No Wonder GM is in trouble

[Carnut]

I kinda think Ford just happens to be building what folks want to buy.

[zzford]

About a year ago, I was talking to a recently retired Ford Exec at a car show. He said that there had been a shakeup at Fords' management and that I should watch for the changes to show up in they're products. At the time, I didn't pay too much attention. But I have seen a big change. The cars are alot nicer and the quality seems to be much better. After owning a long of GM vehicles, my next new car will probably be a Ford product.

[jaybee]

I kinda think Ford just happens to be building what folks want to buy.

That's always where the real action is, for sure.

[tomslik]

About a year ago, I was talking to a recently retired Ford Exec at a car show. He said that there had been a shakeup at Fords' management and that I should watch for the changes to show up in they're products. At the time, I didn't pay too much attention. But I have seen a big change. The cars are alot nicer and the quality seems to be much better. After owning a long of GM vehicles, my next new car will probably be a Ford product.

while i like the fact ford didn't take gov. money, i still wouldn't have one of their trucks....

[Crosley.In.AZ]

Ford did not take bail out money , so I do look at that


I had a Ford truck :  2001 Super Crew F-150.  It was a decent truck. It had short comings, so does my current 2006 Silverado crew cab 1500



Ford has produced some better product recently.  I am not in the market for a car yet unless my VW Jetta diesel car dies or is crashed.  I just installed a new Walmart battery with 3 yr free replacement to replace the failed Walmart battery that was 2 yrs and 1 month old

[jaybee]

If there's something the American companies have a real problem with it's staying focused.  They build good cars, then they throw it all away to cheap down the product in a misguided effort to increase profits.  I say misguided because the years that they build bad product it destroys any good will they've built up and they always have to sell at a lower price than some of their competitors as a result.  

There's also frequently a lack of content, as if they don't even believe they can try to compete on that level.  An example is the Ford Focus.  They've built a very effective entry in the pocket rocket category and sold it for years in Europe.  The hardware already exists, why not sell that car in the US?  Instead the usual approach was to try to cheap down the materials enough to undercut the competing Honda, for example, by enough to sell strictly on the basis of price.  Not everyone is a car guy, but nearly everyone wants to feel good in their car.  So it needs to look good, present the impression of quality, and feel good as you operate the controls.

[Crosley.In.AZ]

If there's something the American companies have a real problem with it's staying focused.  They build good cars, then they throw it all away to cheap down the product in a misguided effort to increase profits.  I say misguided because the years that they build bad product it destroys any good will they've built up and they always have to sell at a lower price than some of their competitors as a result.  

There's also frequently a lack of content, as if they don't even believe they can try to compete on that level.  An example is the Ford Focus.  They've built a very effective entry in the pocket rocket category and sold it for years in Europe.  The hardware already exists, why not sell that car in the US?  Instead the usual approach was to try to cheap down the materials enough to undercut the competing Honda, for example, by enough to sell strictly on the basis of price.  Not everyone is a car guy, but nearly everyone wants to feel good in their car.  So it needs to look good, present the impression of quality, and feel good as you operate the controls.

I tend to agree on the content of the product.  We had a 2000 Impala LS car bought new.. It have some problems , but was a good car for the money and decent MPG for the size of car.

GM brought  back some fellow to streamline operations.  I forget his name, he was an old fart, be around Detroit auto makers  a long time. First thing he did was remove content from the cars.  I remember a comment of his about :" A person is not going to decide to buy a car or not if there are no extenders on the visors.

The Jetta we currently own has several little things that most folks would not care about, but i like .  The wiper blades are moved slightly when the ignition is cycled a certain number of times.  That keeps the rubber from sitting in one position for long times.  At first I thought something was wrong with the wipers when they would move as you shut the key off.  Kinda wacky the Germans worry about that stuff

[jaybee]

Apparently he was old enough to be cranky but not old enough--or well informed enough--to realize that when GM ruled the automotve world it was because their cars were just a little bit better than everyone elses at a competitive price.  Buyers haven't changed that much, it's what we still want.

I sat in an HHR SS once.  Nice car for a people mover and 260 turbocharged horses plus wide wheels made for a sporty package, but there's no way I would've bought one and it's all down to the interior.  Everything in there looked cheap, hard plastic and wasn't any better to touch.  The seat was even comfortable, I just couldn't spend years looking at that dashboard.

[Carnut]

Well someone at GM actually let the Pontiac Aztek be produced.

Then again someone at Ford actually let the Edsel be produced so, you never know.

[unklian]

Well someone at GM actually let the Pontiac Aztek be produced.

Then again someone at Ford actually let the Edsel be produced so, you never know.

The Edsel wasn't nearly as ugly as the Aztek.

[Carnut]

Yeah, and just 4yrs after the demise of the Edsel, Ford made up for the mistake and went and produced the Mustang.

Yes, the Edsel doesn't hold a candle to the Aztek.

[Crosley.In.AZ]

Apparently he was old enough to be cranky but not old enough--or well informed enough--to realize that when GM ruled the automotve world it was because their cars were just a little bit better than everyone elses at a competitive price.  Buyers haven't changed that much, it's what we still want.

I went looking...  it was Bob Lutz I was talking about    who wacked away at content on GM stuff recently.  2002  or so?

[Carps]

Well someone at GM actually let the Pontiac Aztek be produced.

Then again someone at Ford actually let the Edsel be produced so, you never know.

The Edsel wasn't nearly as ugly as the Aztek.

The Edsel wasn't ugly at all, just misunderstood (and rushed to market before it was ready/right), the Aztek, well that's a  whole other question.  What were they thinking?

[enjenjo]

Well someone at GM actually let the Pontiac Aztek be produced.

Then again someone at Ford actually let the Edsel be produced so, you never know.

The Edsel wasn't nearly as ugly as the Aztek.

The Edsel wasn't ugly at all, just misunderstood (and rushed to market before it was ready/right), the Aztek, well that's a  whole other question.  What were they thinking?

The Aztek, if done right styling wise, could have been very successful. Look at the PT cruiser, Scion XB, and Kia Soul. All of them share a similar concept, but only the Aztek was unredeemably ugly.

[Crosley.In.AZ]

the Aztec  as puke ugly as it is and the factory accesories available for it...  may a sought after collectible vehicle down the road.

Better buy one now while they are cheap.  It may be the next exciting barn find in 30 - 60 yrs