Problems
12/7/04, 10:44 AM
#21
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my wifes car has the skipping CD problem with her shaker 1000,mine is OK.Both cars can be a real pain when filling the gas tank up though.Tempermental as heck and sometimes my wife can't even fill it all the way because of gas backing out the filler.She has to just fill halfway and forget it.I have waited a few minutes and then filled it VERY slowly and was able to get mine full.This needs to be addressed by ford soon.I will notify my dealer at my first oil change.
by the way,we still love these cars though.
by the way,we still love these cars though.
12/7/04, 11:23 AM
#22
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Took my car into the dealer. They've ordered new pads and should be able to install them tomorrow. I expect that will resolve my brake noise problem. Otherwise, no problems.
Jason
Jason
12/7/04, 11:27 AM
#23
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Everyone needs to remember, they can only fix what you tell them about. I don't have much sympathy for people screaming at Ford to fix something when they haven't taken their car in to be looked at yet <_<
12/7/04, 11:31 AM
#24
Tasca Super Boss 429 Member
Originally posted by Robert@December 7, 2004, 5:23 AM
I sure hope Ford can address it's quality issues F-A-S-T. It needs to be BETTER than the imports if it's going to remain competitive. The following article is sobering (and a little scary in its implications):
I sure hope Ford can address it's quality issues F-A-S-T. It needs to be BETTER than the imports if it's going to remain competitive. The following article is sobering (and a little scary in its implications):
Big Three in Canada redefined as Honda tops Ford
Japanese firm cranking out cars
By GREG KEENAN
AUTO INDUSTRY REPORTER
Tuesday, December 7, 2004 - Page B1
Ford Motor Co. of Canada Ltd. will drop out of third spot in vehicle production in Canada this year and be supplanted by Honda of Canada Mfg., in another illustration that the changes rippling through the North American industry are ending a century of Big Three domination.
Ford is also unlikely to reverse that trend any time soon, because its Oakville Assembly Plant is expected to slash production dramatically from year-earlier levels in the first half of 2005, industry and union officials said.
The rise of Honda as No. 3 is "a very significant signpost of where the industry is going," said analyst Felix Pilorusso, head of Toronto-based Pilorusso Consulting Inc.
With two weeks left before auto makers shut their plants for the annual Christmas break, Honda's operations in Alliston, Ont., have cranked out 369,807 cars, sport utility vehicles and minivans. Ford has produced 352,192 cars, minivans and pickup trucks, and one of its two remaining assembly plants is operating at half its usual output this month, so Honda is certain to remain ahead.
That will put the Japan-based auto maker in third place in the rankings behind General Motors of Canada Ltd. and the Chrysler division of DaimlerChrysler AG, and mark the first time the Big Three have not been the Big Three.
Ford's production decline this year is related in part to woeful sales of the Ford Freestar and Monterey minivans assembled in Oakville, Ont. Those sales have left inventories in the range of 100 days, compared with the industry's preferred number of about 60 days' supply, and led the auto maker to eliminate one daily shift of operations this month. Normal production comprises two shifts a day.
Industry sources and union officials said the production cutback is scheduled to continue in the first six months of 2005, with one shift producing minivans two weeks a month and the other shift working the other two weeks, said Gary Beck, president of local 707 of the Canadian Auto Workers union, which represents about 3,800 workers at the plant.
Another 212 are on temporary layoff.
"Obviously there's not enough demand for minivans," Mr. Beck said.
Ford won't reveal details of its 2005 production plans yet, spokeswoman Lauren More said yesterday.
The permanent shutdown earlier this year of Ford's Ontario Truck Plant, also in Oakville, and periodic shutdowns of its St. Thomas, Ont., assembly plant, which turns out full-sized sedans, have also contributed to the decline in the auto maker's production.
It all stems from a steady slide in the company's market share that began in the mid-1990s and has continued through the first half of this decade.
Ford's share has tumbled to 13.9 per cent in Canada this year from 18.2 per cent in 2000, and to 18.5 per cent in the United States from 22.8 per cent.
