Ford hurting Financially

[Nate1]

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2006/01/23/ap2467552.html

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,182457,00.html

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/01/23/ford.restructuring.ap/index.html
(all are mostly the same ap story)


Things aren't exactly looking like a bed of roses.

 

[retiredsparky]

auto companies created their own downfall.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Here is a link that says Ford is cutting 25,000-30,000 jobs by 2012: http://articles.news.aol.com/business/article.adp?id=20060123104509990001&ncid=NWS00010000000001

 

[ExplorerDMB]

It's the new trend it seems. GM isn't doing any better. I know they laid off a few people today and are suppose to close a plant (I believe). GM is possibly looking into closing down Hummer, Saab, and Buick (I hope so - they all suck except the H1s).

-Drew

 

[huskyfan23]

Heard about it this morning. That's too bad. I like most of Ford's companies, though it wouldn't upset me seeing Mercury and Mazda gone (I heard they just own part of Mazda, not sure what part they play in the manufacturing). I also don't care for Jaguar.

Is Daimler the only US company doing really well?

 

[kfkodiak]

Probably, if Daimler-Chrysler were a US company.

 

[huskyfan23]

Oh. Lol. How about I try again.

Is Chrysler the only US manufacturer doing really well?

 

[james t]

auto companies created their own downfall.

So far, the most profoundly true statement on this forum of 2006. Nail head meet hammer.


and BTW- GM is doing alot worse than FoMoCo.

 

[james t]

It's the new trend it seems. GM isn't doing any better. I know they laid off a few people today and are suppose to close a plant (I believe). GM is possibly looking into closing down Hummer, Saab, and Buick (I hope so - they all suck except the H1s).

-Drew

Actually, the H3 is a pretty badass stock offroad machine. 5 speed and a 4:1 transfer case, 33's stock, most of the crap ive seen its been top of the heap in offroad tests compared to everything else.

 

[Kris Guilbeaux]

This is the Exact reason I do not drive a foreign car. NO MATTER HOW MUCH BETTER THEY ARE OR LONGER THEY LAST. Americans need jobs too

 

[aldive]

This is the Exact reason I do not drive a foreign car. NO MATTER HOW MUCH BETTER THEY ARE OR LONGER THEY LAST. Americans need jobs too

What about the Americans that work for foreign auto makers in the US offices and plants?

 

[huskyfan23]

Too bad many "imports" are built here. That gives us jobs, but lots of the money leaves the country. I refuse to buy an Asian import. I don't like little engines and the vehicles aren't all that appealing, especially the trucks, aldive

 

[Bwana Bob]

Too bad many "imports" are built here. That gives us jobs, but lots of the money leaves the country. I refuse to buy an Asian import. I don't like little engines and the vehicles aren't all that appealing, especially the trucks, aldive

Well, with the price of fuel going up again, little engines and/or hybrids may be the wave of the future. Still, among the "cute utes", Fore Escape is more appealing to me than Honda CRV (I won't even mention the Honda Element or Toyota RAV4, yuk! :thumbdwn: ) It seems that the Japanese styling and overall design is clearly intended to appeal to a different consumer culture.

Its sad that Ford is having trouble competing, though part of the problem is the cost ofthe union benefits.

But, my Explorer is 13 years old with 189,000 miles on it, so Ford must have done something right!



Bob

 

[Kris Guilbeaux]

They are still a Foreign based Company. Which the money still goes over seas.

Maybe I am old fashioned but I am truely and always will be a Ford owner only. I have my Brand and I am Sticking too it

What about the Americans that work for foreign auto makers in the US offices and plants?

 

[aldive]

Maybe I am old fashioned but I am truely and always will be a Ford owner only. I have my Brand and I am Sticking too it

You are not the only one, my friend. My blood runs red, white, and Ford Blue.

 

[rookieshooter]

GM lost $35,000/min. in the last quarter.

 

[Rick]

WASHINGTON DC, Jan. 26 – In light of the challenges facing the U.S. auto industry, some have speculated that bankruptcy—and a bail out by the federal government—are only a matter of time.

At Ford, that couldn’t be further from our minds. We plan to compete and win by driving American innovation and building cars that consumers want.

President Bush said yesterday that no one in the industry had approached the government about a bailout. He's right. "Ford has not asked for – and is not interested in – a government bailout," said Dan Brouillette, Vice President, Governmental Affairs.

As we announced this week, our 2005 earnings yielded $2 billion in profits, which distinguishes us from some of our competitors.

But we’re certainly not content with our place in the market. We’ve launched an ambitious Way Forward plan that will lead to profitability in the North American market by 2008.

"There are many partnerships we can undertake with government -- from alternative energy research to worker re-training to enforcing our trade laws -- but a bailout is not one of them," said Brouillette.

We were the first American automaker to produce a hybrid and the first automaker in the world to put a hybrid SUV on the road. We’ll produce 250,000 ethanol-fueled vehicles this year alone and 250,000 hybrids by 2010.

We're dramatically restructuring our company – and our culture. As we follow this path forward, we are confident that the design and quality of our vehicles and the profits they will yield will speak for themselves.

 

[F14CRAZY]

Someone predicts that GM and/or Ford will be owned by a Japanese company within 5 years

 

[Stephen]

This is the Exact reason I do not drive a foreign car. NO MATTER HOW MUCH BETTER THEY ARE OR LONGER THEY LAST. Americans need jobs too

But settling for an inferior product simply because its built by Americans is ultimately self defeating. What we want is for American cars to be appealing again. They've made great progress, but it may wind up being too late.

Its a free market economy, American carmakers are hurt by decades of poor quality products that yielded bad consumer reputation, stupid agreements with fleet companies that decimated their product's resale value, and now by these awesomely huge pension obligations the unions raped them into agreeing to.

I went to the car show yesterday and sat in just about everything, as we always do. Ford and GM have a lot of really good and innovative models and the quality is leaps and bounds ahead of the past in terms of material quality, solidity, and fit and finish, UNTIL you sit in a Camry. The build quality and refinement of something like a Camry is still significantly better, and while the American vehicles like the Fusion and the Chrysler 300 are more interesting, the Camry ain't as boring as it used to be.

Its going to be interesting to see how things shape up. I think Ford and GM, as we know them, are living on borrowed time though. GM will wind up being widdled down cancelling marque after marque until they're bought up by some other, trimmer company. Same will happen to Ford.

 

[Rick]

Some good news...

DEARBORN, Mich., Feb. 1 – Ford Motor Company's January U.S. sales increased 2 percent compared with a year ago. Car sales increased 18 percent and truck sales declined 7 percent – continuing trends seen in 2005. Last year, Ford posted its first car sales increase since 1999.

Ford's new mid-size sedans – the Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan, and Lincoln Zephyr – continued to gain momentum. Combined sales for the trio totaled 14,714, up 25 percent compared with December. In contrast, Ford estimates U.S. industry sales declined 20 percent from December to January, reflecting historical seasonal patterns. January's sales for the new mid-size sedans translate to an annual sales rate of 220,000 – well above Ford's original estimates.

Ford's F-Series truck, America's best selling vehicle for 24 years in a row, posted January sales of 52,771 up 7 percent. Sales for most other light trucks declined.

Land Rover dealers reported record January sales of 3,693, up 34 percent. After achieving record sales in 2005, Land Rover continues to benefit from its new models – the Range Rover, Range Rover Sport, and LR3.