Ford to Only sell two cars other than their pickup's/suv

[iamsuperdan]

5 minutes ago, Atmobil said:

Oh, BTW and more on-topic. Why you guys are not getting the Ford Ranger must be a mistake. They sell loads of them over here.

2019 Ranger arrives in the fall. 

So the truck that has been available in the rest of the world for 5 years arrives here in September with only minor tweaks. Good job Ford. Bring out the brand new old truck. 

 

Pics is from the Edmonton Auto Show last weekened.

[Ace-Garageguy]

15 minutes ago, Bill J said:

Don't even get me started on self driving cars!! What a neat concept that may be workable someday but not today... Oh, and you and I have to demonstrate our driving ability and our knowledge of traffic laws before we can earn a license to drive, but they'll let someone say that their computer controlled vehicle is ready for the road? Wrong!!!

And of course, EVERYBODY knows that computer systems can't be hacked, right? And all electronic devices are 100% reliable too, right?

There WILL be a day when a node of the self-drive network goes down, due to hacking, or terrorism, or just putting too many bad-word eggs in one technical basket.

The results will turn a stretch of interstate into something like this:

                                   

 

Edited April 26, 2018 by Ace-Garageguy

[Badluck 13]

The last Ford meeting I attended in Feb this year talked about the sales growing huge in the suv and the dying in the car end,the Fusion is having its share of issues with the current Gen, the Interceptor (Taurus based) will possibly be available but just not in civilian use but also many police dept are going to the suv Interceptor ... It will be interesting to see what Ford does over the next few years after all they were prepared for when bottom that dropped out and all took the bail out but them.....time will tell

[Atmobil]

That looks very much the same as the ones we have here:

This one is a 2017 Ranger Wildtrack with a 3,2 TDCi engine, for sale now at only 457 000 kroner (thats nearly 57 400$) registered as a van with only two seats: https://www.finn.no/car/used/ad.html?finnkode=115757250

[Atmobil]

2 minutes ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

And of course, EVERYBODY knows that computer systems can't be hacked, right? And all electronic devices are 100% reliable too, right?

There WILL be a day when a node of the self-drive network goes down , due to hacking, or terrorism, or just putting too bad-word many eggs in one technical basket.

The results will turn a stretch of interstate into something like this:

                                   

 

Yeah, computers never do anything wrong, they always work perfectly
I know that as a fact since I have worked in IT (back when dinosaurs roamed the earth and we used Windows XP)

[Ace-Garageguy]

Somehow, I don't think ol' Henry F. would be all that impressed with how the company is run these days.

 

[iamsuperdan]

28 minutes ago, Atmobil said:

That looks very much the same as the ones we have here:

This one is a 2017 Ranger Wildtrack with a 3,2 TDCi engine, for sale now at only 457 000 kroner (thats nearly 57 400$) registered as a van with only two seats: https://www.finn.no/car/used/ad.html?finnkode=115757250

It is!

Same truck, with different engines and some tech added to the interior. Otherwise, we're getting five year old truck. 

 

31 minutes ago, Badluck 13 said:

The last Ford meeting I attended in Feb this year talked about the sales growing huge in the suv and the dying in the car end,the Fusion is having its share of issues with the current Gen, the Interceptor (Taurus based) will possibly be available but just not in civilian use but also many police dept are going to the suv Interceptor ... It will be interesting to see what Ford does over the next few years after all they were prepared for when bottom that dropped out and all took the bail out but them.....time will tell

Ford ahs done that before. The Crown Vic was discontinued for the masses, but was available as the police interceptor only for a few years.  Maybe they'll do that again with the Taurus?

As I said, and you said, the SUV Interceptor is popular, and if Ford are really looking to cut costs, then they should go purely SUV for the police vehicles.

 

 

[Rob Hall]

6 minutes ago, iamsuperdan said:

It is!

Same truck, with different engines and some tech added to the interior. Otherwise, we're getting five year old truck. 

 

Better than the previous Ranger...it was ancient when it was finally discontinued...

[Badluck 13]

3 minutes ago, iamsuperdan said:

It is!

Same truck, with different engines and some tech added to the interior. Otherwise, we're getting five year old truck.

 

Ford ahs done that before. The Crown Vic was discontinued for the masses, but was available as the police interceptor only for a few years.  Maybe they'll do that again with the Taurus?

As I said, and you said, the SUV Interceptor is popular, and if Ford are really looking to cut costs, then they should go purely SUV for the police vehicles.

 

 

In Ford the Taurus and Interceptor are considered two different vehicles and are labeled as such so in thinking like you mentioned on the CV Ford will probably do the same with the Interceptor or that's how I understood it at the meeting in February.

[mikemodeler]

1 hour ago, Bill J said:

I think, and it is just my opinion not based on any data from anywhere, that front wheel drive cars are the real problem. It can be a so called crossover, or a SUV or a passenger sedan, if it is front wheel drive it is a self destructive vehicle. I know that FWD has some advantages in certain conditions. Overall though, I think FWD is rough riding, steers weird and the biggest problem of all, FWD vehicles are too expensive to maintain and repair. You hardly ever see a FWD vehicle last very many years. Something breaks and they get scrapped.