The Big Three's share of the passenger car market has fallen to less than 50 per cent in both the U.S. and Canadian markets. Honda and its Japanese-based rivals, as well as European-based auto makers are also taking dead aim at the Big Three's remaining profitable segments, trucks and sport utility vehicles.
Honda now holds 9.4 per cent of Canadian sales and 8.2 per cent of the U.S. market. That compares with 8.7 per cent in 2000 in Canada and 6.7 per cent in the United States.
The steady increases in production at Honda -- and also at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada Inc. in Cambridge, Ont. -- are part of the reason Ontario will supplant Michigan this year as the largest auto-producing jurisdiction in North America, said Dennis DesRosiers, president of DesRosiers Automotive Consultants Inc. of Richmond Hill, Ont.
Mr. DesRosiers traces that back to smart policy decisions made in the 1980s that led to Honda and Toyota building assembly plants in the province.
"Many of the American states viewed the import nameplates as bad guys -- certainly Michigan did," he said.
But because Canada's auto manufacturing was already dominated by foreign-based companies -- Detroit-based Chrysler, Ford and GM -- policy makers had no reason to fear Honda and Toyota.
"We viewed them as equal to everybody in the marketplace," Mr. DesRosiers said.
Ford will soon start a $1-billion redevelopment of its Oakville site to turn it into a leading-edge, flexible assembly operation, but the new plant won't begin turning out two new SUVs until 2006.
Both Joe Hinrichs, who takes over as Ford Canada president on Jan. 1, and current president Alain Batty have pointed to the loss of market share as something that needs to be addressed.
They say new products such as the Ford Mustang sports car, Freestyle crossover utility vehicle, Five Hundred full-size sedan and others to come next year will help reverse the trend.
But analysts aren't convinced, given that sales of the Freestyle and Five Hundred haven't met their expectations in the first few months.
"Our concern is that Ford's new products may be cannibalizing existing vehicles, rather than helping the company regain market share," analyst Rod Lache, who follows the industry for Deutsche Bank AG in New York, said in a note to clients last week.
Meanwhile, Honda and other offshore-based companies aren't standing still.
Industry sources said Honda has already increased planned production next year of a new sport utility truck to 80,000 from an original 65,000. The truck will be produced in Alliston.
Japanese firm cranking out cars
By GREG KEENAN
AUTO INDUSTRY REPORTER
Tuesday, December 7, 2004 - Page B1
Ford Motor Co. of Canada Ltd. will drop out of third spot in vehicle production in Canada this year and be supplanted by Honda of Canada Mfg., in another illustration that the changes rippling through the North American industry are ending a century of Big Three domination.
Ford is also unlikely to reverse that trend any time soon, because its Oakville Assembly Plant is expected to slash production dramatically from year-earlier levels in the first half of 2005, industry and union officials said.
The rise of Honda as No. 3 is "a very significant signpost of where the industry is going," said analyst Felix Pilorusso, head of Toronto-based Pilorusso Consulting Inc.
With two weeks left before auto makers shut their plants for the annual Christmas break, Honda's operations in Alliston, Ont., have cranked out 369,807 cars, sport utility vehicles and minivans. Ford has produced 352,192 cars, minivans and pickup trucks, and one of its two remaining assembly plants is operating at half its usual output this month, so Honda is certain to remain ahead.
That will put the Japan-based auto maker in third place in the rankings behind General Motors of Canada Ltd. and the Chrysler division of DaimlerChrysler AG, and mark the first time the Big Three have not been the Big Three.
Ford's production decline this year is related in part to woeful sales of the Ford Freestar and Monterey minivans assembled in Oakville, Ont. Those sales have left inventories in the range of 100 days, compared with the industry's preferred number of about 60 days' supply, and led the auto maker to eliminate one daily shift of operations this month. Normal production comprises two shifts a day.
Industry sources and union officials said the production cutback is scheduled to continue in the first six months of 2005, with one shift producing minivans two weeks a month and the other shift working the other two weeks, said Gary Beck, president of local 707 of the Canadian Auto Workers union, which represents about 3,800 workers at the plant.
