Marketplace, an American Public Radio show will interview the CEO of Ford this evening. He talks about Ford's plan for its own economic recovery.
You can find your station and time here:
Stopping the mass production of lemons might be a good place to start. No advanced degree from Haaarvaaaaad needed to come up with that business plan.
Fortunately, Ford has learned that lesson well. I haven't heard any reports of about problems with the Fords that are now in production. No doubt there will be the occasional bad car. That happens to all the car makers.
Jeff
Oh really? So how long have you been employed by Ford?
Ford's Lemons Leave Sour Taste in Consumers' Mouths Company's Turnaround Effort Omits a Key Constituency
By Joe Benton ConsumerAffairs.Com
December 4, 2006
Wall Street may still be wondering about Ford's future, but two important constituent groups have already made up their mind -- customers and employees are running the other way.
Ford had a 10 percent drop in sales in November compared to a year earlier, slipping behind Toyota for the second time this year.
Perhaps most ominously, employees are fleeing like miners whose canary has died. A mind-boggling 38 percent of Ford's hourly workers have agreed to take buyouts, hoping to get out before the company caves in on them.
Newspapers and TV tend to treat it as a business story, quoting financial analysts, politicians, union leaders and the usual collection of talking heads. Almost no one listens to consumers -- the lifeblood of the American economy. This is a major oversight, as no company that spurns, ignores or mistreats its customers will long survive, no matter how many friends it has on Wall Street or Capitol Hill.
At ConsumerAffairs.Com, we hear from Ford owners every day ... and they are not happy. Their Ford cars and trucks are still spitting spark plugs, catching fire and locking up the ignition. In response, Ford stonewalls, federal safety regulators dawdle and dealers -- well, the dealers, as always, do whatever they can get by with. Consumers Revolt
While Ford diddles with its finances and holds erudite discussions about its manufacturing processes, it is alienating huge segments of its customer base with shoddy products and an astonishingly cavalier response to consumer complaints. In the last 12 months, we have received four times more complaints about Ford products than about GM or DaimlerChrysler.
No only are Ford complaints more frequent than complaints about other brands, the problems that spark the complaints are major -- ruined engines, disastrous fires and repeated ignition lock-ups being the most common.
I never worked for Ford.
Gee, that is over a year ago. That just a few months after Mulally took charge.
A more recent view is here:
here:
Why would anyone spend 1 minute of their life listening to a corporate CEO? They are part and parcel of the elitist ruling class who have exploited, and now, destroyed the working middle class of America. Lying is an integral part of their job description as is being greedy beyond all comprehension. A more loathsome and detestable breed is not to be found. Throughout the years I've had the misfortune of being in the same room with some of these characters. Without exception I felt slimed by their presence within 10 minutes and wanted to leave so I could take a shower. A sensation shared by most others in the room as well.
here:
Obviously, the people of America buying stuff made overseas had nothing to do with that.
It seems you have some anger issues. Unfortunately, while I agree that most CEOs are overpaid, a company needs a good CEO to run it. Obviously, you are not up to the task. Neither am I. Mulally did a good job at Boeing, like setting up the assembly line that built the 777 that landed at Heathrow airport, just before the runway.
Jeff
...Moving operations to China...
(tongue in cheek...err I hope so anyway)
Pah
Actually, Ford, GM and Chrysler are all trying to increase their market presence in developing countries. Chrysler just made a deal with Nissan to sell Nissans in South America. Ford and GM are building plants (often in partnerships with other companies) in Asia to to sell cars in China and India.
They are more interested in adding operations than moving operations.
Jeff
They all say that in the beginning until the foreign plants are well established...than bye bye unionized NA workers.
Thanks for the info on Ford's foreign developments. It will be the last time I buy Ford based on the North American loyalty argument. Instead I'm going to follow others, best value for dollar.
Pah
Well, the plants they are building in Asia are for cars designed for the Asian market. They are too small for the North American market and may not meet our safety and emmissions standards.
If the American market demands smaller cars than we can efficiently build in the US, would you rather the Michigan 3 have expertise in building small cars? They way, they can import the expertise rather than have Honda and Toyota and Cherry import the cars themselves.
You missed the part about how the cars they make in Asia are for the Asian market.
Next time you buy a Dell or HP computer, check on where the parts are made. Hint: not the US.
Bad analogy since no car maker has parts that are not made in other parts of the world either. Both HP and Dell still do the main R&D (bulk of budgets), Engineering, and final assembly in North America.
The parts engineered, designed, manufactured, and assembled (if required) in Asia are in many cases the same parts that get shipped to the North American factory. I'd be surprised if Ford made any non-body parts in NA anymore. The bodies are still done here, but my concern from your reply was 'for how much longer'.
Pah.
IIRC, the content of most of the Michigan-3 cars is something like
70-80% Canadian + US. So the vast majority of the content is from North America. Whether Ford makes them or another company makes them in North America, I don't know or care.Jeff
I was just looking at a Fusion, the 4 cyl is made in Mexico, transmission, Japan assembled in Mexico
is that part of North America?
The Fusion is not Ford's only car sold in the US.
However Mexico is part of North America. Japan isn't.
The latest ones are already in Mexico.
The largest brand, with the most imported vehciles, sold in the US is Toyota who is also in China ;)
And so are Ford and GM.
Jeff
Hi Mike,
My point was that I continue to buy Ford under the 'false' knowledge that Ford is still 99% North American (from R&D to road). I've since found out that isn't anywhere near the case with only bodies being assembled here. Since I'm not really supporting NA's citizens by buying Ford, I may as well go for the Honda Civic next. If American manufacturers can't support American people why should my purchases still be based on the false prophecy that buying Ford is supporting Americans? It isn't anymore than buying Honda is. Gosh I'm an angry NA consumer...
Pah.
And what vehicle are you talking about? AFIK, most Ford vehicles are assembled in NA, mostly of parts made in North America. There are none that I know of that aren't.
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