11-08-2008, 07:22 PM
|
#1 (permalink)
|
|
(:
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: up north
Posts: 12,762
Thanks: 1,585
Thanked 3,555 Times in 2,218 Posts
|
Ford WAS looking at the small car market...
DETROIT (AP) — At Ford Motor Co. they called it "Blue," a team set up around the year 2000 to design an array of small, fuel-efficient cars to compete with the Japanese. It didn't get far because no one could figure out how to make money on low-priced compacts with Ford's high labor costs...
MyEMBARQ™ - News
Too bad they didn't succeed, or came to faulty conclusions. I'd like to know more about that "Blue" project...
|
|
|
|
 Today
|
|
|
|
Other popular topics in this forum...
|
|
|
|
|
11-09-2008, 03:38 PM
|
#2 (permalink)
|
|
Yaris What????
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Sumner County, TN
Posts: 115
Yari - '07 Toyota Yaris Liftback
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
|
Link goes to a blank page
__________________
Yaris Liftback + 3 Adults + Toddler + Luggage/Crap = 40mpg@80mph 
It just came to me about blogging lol. Its like an orgasm a few good shots and the rest is dribbles lol!
|
|
|
|
|
11-09-2008, 03:49 PM
|
#3 (permalink)
|
|
Master EcoModder
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Southern California
Posts: 1,490
Camryaro - '92 Toyota Camry LE V6 90 day: 31.12 mpg (US) Red - '00 Honda Insight Prius - '05 Toyota Prius 3 - '18 Tesla Model 3 90 day: 152.47 mpg (US)
Thanks: 349
Thanked 122 Times in 80 Posts
|
|
|
|
|
|
11-09-2008, 05:04 PM
|
#4 (permalink)
|
|
Master EcoModder
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Auburn, NH
Posts: 451
Thanks: 0
Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts
|
I think the part about "high labor costs" just about says it all. If you look at Ford and GM efforts to sell a small car since the '80s it usually involves cars made by partners overseas.
Ford Fiesta
Ford Festiva
Pontiac Lemans
Chevy Sprint
Chevy/Geo Metro
Chrysler had it's Mitsubishi connection for the Colt, etc.
If GM and Chrysler do go Chapter 11 the revised union deals could give them an advantage over Ford in small car costs. At that point Ford could possibly renegotiate a better deal with the UAW that would save some of the jobs that were inevitably lost by the others in the bankruptcy procedings.
__________________
|
|
|
|
|
11-10-2008, 02:27 PM
|
#5 (permalink)
|
|
Legend in my own mind
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Homestead, Fl.
Posts: 927
Thanks: 2
Thanked 14 Times in 13 Posts
|
Have you seen Ford's European line up lately? Its all small cars, starting with the Ka. I think these cars would do well here. If labor costs here would choke them, then adapt like the japanese, continue to build them overseas and import them to the US until domestic labor problems are resolved.
But seriously, they even have a convertible Focus over there that looks awesome. And most of their cars retail for less than $20K
__________________
Thx NoCO2; "The biggest FE mod you can make is to adjust the nut behind the wheel"
I am a precisional instrument of speed and aeromatics
If your knees bent in the opposite direction......what would a chair look like???
|
|
|
|
|
11-11-2008, 10:05 PM
|
#6 (permalink)
|
|
(:
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: up north
Posts: 12,762
Thanks: 1,585
Thanked 3,555 Times in 2,218 Posts
|
I know, their Euro lineup has lots of neat stuff.
You'd think that with all the time and energy they put into lobbying Washington, that they could ask for compatible standards so they could bring all that neat Euro stuff over here (and/or bring the designs over and build 'em here) without necessitating so many mods that it's impossible.
|
|
|
|
|
11-11-2008, 10:57 PM
|
#7 (permalink)
|
|
Batman Junior
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: 1000 Islands, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 22,515
Thanks: 4,062
Thanked 6,959 Times in 3,603 Posts
|
Didn't GM's Lutz lob that idea (temporarily relaxed standards, to permit importing Euro spec models) at Washington in September? I don't know what happened with it.
|
|
|
|
|
11-11-2008, 11:17 PM
|
#8 (permalink)
|
|
Yaris What????
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Sumner County, TN
Posts: 115
Yari - '07 Toyota Yaris Liftback
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
|
Bush profits from oil, he shot it down probably.
__________________
Yaris Liftback + 3 Adults + Toddler + Luggage/Crap = 40mpg@80mph
It just came to me about blogging lol. Its like an orgasm a few good shots and the rest is dribbles lol!
|
|
|
|
|
11-12-2008, 09:02 AM
|
#9 (permalink)
|
|
Batman Junior
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: 1000 Islands, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 22,515
Thanks: 4,062
Thanked 6,959 Times in 3,603 Posts
|
|
|
|
|
|