Another 212 are on temporary layoff.
"Obviously there's not enough demand for minivans," Mr. Beck said.
Ford won't reveal details of its 2005 production plans yet, spokeswoman Lauren More said yesterday.
The permanent shutdown earlier this year of Ford's Ontario Truck Plant, also in Oakville, and periodic shutdowns of its St. Thomas, Ont., assembly plant, which turns out full-sized sedans, have also contributed to the decline in the auto maker's production.
It all stems from a steady slide in the company's market share that began in the mid-1990s and has continued through the first half of this decade.
Ford's share has tumbled to 13.9 per cent in Canada this year from 18.2 per cent in 2000, and to 18.5 per cent in the United States from 22.8 per cent.
The Big Three's share of the passenger car market has fallen to less than 50 per cent in both the U.S. and Canadian markets. Honda and its Japanese-based rivals, as well as European-based auto makers are also taking dead aim at the Big Three's remaining profitable segments, trucks and sport utility vehicles.
Honda now holds 9.4 per cent of Canadian sales and 8.2 per cent of the U.S. market. That compares with 8.7 per cent in 2000 in Canada and 6.7 per cent in the United States.
The steady increases in production at Honda -- and also at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada Inc. in Cambridge, Ont. -- are part of the reason Ontario will supplant Michigan this year as the largest auto-producing jurisdiction in North America, said Dennis DesRosiers, president of DesRosiers Automotive Consultants Inc. of Richmond Hill, Ont.
Mr. DesRosiers traces that back to smart policy decisions made in the 1980s that led to Honda and Toyota building assembly plants in the province.
"Many of the American states viewed the import nameplates as bad guys -- certainly Michigan did," he said.
But because Canada's auto manufacturing was already dominated by foreign-based companies -- Detroit-based Chrysler, Ford and GM -- policy makers had no reason to fear Honda and Toyota.
"We viewed them as equal to everybody in the marketplace," Mr. DesRosiers said.
Ford will soon start a $1-billion redevelopment of its Oakville site to turn it into a leading-edge, flexible assembly operation, but the new plant won't begin turning out two new SUVs until 2006.
Both Joe Hinrichs, who takes over as Ford Canada president on Jan. 1, and current president Alain Batty have pointed to the loss of market share as something that needs to be addressed.
They say new products such as the Ford Mustang sports car, Freestyle crossover utility vehicle, Five Hundred full-size sedan and others to come next year will help reverse the trend.
But analysts aren't convinced, given that sales of the Freestyle and Five Hundred haven't met their expectations in the first few months.
"Our concern is that Ford's new products may be cannibalizing existing vehicles, rather than helping the company regain market share," analyst Rod Lache, who follows the industry for Deutsche Bank AG in New York, said in a note to clients last week.
Meanwhile, Honda and other offshore-based companies aren't standing still.
Industry sources said Honda has already increased planned production next year of a new sport utility truck to 80,000 from an original 65,000. The truck will be produced in Alliston.
12/7/04, 11:38 AM
#25
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Hmmm my shaker 500 has skipped a couple of times. I haven't had enough of a chance to drive it to determine whether it's the CD or the player. I suspected the player, now I'm even more suspicious.
I'll have to get it by the dealer.
Good thread!
I'll have to get it by the dealer.
Good thread!
12/7/04, 03:56 PM
#26
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Originally posted by holderca1+December 7, 2004, 12:34 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (holderca1 @ December 7, 2004, 12:34 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-Robert@December 7, 2004, 5:23 AM
I sure hope Ford can address it's quality issues F-A-S-T. It needs to be BETTER than the imports if it's going to remain competitive. The following article is sobering (and a little scary in its implications):
I sure hope Ford can address it's quality issues F-A-S-T. It needs to be BETTER than the imports if it's going to remain competitive. The following article is sobering (and a little scary in its implications):
Big Three in Canada redefined as Honda tops Ford
Japanese firm cranking out cars
By GREG KEENAN
AUTO INDUSTRY REPORTER
Tuesday, December 7, 2004 - Page B1
Ford Motor Co. of Canada Ltd. will drop out of third spot in vehicle production in Canada this year and be supplanted by Honda of Canada Mfg., in another illustration that the changes rippling through the North American industry are ending a century of Big Three domination.
