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Ford gets a clue



 
 
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  #1  
Old February 6th 07, 10:45 PM posted to rec.autos.makers.ford.mustang
Michael Johnson
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Posts: 1,039
Default Ford gets a clue

I have been blasting Ford for abandoning their long time model names
like the Cougar, Thunderbird and, most of all, the Taurus. Now it
appears that Alan Mulally (Ford's new CEO) is wondering the same thing I
have been. This guy might be showing some promise.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070206/...urus_revived_5
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  #2  
Old February 7th 07, 01:36 AM posted to rec.autos.makers.ford.mustang
Kruse
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Posts: 237
Default Ford gets a clue

On Feb 6, 3:45 pm, Michael Johnson > wrote:
> I have been blasting Ford for abandoning their long time model names
> like the Cougar, Thunderbird and, most of all, the Taurus.


Great. I can't wait to buy a new Pinto.

Actually, I've been blasting Ford for moving a lot of their assembly
lines and factories to different countries. Is it because domestic
labor is too high? Tell that to the foreign manufactures who now have
factories in the states.

  #3  
Old February 7th 07, 01:41 AM posted to rec.autos.makers.ford.mustang
Brent P[_1_]
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Posts: 8,639
Default Ford gets a clue

In article . com>, Kruse wrote:

> Actually, I've been blasting Ford for moving a lot of their assembly
> lines and factories to different countries. Is it because domestic
> labor is too high? Tell that to the foreign manufactures who now have
> factories in the states.


1) Everybody else in the US is doing it.
2) UAW contracts with all sorts of nonsense that cost Ford a lot of money
don't apply to the foreign competition.

  #4  
Old February 7th 07, 01:54 AM posted to rec.autos.makers.ford.mustang
Kruse
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Posts: 237
Default Ford gets a clue

On Feb 6, 7:41 pm, (Brent P) wrote:
> In article . com>, Kruse wrote:


> 1) Everybody else in the US is doing it.
> 2) UAW contracts with all sorts of nonsense that cost Ford a lot of money
> don't apply to the foreign competition.


Yea, I know.
What started all this is when the government allowed foreign
manufactures to build in the US. While the domestics had to pay for
health care for aging workers, the foreign makers hired young
employees that cost them virtually nothing give them insurance. And
while the foreign makers can take a foreign-built part and simply
paint it or put a sticker on it and call it domestically made, that
isn't right either.
It also isn't right that Ford can built a transmission/engine/whatever
halfway around the world and make it cheaper than they can
domestically.
I will never buy a new Fusion or Focus. I can also say that while I
have purchased new Fords in the past, I probably never will in the
future.
Maybe Ford should just have their cars built domestically by a foreign
maker and just put their name on it.............

  #5  
Old February 7th 07, 02:29 AM posted to rec.autos.makers.ford.mustang
Michael Johnson
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Posts: 1,039
Default Ford gets a clue

Kruse wrote:
> On Feb 6, 3:45 pm, Michael Johnson > wrote:
>> I have been blasting Ford for abandoning their long time model names
>> like the Cougar, Thunderbird and, most of all, the Taurus.

>
> Great. I can't wait to buy a new Pinto.


I doubt you will ever get the chance. The Taurus, OTOH, has great,
positive name recognition with millions upon millions of past customers.
It's good to see that someone in Ford realizes this and is doing
something to correct the error of their ways.

> Actually, I've been blasting Ford for moving a lot of their assembly
> lines and factories to different countries. Is it because domestic
> labor is too high? Tell that to the foreign manufactures who now have
> factories in the states.


The UAW is killing the domestic automakers as much as a poor marketing
and products. What is the big difference between the foreign automakers
and the domestic who have assembly plants in the USA? It is the unions
that control the Big Three's work force. Protectionist policies won't
solve any problems, keep jobs here or be good for the consumer. If you
want everyone to be on a level playing field then eliminate the UAW.
  #6  
Old February 7th 07, 02:36 AM posted to rec.autos.makers.ford.mustang
dwight[_1_]
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Posts: 519
Default Ford gets a clue

"Kruse" > wrote in message
ups.com...
>
> Great. I can't wait to buy a new Pinto.


You're looking back at a cheap little car built in the early 70's, when all
cheap little cars were CRAP.

The Chevy Vega and the Gremlin were the Pinto's main competition.

Actually, a 2008 Pinto, built with all of the technological advances of the
past 30+ years, might not be a bad little machine...

Hatchback would be nice.

dwight


  #7  
Old February 7th 07, 02:50 AM posted to rec.autos.makers.ford.mustang
Michael Johnson
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,039
Default Ford gets a clue

Kruse wrote:
> On Feb 6, 7:41 pm, (Brent P) wrote:
>> In article . com>, Kruse wrote:

>
>> 1) Everybody else in the US is doing it.
>> 2) UAW contracts with all sorts of nonsense that cost Ford a lot of money
>> don't apply to the foreign competition.