 

Not to get into a battle over who knows what, but as a person who has spent the last 37 years working on and around automobiles, I will object to your statement I have highlighted above. Last year I worked for Honda on their airbag inflator recall campaign that targeted 2001- 2003 Honda Accords and Civics and there still millions of them on the road. Many had over 150,000 miles on the odometer but people were still driving them. Today I work for a parts company and I can tell you that many of our top selling parts fit vehicles that are 6 years old and older, a testament to the quality of Asian vehicles. The majority of them are FWD and if regular maintenance is performed, these cars will easily go 15-20 years and 300,00 miles or more.

I respect your opinion, but research some facts before blaming a chassis design that has been around since the 60's and has proven to be reliable and efficient.

[mikemodeler]

54 minutes ago, iamsuperdan said:

 

Take that sign off the roof and at first glance I would say that was a Toyota Tacoma. Styling today has become so bland and yet whatever they produce we buy!

 

[Bill J]

I was not really addressing Asian made vehicles in my FWD statement. I believe that the Asian successes are the reason all of the US makers began making FWD cars. While it is common for a Toyota or Honda to last 10 years or more, it is also pretty common to see domestic FWD cars get scrapped because of some $3500 replacement of a transmission that makes the cost too great to pay. Not to argue, I just know what I see in my experience. Just as you do.

[iamsuperdan]

3 minutes ago, mikemodeler said:

Take that sign off the roof and at first glance I would say that was a Toyota Tacoma. Styling today has become so bland and yet whatever they produce we buy!

 

It's bland and boring, and you feel like you've seen it before. It's because you have! THat design has been around for years now, everywhere but here.

 

[High octane]

17 hours ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

I've loved my share of Fords over the years, but the last one I drove, a brand new rental Fiesta (in 2015), felt unnecessarily heavy, rode like an old truck, and didn't handle particularly well. Of course, it had all kinds of useless "tech" bells and whistles that have absolutely NOTHING to do with actual driving.

My friend's 2005 Neon with 120,000 miles on the clock is a MUCH more fun car to drive. It's quick, nimble, and feels like a light sports car.

Yes today's cars and trucks have a LOT of useless "tech" bells and whistles as I've owned my truck for two years now and still don't know how to operate everything, and not really interested either. Cars of the 60's had 10 or 15 knobs, levers, and buttons and seemed to work just fine as a means of transportation.

[High octane]

18 minutes ago, mikemodeler said:

Take that sign off the roof and at first glance I would say that was a Toyota Tacoma. Styling today has become so bland and yet whatever they produce we buy!

 

Yes i saw that new Ranger at the Chicago Auto Show this year, and it does like a foreign make. I'll stick with my F-150.

[Eshaver]

6 hours ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

This is the problem.

Americans, in general, don't give a bad-word about fuel economy, as long as gas is relatively cheap here. They're mostly fat now, and they buy big fat vehicles. They are very short-sighted in general, and the ones who DO get on the environmental bandwagon usually do it with virtue-signalling vehicles in the Prius genre (never mind that an older Neon or Toyota or Honda is vastly more efficient in overall life-cycle-energy-cost and true environmental impact).

Remember...less than 20% of US drivers are now capable of driving a manual gearbox. This hardly bodes well for the "cognoscenti" getting any really cool little cars over the long haul.

Bill, first off , Ford NO LONGER  even makes their own manual gear boxes any longer , Mazda does for them . Second , Americans no longer want to shift their own gears . Thats why GM Hydra MATIC was invented . My two Ford trucks both have Ford built , Ford manufactured manual transmissions . Getting parts for the 53 , dang NEAR IMPOSSIBLE! The 78, weeeeellll , bad enough ....

[Rob Hall]

3 hours ago, Eshaver said:

Bill, first off , Ford NO LONGER  even makes their own manual gear boxes any longer , Mazda does for them . 

Actually, the manual in the Mustang is made by the German firm Getrag.  It's pretty normal today for automakers to source components like transmissions from outside suppliers. My Detroit-built Jeep has a ZF transmission, for example. 

[espo]

I think Ford is chasing the current "Trend" and not thinking that anything will change, so they're going to discontinue some fairly good product because they aren't making enough money. I agree from a business view they can't keep selling any car at a loss, but why are they losing money on that product. I have heard that Ford thinks it has to many chassis that can't expand or contract to go under their different cars. Wouldn't it be best to redesign their chassis so that can better adapt to different car lines ? Other manufactures have done this and it has lowered their cost on several different car lines and they went on about their business and made a profit. I realize that many are buying the big SUVs and Crossovers today but gas has been relatively inexpensive, however in the last few weeks that has changed to where we are spending more now that a few years ago when everyone wanted out of the big rigs and get something less expensive to operate.  If this happens again, and I think that it will, then Ford is going to sitting on product that people will no longer want and have nothing in the pipe line they would be interested in. I think Ford, and any other manufacture for that matter need to take a hard long look at their internal cost to produce their product and figure out how to offer a quality vehicle with a price that they can still make money but more importantly be at a competitive price point in the market place. The bottom line in my opinion, for what its worth, Ford may find themselves in a position that they have nothing to sell that people want to buy at that time. For Ford to starts from ground zero to design and develop say small or mid sized cars because that's they way the market may go, it would take 3 to 4 years to put something in the showroom and buy then their back chasing the market again. I think in the end Ford will find they have shot themselves in the foot.    

