Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Report: Ford dealers say Kuga should be named Escape in U.S. - Do you agree? [w/POLL]]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/30/report-ford-dealers-say-kuga-should-be-named-escape-in-u-s-d/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/30/report-ford-dealers-say-kuga-should-be-named-escape-in-u-s-d/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/30/report-ford-dealers-say-kuga-should-be-named-escape-in-u-s-d/#commentsFiled under: , ,

2008 Ford Kuga in front, possible 2011 Ford Kuga out back - click above for high-res image gallery

Here's the skinny: Ford's current Escape is heading the way of the dodo bird. In its place will be the Kuga, a much less dowdy looking compact CUV that should compete nicely with the likes of the Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V and Hyundai Tucson. The European designed 2011 Kuga will be built here in the United States at a Louisville, Kentucky plant. All this we already know and have known for some time now.

What we don't know is what Ford will call the Kuga when it goes on sale here in 2011. Kuga is obviously one option, but so, apparently, is Escape. According to Wards Auto, Ford's domestic dealers are pushing for Escape. "I believe the Escape is a great vehicle with a great reputation and that it would be a big mistake to kill the Escape name," says one San Diego based dealer.

Others point back to Ford's decision to drop the Taurus name in favor of Five Hundred - part of the brand's strange decision to make all cars start with the letter "F" (Focus, Fusion, Five Hundred - though the Mustang never became Fustang) and all SUVs and crossovers start with the letter "E" (Edge, Escape, Explorer, Expedition, Excursion). Though, of course, reverting back to Five Hundred was supposed to drum up some long lost brand equity/nostalgia, which is the first thing CEO Alan Mulally did when he changed Five Hundred back to Taurus. Very complicated stuff, no?

So, Kuga or Escape? While there are many good arguments for Escape, here's one for Kuga - Ford's One World strategy. Simply put, rather than having one Focus for Europe and one for North America, Ford is working toward offering one global vehicle per a given segment - and that's it. And naming one car one thing for one market and one car another for another is essentially a monkey wrench in the plan. What should Ford do, and more importantly what will they do? Place your vote in our poll below and leave any further thoughts in Comments.


View Poll


Gallery: First Drive: 2008 Ford Kuga


[Source: Wards Auto]

Report: Ford dealers say Kuga should be named Escape in U.S. - Do you agree? [w/POLL] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 30 Dec 2009 15:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>2011 Ford Escape2011 Ford Kuga2011FordEscape2011FordKugablue ovalBlueOvalcar namescar namingCarNamesCarNamingEscapeFive HundredFiveHundredFordFord EscapeFord Five HundredFord KugaFord TaurusFordEscapeFordFiveHundredFordKugaFordTaurusKugaTaurusWed, 30 Dec 2009 15:29:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/19298376/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2009/12/30/report-ford-dealers-say-kuga-should-be-named-escape-in-u-s-d/19298376/article-detail.xml 19298376 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/12/630kuga_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/12/630kuga.jpg <![CDATA[STUDY: Ford owns brand loyalty in 2009; Scorned Saturn, Pontiac buyers will look outside of GM]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/10/16/study-ford-owns-brand-loyalty-in-2009-scorned-saturn-pontiac/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/10/16/study-ford-owns-brand-loyalty-in-2009-scorned-saturn-pontiac/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/10/16/study-ford-owns-brand-loyalty-in-2009-scorned-saturn-pontiac/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,



Ford buyers appear to love their cars more than customers of any other automotive brand, returning back to the American automaker when it comes time to purchase their next vehicle. According to a study by Experian Automotive, six of the top 10 vehicles for customer brand loyalty wear badges from the Blue Oval. That includes the Ford Fusion (62.4 percent), Ford Edge (57.9 percent), Ford Five Hundred/Taurus (56 percent), Ford Freestyle (51.9 percent), Ford Escape (49.4 percent) and the Ford Focus (47.57 percent).

Other vehicles making up the top 10 include the Toyota Prius (52 percent), Chevy Impala (51.7 percent), Toyota Camry (47.8 percent) and Toyota Corolla (47.56 percent). This brings up an interesting question: With the closing of automotive brands like Saturn and Pontiac, where are those buyers to turn for their next automotive purchase?

Apparently, not back to General Motors. According to Experian, Pontiac owners are most likely to look to the Ford lineup for their next car or truck and Saturn shoppers will switch to Toyota or Honda - not particularly surprising given that Saturn was meant to compete with import brands. Experian predicts that GM's overall market share will fall from 20 percent to about 17.5 percent, with most of the slack being picked up by Ford, Honda and Toyota.