Ford is also unlikely to reverse that trend any time soon, because its Oakville Assembly Plant is expected to slash production dramatically from year-earlier levels in the first half of 2005, industry and union officials said.
The rise of Honda as No. 3 is "a very significant signpost of where the industry is going," said analyst Felix Pilorusso, head of Toronto-based Pilorusso Consulting Inc.
With two weeks left before auto makers shut their plants for the annual Christmas break, Honda's operations in Alliston, Ont., have cranked out 369,807 cars, sport utility vehicles and minivans. Ford has produced 352,192 cars, minivans and pickup trucks, and one of its two remaining assembly plants is operating at half its usual output this month, so Honda is certain to remain ahead.
That will put the Japan-based auto maker in third place in the rankings behind General Motors of Canada Ltd. and the Chrysler division of DaimlerChrysler AG, and mark the first time the Big Three have not been the Big Three.
Ford's production decline this year is related in part to woeful sales of the Ford Freestar and Monterey minivans assembled in Oakville, Ont. Those sales have left inventories in the range of 100 days, compared with the industry's preferred number of about 60 days' supply, and led the auto maker to eliminate one daily shift of operations this month. Normal production comprises two shifts a day.
Industry sources and union officials said the production cutback is scheduled to continue in the first six months of 2005, with one shift producing minivans two weeks a month and the other shift working the other two weeks, said Gary Beck, president of local 707 of the Canadian Auto Workers union, which represents about 3,800 workers at the plant.
Another 212 are on temporary layoff.
"Obviously there's not enough demand for minivans," Mr. Beck said.
Ford won't reveal details of its 2005 production plans yet, spokeswoman Lauren More said yesterday.
The permanent shutdown earlier this year of Ford's Ontario Truck Plant, also in Oakville, and periodic shutdowns of its St. Thomas, Ont., assembly plant, which turns out full-sized sedans, have also contributed to the decline in the auto maker's production.
It all stems from a steady slide in the company's market share that began in the mid-1990s and has continued through the first half of this decade.
Ford's share has tumbled to 13.9 per cent in Canada this year from 18.2 per cent in 2000, and to 18.5 per cent in the United States from 22.8 per cent.
The Big Three's share of the passenger car market has fallen to less than 50 per cent in both the U.S. and Canadian markets. Honda and its Japanese-based rivals, as well as European-based auto makers are also taking dead aim at the Big Three's remaining profitable segments, trucks and sport utility vehicles.
Honda now holds 9.4 per cent of Canadian sales and 8.2 per cent of the U.S. market. That compares with 8.7 per cent in 2000 in Canada and 6.7 per cent in the United States.
The steady increases in production at Honda -- and also at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada Inc. in Cambridge, Ont. -- are part of the reason Ontario will supplant Michigan this year as the largest auto-producing jurisdiction in North America, said Dennis DesRosiers, president of DesRosiers Automotive Consultants Inc. of Richmond Hill, Ont.
Mr. DesRosiers traces that back to smart policy decisions made in the 1980s that led to Honda and Toyota building assembly plants in the province.
"Many of the American states viewed the import nameplates as bad guys -- certainly Michigan did," he said.
But because Canada's auto manufacturing was already dominated by foreign-based companies -- Detroit-based Chrysler, Ford and GM -- policy makers had no reason to fear Honda and Toyota.
"We viewed them as equal to everybody in the marketplace," Mr. DesRosiers said.
Ford will soon start a $1-billion redevelopment of its Oakville site to turn it into a leading-edge, flexible assembly operation, but the new plant won't begin turning out two new SUVs until 2006.
Both Joe Hinrichs, who takes over as Ford Canada president on Jan. 1, and current president Alain Batty have pointed to the loss of market share as something that needs to be addressed.
