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Trouble for Ford?

December 28, 2009 /

Is this writer from Car and Driver out of touch or does he see something we don’t? Ford is starting to get into gear but he sees things with their product line that could spell trouble.

The Ford Escape may be selling well, but just came in bottom of the heap (as a nearly identical Mercury Mariner) in our latest small SUV comparison test. The Ford Fusion is solid, but it’s not a Honda Accord or a Mazda6. The Ford Flex and the Edge are merely OK. The Taurus and SHO? Ho-hum, and a packaging disaster. The Focus is well past its sell by-date. Only the Fusion hybrid and the Mustang are top of their classes. As for the Lincoln lineup, the MKT is way too expensive, while the MKS is overpriced and underbaked.

OUCH!!!

From Car and Driver:

I’m not quite sure when the media collectively decided that Ford is the only American car company that knows what it’s doing, but it’s certainly the prevailing wisdom right now. A Detroit News editorial by Bryce G. Hoffman summed up the sentiment: “But the Dearborn automaker also scored major points with American consumers by foregoing a federal bailout and avoiding bankruptcy. That good will, together with a strong lineup of new cars and trucks, meant Ford fell neither as far nor as fast as the rest of the industry.”

Read the full article here.


Photo from fOTOGLIF

New Cars, News

Ford expects Volvo deal with Geely

December 23, 2009 /

This is good news for Ford as they will finally move on from the disastrous “Premium Automotive Group” dream of years gone by! But the bigger news in the aggressive Chinese auto firms that include Volvo suitor Geely Automotive. The Volvo move is another round of the Chinese building distribution in the North American market that should pay off big time when they hit the ground running. This whole market will change once the Chinese arrive!

From the Detroit News:

Ford Motor Co. today said it is close to finalizing a deal to sell its Swedish luxury brand, Volvo, to China’s Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co.

In a statement released this morning, the Dearborn automaker confirmed that “all substantive commercial terms relating to the potential sale of (Volvo) have been settled,” but added that “some work still remains to be completed before signing — including final documentation, financing and government approvals.”

Geely released its own statement today — one that sought to reassure Volvo employees and the Swedish government.

Read the full article here.

New Cars

GM hires Chris Liddell as new finance chief

December 21, 2009 /

The General makes an aggressive move here! Best of luck to Mr. Liddell and hopes that he can be part of an American comeback story. Next in line: A new CEO!!

From Detroit Free Press:

General Motors Co. said today it has hired the former chief financial officer of Microsoft Corp. as its new CFO, a key part of GM’s plan to rebuild its finances following bankruptcy.

Quantcast

Chris Liddell, a native of New Zealand whose background includes an engineering degree, had worked as Microsoft’s CFO since May 2005. In announcing his departure last month, Microsoft said Liddell wanted to “expand his career beyond being a CFO.”

Liddell, 51, will start with GM in January. GM’s current CFO Ray Young is transferring to a new job in international operations.

Read the full article here.


Photo from fOTOGLIF

News

Six insurgent automakers outmaneuvering “Big Three”

December 21, 2009 /

These six insurgent automakers are outmaneuvering the “Big Three” to shape the future of the automobile. No one knows what the future holds, but some great ideas are coming out of this last recession and near collapse of the domestic auto industry. Will any of these companies ever become household names?

From Money.CNN.com:

Paul Guzyk and Daniel Sherwood are computer geeks who co-founded 3Prong Power, a Berkeley business that transforms standard Toyota Priuses into all-electric green machines.

In 1999, Guzyk moved to California and rediscovered an old passion for cars after tinkering with a Prius. He found that in many ways the Toyota hybrid was more like a computer than an automobile. Notably, it ran on recognizable computer standards similar to those found in an office network.

“I found that modifying the Prius is like getting your computer to do what you want it to do,” says Guzyk.

Read the full article here.

New Cars, News

2010 Mustang Unleashed – Mustang Spellbinder

December 17, 2009 /

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I was pretty excited when Mustang invited me to experience the last installment of the Mustang Unleashed campaign in Las Vegas for Dashboard News and Bullz-Eye.com. We stayed at Planet Hollywood on the Las Vegas Strip and were witnesses for an incredible illusion.

The 10th experience of the Mustang Unleashed campaign featured famous Las Vegas magician Steve Wyrick, who regularly performs at Planet Hollywood. We met Steve the night of the event and he peaked our interest right away with some incredible illusions as we enjoyed our drinks around the dinner table.

We also met world champion drifter Vaughn Gittin Jr., who kicked off Ford Mustang’s ‘10 Unleashed campaign by taking the American muscle car to the streets of Japan to drift the streets where drifting was born. Vaughn is a Mustang fanatic and he was pretty pumped about his role in Steve’s plans. As a Mustang fanatic you can always find a way to upgrade your Mustang with different parts online.

Ford and Wyrick shut down the Las Vegas strip to perform what was one of Wyrick’s biggest illusions yet. In front of Planet Hollywood in the middle of the night, Wyrick shackled himself in the middle of the Las Vegas strip and asked Vaughn to come racing down the street in the 2010 Mustang and slam into him. Check out the video below and you can see what happened next. Vaughn’s driving alone was a site the see, but that just set the stage for Wyrick’s big surprise. I have to admit it was just as spectacular seeing it live. The crowd that waited late into the night to see it wasn’t disappointed.

This was the last of 10 dream Mustang experiences Ford brought to life this year with the Mustang ‘10 Unleashed campaign. Famous drifter Vaughn Gittin Jr. slid sideways around Japan, consumer Roger Keeney drove blindly, 18-year-old consumer Derek Murrell drag raced his high school shop teacher, Queen Latifah hit the track with NASCAR racing phenom Colin Braun and Los Angeles resident Daniel Verlarde got inked and customized his own 2010 Ford Mustang. Videos were created for each event and you can see them here.

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Ford, New Cars, Racing, Sports Cars, Video

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