donuts at 7PM and feel like you could eat 6... go to a KK factory. If you are buying a sack of donuts for a journey, go to Dunkin (assuming you are leaving before 10:00 AM)
I'll always love Krispy Kreme more simply because they glaze most everything and I prefer that. Dunkins always struck me as soft-n-sweet bagels with frosting.
MajorGeek 5:46PM (8/06/2009)
Some of you need to read the article again, not EVERY 3 years, right now he is saying that most Ford vehicles will be refreshed OVER the next 3 years. Krispy Kreme analogy was distracting and silly at best.
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A.N.E. 5:50PM (8/06/2009)
Sword cuts both ways. This can also mean that whatever you buy from Ford will be obsolete that much sooner.
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Farmboy 6:19PM (8/06/2009)
Which could incline to a lower resale value
why not the LS2LS7? 7:11PM (8/06/2009)
It cuts another way too. Another way to say what he said is "Ford CFO says most of line-up is long in the tooth, more than halfway through it's 5-year cycle".
Spin spin.
Farris 5:50PM (8/06/2009)
I wonder if the Mustang is included in that (with the new engines), or if they are going to do something big for the 2014.5 Mustang (50th anniversary)... maybe drop the live axle?
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