Excellent commentary on Ford's 'Bold Moves' strategy

With the exception of Jaguar and Volvo I think he's got it right. I personally like Volvo quite a bit. They need to reorganize Jaguar and Land Rover so that they work together and share more than engines, find a way to lower building and development costs and then the brands would run much better. They need to compete on a basis other than heritage. Give them some balls.
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Ford needs to get their mid-size Accord/Camry fighter right. With all of the badge engineering (Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan, Lincoln Zephyr & the Mazda 6? - are their any more?), Ford has spread this platform too thin. That's just 1 of their many problems. I could go on and on but I don't wan't any more con-Fusion LOL. It looks like the new Hyundai Sonata is more competition for the Accord and Camry than the Fusion... If America has to catch up with Hyundai, that will be so funny LOL.

Sell Volvo and Mazda? Two strong brands that make money and offer valuable engineering expertise? That's not bold--it's stupid.

And "re-invigorate" an out-dated, inefficient body-on-frame sedan in an era of rising gas prices? Also stupid. Ditto for trying to out-Hemi the Hemi, unless Ford's uber-Hemi turns out to be cleaner and more fuel efficient.

Some interesting ideas interspersed with the rantings of an out-of-touch musclecar enthusiast.

I bought a hyunda truck for $15 grand cuz we get cars expensive here. And the aircondition knobs came out! The Aircondition doesnt cool i took it back to the OFFICIAL Hyundai dealer. they ddint even know if they fixed it!!. My Ford Fusion is 10 times better in quality and for boring I think TOYOTA is boring. I got a great deal on the fusion. 3year warranty free inspection and TOUCH UP. 1 FREE service. HYUNDAI SUCKS

Ford needs to build a more robust line of Sedans

I own both vehicles a 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis and a 2006 Chrysler 300. I have driven both these cars on the interstate and busy New York City Traffic. The Grand Marquis is way ahead on Ride, Performance and Quality.

The Grand Marquis has Dual Piston Front Brake Calipers, Full Frame and Under-Carriage which soaks up the bumps far better than a uni-body. The Mercury also comes standard with Corning Lamps and a V8. Chrysler offer the 2.7L V6 as the standard engine(Junk)

The Mercury 4.6L V8 provides good Interstate Acceleration with 4 passengers and low to mid 20MPG, not unreasonable. The rear wheel Drive requires far less maintenance and greater durability. Since this is a Ford Engine, Parts are Cheap and easily obtainable. If you have a Lincoln Town Car, you buy a Ford Starter-same Part Number. If you own a Cadillac-you pay a premium for a Cadillac Starter.

Mercury's full-Frame allows you to Jack the car without getting out a manual to find the correct jack procedure. The frame is very forgiving.

The Mercury handles better than the Chrysler with a crisp feel in the wheel allowing the driver to feel the road. the Chrysler steering feels artificial and feels more like a Camero with stiff suspension, so you feel every bump.

The Mercury is easy to work on-battery is in front, behind the headlight, where it should be. The Chrysler Battery is under the front fender, meaning the car will have to be towed and dismantled to replace the battery(What will this cost?)

The only flaw I have found on the Mercury is the plastic Intake Manifold which tends to crack and Fail in very hot weather, spilling Coolant everywhere and disabling the car.

Mercury’s interior is roomier, but Chrysler puts the Gear Shift on a center counsel which is nicer. Mercury’s interior is richer with wood grain, Chrysler looks very cheap with ugly plastic everywhere. Chrysler Buckets are nicer compared to Mercury’s Bench seat.

The Chrysler has blind spots everywhere, and this car is difficult to drive in heavy traffic. Seeing out the rear window and sides is a challenge. Signal Lights disappear over the roof when you are turning left in an intersection. Mercury has excellent visibility all the way around. Chrysler 300 is a dog on steep hills; Mercury handles the hills with ease and at reasonable MPG Vs. Performance. Chrysler’s heating and AC controls are confusing, Mercury’s are intuitive and strait forward.

Summary: Mercury is the better value although the styling is more traditional and even a bit outdated. Chrysler styling seems to grab peoples attention, however the 300 lacks sustenance and is not very fun to drive, the 300 Feels like an economy Car, and the Mercury feels Luxurious and safe.

Mercury has refined this car over the years, but they haven't added enough new-technology to the Dashboard.

Ford should refine its 4 door sedans and go after BMW at a lower price, Like the Koreans are doing to Ford. Of course they can’t match BMW’s engineering, but they can certainly build an agile and roomy sedan at an affordable price for the masses.

Ford should outsource Their Electronics and brake Products. Put large Brembro Cross-Drilled Rotors on the 4 corners, use OEM 20” Rims with normal side walls (P255 65R 20”) standard, Make Aluminum Rims Standard and affordable. Forget about designing plasic hubcaps. Put Bright LED lighting on turn signals and Brake lights, Use Clear Lenses on the Tail Lamps, since this is a preferable look and the trend. Put in Bluetooth, Ipod Input and XM Satellite.

Make Long Wheel Base Sedans, BMW and Audi have had much success with their L-Series, as business people need rear seat roominess. Put in power points in the rear seats so business people can pug in laptops, Better Yet, put an inverter in the truck and put 110V AC in the Front and Rear Seats. Make a dashboard with a huge inset Tray for a laptop, add bars and a rubber mat to hold it in place. Make a navigation system that runs Windows, so people can import their contact’s Phone numbers and Addresses for the GPS mapping system, no one likes to spend hours imputing destinations into a car navigation system. Make the PowerPoints robust, secure them in Aluminum, not plastic that comes apart with reckless hands when tugging and removing connections. Make the interior more durable, not cheap. Put a decent rubber strip on the side to eliminate those ugly dings that cars tend to get from other people’s door swings. Put a Turbo Diesel under the hood to give good acceleration and economy. Make a 7-Speed Automatic. Make them Real-Wheel Drive for dependability and Performance, Put driving and Fog lights on as standard equipment.

Put in Bucket seats, Center console, Auto-Stick Automatic on the Center console.

Have a 3 Series, 5 Series and 7 series to hit Low to High end customers, and Size and upscale the sedan accordingly. This Series Lineup will reduce product confusion. Make this Series under 1 or 2 nameplates. It doesn’t make sense to have so many sedans under 3 different badges. Just have Mercury and Lincoln sedans. Medium and High end. Price the medium so all can afford, Make Lincoln for the enthusiast with even higher trim levels.

Bill Ford, Take some hints from Lee Iacocca, get out on the Slalom Course and walk in front of these cars as they zigzag behind you. Highlight the various features on the car, show us the Oversized Brake Rotors, show us the robust suspension and Transmition, show us the engine specs and the economy of the Diesel Engine, show us the usable interior with Blue tooth and other amenities that will make mobile computing for business people better. Show us the No Haggle Price so we know the price before we shop. Give it a stately Grill and Hood Ornament so working people don’t have to be embarrassed when we pick up a VIP. And who cares if it has a Blue Oval, if the car looks and performs with some degree of sophistication at a reasonable Price and reasonable MPG, that’s is all that counts, and they will sell like hot-cakes.

Today, everyone needs a car that has a usable interior, technology and a somewhat stately appearance so you look acceptable when arriving at work. Make it affordable to the masses.

In 1986, Ford released the Taurus. This car saved the company because it was a decent car for $13,000. I am sure they could build a much better car today at a reasonable price. They have the technology; they just lack the will as they fear risk and possible failure of thinking outside the box.