Jim Farley, a marketing star at Toyota Motor Corp., is joining Ford Motor Co. as group vice president of marketing and communications.
Farley, 45, joins Ford next month.. He will be senior marketing officer and will report directly to CEO Alan Mulally.
Farley spent two decades at Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc., most recently as general manager of Lexus Division. He previously was group vice president of marketing for Toyota Division.
Farley also oversaw the launch of Toyota's youth subbrand, Scion.
It seems to me this is a smart move. I've thought for a long time Ford's biggest problem was Marketing and Product Planning, not the quality of the actual products. After pedaling some of the Toyota stuff, selling Fords should be a breeze.
No, they need the guy that was able to convince people to buy ugly boxes. Anybody that could convince people to pay thousands extra for thinly disguised Camrys by calling them a Lexus and convince people to buy xBs should have no problem selling Fusions and Tauri.
Picasso wrote in news:470f35ce$0$14859$ snipped-for-privacy@news.aliant.net:
It's not the badges themselves, but the market those badges are aimed at, and the image that goes with the badges.
GM's Harley Earl and Alfred Sloan started this back in the '20s. It was conceived as a way of keeping customers loyal to GM's brands all the way up the socio-economic ladder, while helping to keep production costs down.
You started at the bottom with Chevrolet, then moved up the mountain until, maybe, one day you could reach the peak with a Cadillac.
Unfortunately, over the years the lines and pricing between brands got blurred as GM's managers lost their focus. This situation was made even worse when, for legislative and regulatory reasons, it became economically impossible for each brand to have nearly-unique cars and its own engines.
As each brand manager demanded a copy of a platform for himself, the distinctions disappeared almost entirely (think Cadiallac Cimarron), and customers got disgusted and confused. "Badge-engineering" continues to this day, probably to help keep the dealers happy.
Ford and Chrylser did the same thing with their brand portfolios.
Writer Brock Yates has amply documented this phenomenon in his 1983 book "The Decline & Fall of the American Automobile Industry".
Honda and Toyota have been much more careful with their Earl/Sloan branding, keeping sharp distinctions between their brands, even as they share many parts.
Lexus ES350/Toyota Camry Lexus LX470/Toyota Land Cruiser Lexus GX470/Toyota 4 Runner Lexus RX350/Toyota Highlander (although they at least look different) The rest of the Lexus line except maybe the LS are sold in other markets as Toyotas.
Actually the sales of all Scion models, and particularly the xB, dropped significantly this year (at least through August). Maybe they are back up with the new improved models. However, "odd" looking vehicles tend to have a limited market potential. When the market is sated, sales plunge. I don't know if everyone who wanted a quirky boxy car have bought one yet, but certainly the potential number of new buyers has dropped. Just look at what happened with the PT Cruiser. Initially it sold like crazy, then sales dropped way down. It sells, but not at a super high rate.
This when you lose me. You are repeating a bunch of BS that has no basis in fact. Fact - in 2006 Toyota recalled more vehicels than Ford. Fact, the previous generation of 4Runners had a far higher rollover death rate than an Explorer. Fact - the difference in relaibility between a current Ford and a current Toyota is trivial.
You got me. Its just BS and no factual basis. Its just the same BS that Lexus are thinly designed Toyota that you pay thou$and. I'm not going to defend toyota. I'm a Toyota owner but not a satisfied customer.
You think there is a significant difference between an ES350 and a high line V6 Camry? You think there is a significant difference between a LX470 and a Landcrusier? You think the GX470 is radically different than a 4Runner? You probably though the Lincoln Versailles was radically different than a Granada also.
Well, for years Detroit wasn't building cars and the workers lived like CEOs. Now all three are under new management and the workers are heading back to work. I think these top level Toyota managers see what's coming. So they dumped Toyota now.
Yes, I think there is a difference that more than meets the eye. Lexus is essentially a luxury car, how to define luxury is up to you. Lets compare the resale values of lexus and toyota, are they the same? Even ford makes *thinly disguised* Edge and the mazda CX, or the fusion and mazda6. Focus and mazda3. Is it also luxury brand?
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