Looks like GM isnt the only one in financial trouble
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4604076.stm
Some day Ford and GM will realize that the only thing that's going to save them is building desirable cars. As long as they keep fumbling around with Impalas and Five Hundreds they will continue on their skid
[COLOR="Magenta"]I heard a rumor that people like trucks.[/COLOR]
[COLOR="Red"]QUICK! Shut down all the car plants and convert them to building only huge fricking trucks... 6000lbs of double-cab, extended-box, 4x4, dualie-rear-tired monsters. That will get granny into the showroom.[/COLOR] :shakehead :wtf:
I thought the Five Hundred was doing decently? Monthly sales are virtually on par with the "hot" Chrysler 300 (12,453 (http://"http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=21388&make_id=trust") vs. 12,647 (http://"http://sev.prnewswire.com/auto/20051201/DETH02601122005-1.html"))
I have faith that Ford is on the right track. The F150 is still the king of trucks, the Fusion/Milan is selling well, the Five Hundred/Montego is regarded by many as the safest car on the road, GM/Chrysler will be 4-5 years late with their muscle cars, and it looks like Bill Ford is giving some serious thought to the revival (http://"http://www.blueovalnews.com/index.php?categoryid=12&p2_articleid=93") of the Lincoln brand.
Yeah I think Bill is the right man to run that company. Ford is not in dire straits yet and they can still turn it around.
I dunno how much it's selling elsewhere, but I know that around here you can't walk across a parking lot without tripping over several 300's, while I have seen exactly two Five Hundreds on the road since they made their debut (and oddly enough, both were in the same parking lot). I also know that in comparison tests the Five Hundred finishes consitently last due to its lack of power and refinement compared to the puppiesanese (and even Koreans). It's not that the Five Hundred is bad, it's that it was rushed to market before the drivetrain it should've gotten (3.5 V6, six-speed auto) was ready. That drivetrain would've at least put it on equal footing with its competitors...
I also have seen 2 500's in my area. One probably needs to travel to predominantly Ford-safe areas in the U.S. (Cleveland, Detroit, Atlanta) to see lots of them. In 1996 I took a road trip to Atlanta, from Ohio, and once you got outside of my area it was astounding how few GM cars were seen. I saw ONE F-body on the whole trip. So in certain parts of the country, the 500 and all the other Ford offerings are probably doing better than we realize. But that kind of sucks in a way, because it shows how prejudiced car buyers can be in some parts of the U.S. It's like, they stick with what they know, and don't jump to other brands or models. The only way U.S. carmakers will success is to offer something that crosses over all boundaries. That's exactly what the 1986 Taurus did. And I don't see anything coming up that is going to break the current mold. Hopefully the Fusion will at least get its foot in the door. Speaking of those...I've seen about half a dozen. Still many more Focus owners out there.
Here's one I don't understand. I thought the 500 was the Taurus replacement (RIP), but then I've also heard that the Fusion is the Taurus replacement. Which one is right? Isn't the Fusion a lot bigger than a Focus? The Focus is still a relatively young model compared to a Taurus. It shouldn't be needing an entirely revamped replacement. Is the Focus on its way out? It seems like one of those models (500 or Fusion) should not be necessary. If I had to guess, I'd say that the Fusion will be the more successful car. They sure are promoting it more than they did the 500.
A couple years ago when Chevy came back out with the butt-ugly Malibu, I had barely seen even one on the road and I read that it was the #1 selling domestic vehicle or something of that nature. I asked, "so where are they all?". It even took a while for me to start seeing the new Gen Mustangs, and they were already bragging about record Mustang sales. I guess it does matter where you live.
Least we aint this bad
Toyota looks to overtake gm (http://"http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4544742.stm")
The 500 may be selling well compared to the 300, but what about against the Toyota Camry or Honda Accord?
Good point. And one that's about to get even pointier, since a new Camry is due, and they claim to have put much more effort into de-blandifying the hot seller.
http://www.toyotanation.com/photos/showphoto.php/photo/5177
Kinda looks like a mazda 6
Which isn't a bad thing, IMO.
Not sayin it is, tho i would buy a six before this kinda goes back to brand loyalty. Yeah i know people really dont have that anymore its just im the kind of guy.
There's alot of Taurus out there...cant keep them on the used car lots, the taurus is going into fleet sales...until like 2010...so there will still be used taurus for awhile, if they were all eliminated the 500/fusion would sell better...hard to beat a 20 year rep
If i'm correct (which is usually never the case!), the Fusion/Milan is Ford's replacement for the Taurus/Sable which they will stop making soon (the last Sable was made last year). The Fusion/Milan size puts it between the Focus (compact) and the Five Hundred (full-size). Ford hopes it will go head to head with the Camry and the Accord.
A fairer comparison to the Five Hundred would be the Toyota Avalon, also a full-sized car. Toyota sold 9,020 Avalons last August, which was a 200 percent increase over 2004. So in terms of straight number of units sold for the Five Hundred, Ford seems to still be doing fine.
I'm surpized Honda doesn't out sell Toyota. Have you seen the Acura TL? My mom owns one and I picked it out over the yota avalon. They were both price about the same, toyota was boring as hell and the acura was, hands down, the best between the two. I'm talking about '04 models so maybe I might be wrong, but Honda seems to offer a lot better (power, price, style) cars than Toyota.
IMHO
TL>Avalon
Accord>Camrey
Civic>Whatever Toyota's answer is to that class.
A guy I work with just bought an 06 TL fully loaded. VERY nice car!
before they came out i went to a dealer he said a fusion is a lil smaller then a taurus and the 500 is a lil bigger so i dont think anything replaced it i look at the fusion as more of the contour replacement.
20TH anny 5.0,
The Fusion/Milan cars ARE basically re-skinned Mazda 6's. They ride on the Mazda 6 chassis, and maybe share powerplants. This is all according to Car & Driver. So, yeah, they do look a lot like them, which I also agree is not a bad thing. That's why I think they will be more successful than the 500.
I had completely forgot about the Contour. I guess the Fusion is its replacement, and the 500 replaces (in theory) the Taurus.
Fordman3