>
> Yea, I know.
> What started all this is when the government allowed foreign
> manufactures to build in the US. While the domestics had to pay for
> health care for aging workers, the foreign makers hired young
> employees that cost them virtually nothing give them insurance. And
> while the foreign makers can take a foreign-built part and simply
> paint it or put a sticker on it and call it domestically made, that
> isn't right either.
> It also isn't right that Ford can built a transmission/engine/whatever
> halfway around the world and make it cheaper than they can
> domestically.
> I will never buy a new Fusion or Focus. I can also say that while I
> have purchased new Fords in the past, I probably never will in the
> future.
> Maybe Ford should just have their cars built domestically by a foreign
> maker and just put their name on it.............


As Brent stated, Ford isn't close to the first manufacturer to see the
writing on the wall. Look at where most of the day to day stuff we use
is manufactured. It isn't here. Our standard of living is the result
of utilizing cheap third world labor to manufacture goods for our own
consumption. Automobiles are no different than sneakers, underwear, or
TVs. Know why Toyota makes cars and trucks here? Because it is cheaper
than making them in Japan. If the Big Three effectively use Third world
labor to sell car

The fact is we don't have the workforce to manufacture all crap we
consume. We also don't have a workforce that is willing to do all the
tedious, boring and low paying jobs to product all that crap at
affordable prices. This is why there is such a demand for illegal
immigrant labor. Automobile manufacturing is going to leave this
country as it will leave Japan too. It has happened with many other
industries, like cloths manufacturing for instance, and it will happen
with many more over time. It is inevitable and evolutionary.
  #8  
Old February 7th 07, 03:17 AM posted to rec.autos.makers.ford.mustang
elaich
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Posts: 101
Default Ford gets a clue

"dwight" > wrote in
:

> You're looking back at a cheap little car built in the early 70's,
> when all cheap little cars were CRAP.



I'm going to tell my '75 Bobcat with 650,000 miles on it what you said.

--
A: Because it disturbs the logical flow of the message.
Q: Why is top posting frowned upon?
  #9  
Old February 7th 07, 03:38 AM posted to rec.autos.makers.ford.mustang
Brent P[_1_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 8,639
Default Ford gets a clue

In article >, Michael Johnson wrote:

> As Brent stated, Ford isn't close to the first manufacturer to see the
> writing on the wall. Look at where most of the day to day stuff we use
> is manufactured. It isn't here. Our standard of living is the result
> of utilizing cheap third world labor to manufacture goods for our own
> consumption.


The problem is, that isn't sustainable. It's great for short term profits
but eventually you eat your own doing it. The same is true with what the
UAW did. It was great for them short term to bend the big 3 over when
they could, but it wasn't sustainable long term.

> The fact is we don't have the workforce to manufacture all crap we
> consume.


Actually we could manufacture most of it here, that is if we wanted to
put our minds to the task. Automation allows one worker in the US to do
what many do in China.

> We also don't have a workforce that is willing to do all the
> tedious, boring and low paying jobs to product all that crap at
> affordable prices.


False. We don't have a workforce willing to do it at the wage of someone
in China. People in the US are there to do all sorts of crappy jobs. It's
not like working in the walmart, target, or home depot putting the crap
from china on the shelves is a less boring, tedious, and low paying job
than making the crap would be.

> This is why there is such a demand for illegal immigrant labor.


There is no demand for illegal immigrant labor. Illegal immigrants come
in and undercut the going wage. If there was a demand for more labor,
wages would be going up faster than the illegals could get here to fill
to the jobs. Instead the supply of labor is increasing greater than the
demand and wages are going down.

> Automobile manufacturing is going to leave this
> country as it will leave Japan too. It has happened with many other
> industries, like cloths manufacturing for instance, and it will happen
> with many more over time. It is inevitable and evolutionary.


I won't drive some car made in china. Too much experience with the way
things are done over their to trust my life to something made there.


  #10  
Old February 7th 07, 03:45 AM posted to rec.autos.makers.ford.mustang
Brent P[_1_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 8,639
Default Ford gets a clue

In article >, Michael Johnson wrote:

> that control the Big Three's work force. Protectionist policies won't
> solve any problems, keep jobs here or be good for the consumer. If you
> want everyone to be on a level playing field then eliminate the UAW.


As I understand it, the foreign makers factories in the USA have rather
good compensation and benefits packages. Of course there isn't any 'job
bank' crap, or anything like that, but as jobs go, I haven't heard
anything bad about it. I could be wrong though. And that's what has
really rendered the UAW obsolete. At least the perception that the job
market is much different than in the old days. People aren't being
treated badly in the non-union factories. Plus, those manufacturers don't
have that old mentality of the UAW where if you start screwing in
taillights at age 18, you retire doing that at 65.


 




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