[Source: Experian Automotive, USA Today]

Continue reading STUDY: Ford owns brand loyalty in 2009; Scorned Saturn, Pontiac buyers will look outside of GM

STUDY: Ford owns brand loyalty in 2009; Scorned Saturn, Pontiac buyers will look outside of GM originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 16 Oct 2009 10:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>brand loyaltyBrandLoyaltychevy impalaChevyImpalaexperianexperian automotiveExperianAutomotivefordFord Edgeford escapeFord Five Hundredford five-hundredford focusford freestyleford fusionFordEdgeFordEscapeFordFive-hundredFordFiveHundredFordFocusFordFreestyleFordFusionowner loyaltyOwnerLoyaltypontiacsaturntoyota camrytoyota carollatoyota priusToyotaCamryToyotaCarollaToyotaPriusFri, 16 Oct 2009 10:55:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/19197184/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2009/10/16/study-ford-owns-brand-loyalty-in-2009-scorned-saturn-pontiac/19197184/article-detail.xml 19197184 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/10/ford-badge_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/10/ford-badge.jpg <![CDATA[Ruh-roh: New name hasn't helped Ford Taurus sales]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/10/08/ruh-roh-new-name-hasnt-helped-ford-taurus-sales/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/10/08/ruh-roh-new-name-hasnt-helped-ford-taurus-sales/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/10/08/ruh-roh-new-name-hasnt-helped-ford-taurus-sales/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

The 2008 Ford Taurus isn't the running bull it once was or was intended to be -- at least, not yet. Combined sales of the 2007 Five Hundred and new 2008 Taurus -- with its new name, new engine and refreshed design -- were down 3.2-percent in August and a brow-raising 30.1-percent in September versus those same months in 2006.

Ford gave several reasons for the decline: last year's models came with 0-percent financing for 72 months, this year's car's come with 5.9-percent for 60 months. The company also ceased advertising during the end-of-summer clearance sales ads, thinking the car might not get proper attention amid the shouting. And, the full-sized sedan market has been soft this year as car buyers move to smaller, more fuel-efficient cars.

As of this month, an additional $500 has been added to the $1,000 in incentives for the car. Admittedly, though, the new Taurus is still being launched, since it only went on sale in July. With an eye on selling 60,000 Tauruses in the car's first year, Ford sales analyst George Pipas said "the retail sales trend is in a positive direction, and that's good."

Look for our In the Autoblog Garage review of the 2008 Ford Taurus soon.

[Source: Auto News, sub req'd]

Ruh-roh: New name hasn't helped Ford Taurus sales originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 08 Oct 2007 15:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>five hundred salesFiveHundredSalesford five hundredford five hundred salesford sales declineford sales trendsford taurusford taurus salesFordFiveHundredFordFiveHundredSalesFordSalesDeclineFordSalesTrendsFordTaurusFordTaurusSalestaurus salesTaurusSalesMon, 08 Oct 2007 15:01:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/1007909/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2007/10/08/ruh-roh-new-name-hasnt-helped-ford-taurus-sales/1007909/article-detail.xml 1007909 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2007/10/taurusnewname4_opt_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2007/10/taurusnewname4_opt.jpg <![CDATA[One of five Ford dealers saying Five Hundred instead of Taurus]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/09/18/one-of-five-ford-dealers-saying-five-hundred-instead-of-taurus/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/09/18/one-of-five-ford-dealers-saying-five-hundred-instead-of-taurus/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/09/18/one-of-five-ford-dealers-saying-five-hundred-instead-of-taurus/#commentsFiled under: ,



Ford is learning change is not always a good thing when it comes to selling cars. Ford's dealers sold Taurus' for 20 years until the company ditched that name and began selling the Five Hundred. Until February, of course, when the Five Hundred became the Taurus again. At most dealerships.

Winding Road reports that CNW Marketing shopped around and found about 20-percent of Ford salespeople still trying to sell Five Hundreds instead of the revived Taurus. And another 60-percent of the sales team usually call it a Taurus, but occasionally let slip the old name.

We agree with Winding Road that Ford needs to get a handle on this. No matter how good the product, if your sales force can't even remember the proper name, how are the buyers supposed to? Personally, when I'm shopping for a car, if I know more about the car than the the person selling it, I walk. And if they can't get the name right, how am I supposed to believe them when they tell me the Taurus is the best car available? Come on folks, you've had six months to get used to Taurus rolling off the tongue, get out there and sell some cars.

If your Ford sales staff is having trouble keeping the two names straight, feel free to print our handy Field Guide to the Ford Taurus above.

[Source: Winding Road]

One of five Ford dealers saying Five Hundred instead of Taurus originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 18 Sep 2007 09:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>five hundred name changeFiveHundredNameChangeford five hundredford taurusFordFiveHundredFordTaurusTue, 18 Sep 2007 09:25:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/991663/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2007/09/18/one-of-five-ford-dealers-saying-five-hundred-instead-of-taurus/991663/article-detail.xml 991663 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2007/09/guide_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2007/09/guide.jpg <![CDATA[Whiplash a serious problem with many vehicles, says IIHS]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/04/06/whiplash-a-serious-problem-with-many-vehicles-says-iihs/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/04/06/whiplash-a-serious-problem-with-many-vehicles-says-iihs/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/04/06/whiplash-a-serious-problem-with-many-vehicles-says-iihs/#commentsFiled under:



The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) in Arlington, Va. has just concluded testing on some 75 vehicles' head restraint systems and after performing a simulated rear-end impact of 20 MPH, only 22 of the systems received the top score of "good."

