Everything ties back to union woes. US based Toyota and Honda plants are extremely efficient. Achieving maximum efficiency is never possible, but with less waste comes less overhead, which increases profit.

To re-tool and re-lay entire plants isn't cheap, but it pays off in the long run. Ford recognized this issue years ago, but never had the available funds to attempt the Japanese style. Due to the UAW bleeding them dry, Ford was only able to brute force car manufacturing , hoping sales would carry the load. If profits were available, Ford needed to:

- Invest in new car development. They were extremely late comers to the Hybrid models.
- Invest in current car refinement. The cars they build are plagued with the same recalls from previous years. This raises warranty repair costs, which feeds the massive overhead and eats away at thin margins.
- Invest in proper plant management. This would have reduced operation costs.
- Properly brand the image though the Bridgestone crisis of 2001/2002.

Instead of looking to fix the company internally, Ford aquired company after company trying to find something that works. At this current pace, the entire Ford lineup will be nothing more than rebadged Mazdas.