[Ace-Garageguy]

43 minutes ago, espo said:

... I think Ford, and any other manufacture for that matter need to take a hard long look at their internal cost to produce their product and figure out how to offer a quality vehicle with a price that they can still make money but more importantly be at a competitive price point in the market place. That basic philosophy, though it sounds simple and self-evident, is what got ol' Henry himself in a position to pretty much invent the American automobile industry. The bottom line in my opinion, for what its worth, Ford may find themselves in a position that they have nothing to sell that people want to buy at that time. Ol' Henry also found himself in that self-same position when he steadfastly held on to the idea that the Model T was always going to sell well, and that product development wasn't particularly necessary. The Model A was the result, but it was more a stopgap measure, before newer more modern cars could be developed. For Ford to starts from ground zero to design and develop say small or mid sized cars because that's they way the market may go, it would take 3 to 4 years to put something in the showroom and buy then their back chasing the market again. I think in the end Ford will find they have shot themselves in the foot. Every major manufacturer has probably been there at some time or other. Funny how history runs in circles, and that those who choose to ignore it often seem to be doomed to repeat it. 

There are two ways to run a business. You can LEAD the market, be the guys who START the trends, and reap the sales if the idea takes off...like the original Mustang (where you also run the risk of creating an Edsel), or you can FOLLOW the market...perceived as the safer approach, which is what the vast majority of companies do, and which explains why so many bland look-alike vehicles are everywhere, and why you also get wretched-excesses of gimmicky styling trying desperately to set essentially cookie-cutter vehicles apart from each other.

It probably WOULD make sense for the US makers to leave the small-to-midsize cars to the Asians, who do that end of the market VERY well, while focusing on their own established (recent) core strengths, with some REAL CREATIVE EFFORT put into coming up with the next "big thing".

It would also help the US auto industry immeasurably to get the Fed out of the boardroom, but the whole camel is in the tent now, and there's probably no going back.

Edited April 27, 2018 by Ace-Garageguy

[slusher]

I was listening to the radio and Chevy plans on getting rid of the impala but thanks to my son I missed the rest.

[Classicgas]

On 4/25/2018 at 11:33 PM, niteowl7710 said:

Well 10 years ago Ford didn't make a F-150 with a 325HP 2.7 V-6 backed by a 10 speed transmission that gets 25+MPG.  You actually have to hunt around and ask to get a V-8 F-150 these days, since there's also the 3.5 Turbo V-6 as an engine option before the 5.0 V-8.  All the SUVs and crossovers are using 4cyl or some form of the EcoBoost V-6. Even the Expedition only comes with the Twin-Turbo 6cyl.

The way most people around here drive trucks and suv's they don't get that kind of mileage.

[Classicgas]

12 hours ago, iamsuperdan said:

2019 Ranger arrives in the fall. 

So the truck that has been available in the rest of the world for 5 years arrives here in September with only minor tweaks. Good job Ford. Bring out the brand new old truck. 

 

Pics is from the Edmonton Auto Show last weekened.

Useless. What can you carry in that?

[PARTSMARTY]

12 hours ago, High octane said:

Yes today's cars and trucks have a LOT of useless "tech" bells and whistles as I've owned my truck for two years now and still don't know how to operate everything, and not really interested either. Cars of the 60's had 10 or 15 knobs, levers, and buttons and seemed to work just fine as a means of transportation.

Couldn't agree more and i just retired from the auto parts business after 46 years and so many changes it's amazing.

[mikemodeler]

Don't be surprised if in the next 5-7 years if there isn't some consolidation of vehicle manufacturers globally. Our big 3 enjoy selling SUVs and Pickups here in the US but cannot sell small cars, while in many parts of the rest of the world, small cars are top sellers.

[Pat Minarick]

Ford has a class  action lawsuit against them for all 2011 to 2016 Fiesta and Focus with the PowerShot transmission.  First Ford I ever bought , will never buy another . I started complaining about the way it shifted the first month I had it. Ford told me I was driving wrong , that every time I slowed down I had to come to a complete stop to let the transmission to completely down shift. Kind of hard to completely stop in the middle of the highway to let it downshift. Should make for a fun ride to work.  They replaced the clutches twice ( dual clutches) and the TCM 8or 9 times.  It's Still not right .  They are trying to make Ford buy them back, or pay 6 thousand dollars and reimbursed for any expenses.