At the head of the class was Audi's A4, S4 and A6, along with the Chevy Cobalt, Ford Five Hundred (Taurus, whatever) and its Mercury counterpart, Honda's Civic, Hyundai Sonata, Jag S-Type, Kia Optima, Merc E-class, Nissan Sentra and its lesser sibling the Versa, Subaru's Impreza, Legacy and Outback, as well as Volvo's S40, S60 and S80 (no surprise).

The flunkees included the Acura TSX, BMW 5-series, Buick LaCrosse and Lucerne, Caddy CTS, DTS and STS, Chevy's Aveo, the Honda Fit and Accord, Infiniti's M35, the Jaguar X-Type, Kia Rio, Mitsubishi Galant, Pontiac's Grand Prix, plus the Toyota Avalon and Corrolla.

Considering that the IIHS estimates that the injuries sustained to the back and neck in these types of collisions costs insurance companies around $8 mbillion dollars per year, their interest in the matter is obvious. Whether or not consumers will include this in their purchasing criteria is another matter however.

[Source: IIHS]

Whiplash a serious problem with many vehicles, says IIHS originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 06 Apr 2007 09:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>5-seriesa4a6accordacuraaudiavalonaveobmwbuickcadillacchevroletchevy cobaltChevyCobaltciviccorollactsdtse-classfitford five hundredFordFiveHundredgalantgrand prixGrandPrixhondahyundaiiihsimprezainfinitijaguarkiakia optimaKiaOptimalacrosselegacylucernem45mercedes benzMercedesBenzmercurymitsubishimontegonissanoutbackpontiacrios-types4s40s60s80sentrasonatastssubarutaurustoyotatsxversavolvowhiplashx-typeFri, 06 Apr 2007 09:05:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/868552/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2007/04/06/whiplash-a-serious-problem-with-many-vehicles-says-iihs/868552/article-detail.xml 868552 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2007/04/index-whiplash-logo-01_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2007/04/index-whiplash-logo-01.jpg <![CDATA[Spy Shots: 2008 Ford Five-Hundred]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2006/12/20/spy-shots-2008-ford-five-hundred/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/12/20/spy-shots-2008-ford-five-hundred/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/12/20/spy-shots-2008-ford-five-hundred/#commentsFiled under: , ,

The eagle-eyes at KGP have spied a 2008 Ford Five Hundred with very little camoflage. What's changed? Okay, okay, they've updated the nose by adding Edge-type lights that integrate more with the grille, lessening the bug-eye effect of the current model. There are new strakes in the airdam, and the new corporate three-bar grille, but other than that this looks like a mild freshening. We're detecting perhaps a smidge more angularity in the new front end. Out back, the taillights have been revised with more clear and just accents of red. Overall, a minor freshening but a much needed one to bring the Five-Hundred in line with the new face of Ford. We've always thought it was conservatively styled, but not ugly. The revisions keep it up to date, but the addition of the new 3.5-liter V6 with more power will no doubt pick up more sales than this mild facelift.


[Source: LLN]

Spy Shots: 2008 Ford Five-Hundred originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 20 Dec 2006 17:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>2008FordFord Five HundredFordFiveHundredSpy ShotsSpyShotsWed, 20 Dec 2006 17:49:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/722304/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2006/12/20/spy-shots-2008-ford-five-hundred/722304/article-detail.xml 722304 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2006/12/500-spy_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2006/12/500-spy.jpg <![CDATA[What Would Grandpa Drive? Edmunds goes 'Top 10' on pensioner's wheels]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2006/03/01/what-would-grandpa-drive-edmunds-goes-top-10-on-pensioners-w/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/03/01/what-would-grandpa-drive-edmunds-goes-top-10-on-pensioners-w/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/03/01/what-would-grandpa-drive-edmunds-goes-top-10-on-pensioners-w/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Edmunds has compiled what it considers the top ten best vehicles for senior citizens. Seniors, defined as those sixty-five and older, represent the fastest-growing segment of America's population. The article addresses the strengths and weaknesses of each vehicle as they relate to a senior's perceived needs.

The list, in alphabetic order, includes :
  • Audi A8
  • BMW 7 Series
  • Buick Lucerne
  • Chrysler 300
  • Ford Five Hundred/Mercury Montego
  • Honda Civic
  • Pontiac Montana SV6 (NOTE: The Montana is being retired by General Motors)
  • Toyota Avalon (pictured)
  • Toyota Prius
  • Toyota Sienna

Are there other vehicles you think deserve the AARP seal-of-approval?

[Source: Edmunds]

What Would Grandpa Drive? Edmunds goes 'Top 10' on pensioner's wheels originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 01 Mar 2006 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>AARPAudi A8AudiA8AvalonBuickChrysler 300Chrysler300Ford Five HundredFordFiveHundredLucerneMercury MontegoMercuryMontegoMontana SV6MontanaSv6PontiacPriusSenior CitizensSeniorCitizensSeven-SeriesSiennaToyotaWed, 01 Mar 2006 21:00:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/595391/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2006/03/01/what-would-grandpa-drive-edmunds-goes-top-10-on-pensioners-w/595391/article-detail.xml 595391 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/12/toyota2005avalon_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/12/toyota2005avalon.jpg -1 2