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Anyone see this coming? I know Ford is not doing well but this seems as a surprise. He will probably still stay on the board but I thought the whole point of him coming in was to turn Ford around. Guess that did not happen.

M Type X

Ford is the "active chairman." But he's not good at the CEO role, which is why the guy from Boeing is coming in to assume daily operations.

jaje

Ford is looking at several options:
- Going Private
- Selling off the PAG units (an interested group is headed up by Nasser - Ford's former CEO that was fired and replaced by Billy Jr.)
- Bankruptcy

M Type X

Uh, wasn't it Nasser that saddled Ford with PAG?

jaje

Yep! - but Ford never did a good job with the unit and it's been failing ever since Nasser left. Only Aston Martin is doing better than ever and it's the first unit up on the chopping block.

fjm1

Alan Mulally is credited with turning around Boeing's commercial airplane division.

I see alot of similarities between Ford's current situation and Boeing's 10 years ago.

fastball

Another dagger in Ford's back is GM. It wasn't that long ago when Ford and GM suffered misserably together. But now, GM is turning their ship around. Not just with (smart) cutbacks, but they are actually starting to invest capitol into their product. MY 2008 will be a huge model year for GM, with virtually their entire product line from every division being redesigned from the ground up or an entirely new model in place. I've seen what they have in store - a RWD Impala sedan, the CTS interior will be Lexus-like, and of course the new Camaro. Those are just some examples. The point is GM is rejuvinating their entire product lineup with what people want - higher quality, better looking, better performance. They are generating interest in their products I don't think they've had since the 1950's. At the same time, they are scaling back where the fat needs to be trimed in order to remain profitable and competitive.

What is Ford doing? Renaming the Zypher "MKZ". Putting gaudy chrome on the outside of the new Navigator, and completely illegible gaugues on the inside. Boosting standard horsepower on the now 14 year old Crown Vic to an amazing 260. Uh, that's great. So much for way forward.

Reminds me of two parties being thrown, right next door to each other. One by Stiffler, the other by your biggest high school geek. Guess which one people will go to.

With GM kicking and screaming back to life, FoMoCo is in trouble. They don't just have Honda and Toyota to contend with. Wouldn't surprise me to see in 10 years GM the only pure domestic car manufacturer left.

Ochdx

I don't know what GM has up their sleeve, but so far nothing that they put out has excited me. The new Impala is more bland than ever, cadillac designs are fugly as hell (but they appeal to pimps), and the rest of their lineup is a bunch of refrigerators. Not to say that Ford has anything appealing either... That new Lincoln concept with suede leather wrapped dash looks great, thats about it.

M Type X

GM's inoffensive bland sells. The redone Impala is a better Lumina bubble for the 21st century. :chuckles:

If you want to see trouble, go over to Ford. Underpowered engines (may finally be mitigated with the 3.5L V6) and NO NEW RWD V8 LINCOLNS!

Lincoln = RWD V8

If Lincoln does not = RWD V8, Lincoln = DEAD

h:

fastball

I'm not talking about what GM is selling as of this second, I'm talking about model year 2008. I've had an opportunity to catch some glimpses of what GM will be offering beginning in 2008, and it will blow even you away. The CTS will be redesigned. The bigest news is how advanced the interior will be. In fact, all GM interiors will be substantially overhauled and improved by 2010. High quality materials and tight fitting seams. Trust me. The GM everyone knows right now is nowhere near where they will be in 4 or 5 years. Pontaic will basically become the US version of Holden, not only with the GTO but the new G8 (rear drive sports sedan to replace the Grand Prix - 3.6 VVT V6 or 5.3 V8 with your choice of 6 speed auto or 6 speed stick).

To get back on point, GM is going to blow everyone away. So Ford won't have a shoulder to cry on anymore.