They say new products such as the Ford Mustang sports car, Freestyle crossover utility vehicle, Five Hundred full-size sedan and others to come next year will help reverse the trend.
But analysts aren't convinced, given that sales of the Freestyle and Five Hundred haven't met their expectations in the first few months.
"Our concern is that Ford's new products may be cannibalizing existing vehicles, rather than helping the company regain market share," analyst Rod Lache, who follows the industry for Deutsche Bank AG in New York, said in a note to clients last week.
Meanwhile, Honda and other offshore-based companies aren't standing still.
Industry sources said Honda has already increased planned production next year of a new sport utility truck to 80,000 from an original 65,000. The truck will be produced in Alliston.
Japanese firm cranking out cars
By GREG KEENAN
AUTO INDUSTRY REPORTER
Tuesday, December 7, 2004 - Page B1
Ford Motor Co. of Canada Ltd. will drop out of third spot in vehicle production in Canada this year and be supplanted by Honda of Canada Mfg., in another illustration that the changes rippling through the North American industry are ending a century of Big Three domination.
Ford is also unlikely to reverse that trend any time soon, because its Oakville Assembly Plant is expected to slash production dramatically from year-earlier levels in the first half of 2005, industry and union officials said.
The rise of Honda as No. 3 is "a very significant signpost of where the industry is going," said analyst Felix Pilorusso, head of Toronto-based Pilorusso Consulting Inc.
With two weeks left before auto makers shut their plants for the annual Christmas break, Honda's operations in Alliston, Ont., have cranked out 369,807 cars, sport utility vehicles and minivans. Ford has produced 352,192 cars, minivans and pickup trucks, and one of its two remaining assembly plants is operating at half its usual output this month, so Honda is certain to remain ahead.
That will put the Japan-based auto maker in third place in the rankings behind General Motors of Canada Ltd. and the Chrysler division of DaimlerChrysler AG, and mark the first time the Big Three have not been the Big Three.
Ford's production decline this year is related in part to woeful sales of the Ford Freestar and Monterey minivans assembled in Oakville, Ont. Those sales have left inventories in the range of 100 days, compared with the industry's preferred number of about 60 days' supply, and led the auto maker to eliminate one daily shift of operations this month. Normal production comprises two shifts a day.
Industry sources and union officials said the production cutback is scheduled to continue in the first six months of 2005, with one shift producing minivans two weeks a month and the other shift working the other two weeks, said Gary Beck, president of local 707 of the Canadian Auto Workers union, which represents about 3,800 workers at the plant.
Another 212 are on temporary layoff.
"Obviously there's not enough demand for minivans," Mr. Beck said.
Ford won't reveal details of its 2005 production plans yet, spokeswoman Lauren More said yesterday.
The permanent shutdown earlier this year of Ford's Ontario Truck Plant, also in Oakville, and periodic shutdowns of its St. Thomas, Ont., assembly plant, which turns out full-sized sedans, have also contributed to the decline in the auto maker's production.
It all stems from a steady slide in the company's market share that began in the mid-1990s and has continued through the first half of this decade.
Ford's share has tumbled to 13.9 per cent in Canada this year from 18.2 per cent in 2000, and to 18.5 per cent in the United States from 22.8 per cent.
The Big Three's share of the passenger car market has fallen to less than 50 per cent in both the U.S. and Canadian markets. Honda and its Japanese-based rivals, as well as European-based auto makers are also taking dead aim at the Big Three's remaining profitable segments, trucks and sport utility vehicles.
Honda now holds 9.4 per cent of Canadian sales and 8.2 per cent of the U.S. market. That compares with 8.7 per cent in 2000 in Canada and 6.7 per cent in the United States.
The steady increases in production at Honda -- and also at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada Inc. in Cambridge, Ont. -- are part of the reason Ontario will supplant Michigan this year as the largest auto-producing jurisdiction in North America, said Dennis DesRosiers, president of DesRosiers Automotive Consultants Inc. of Richmond Hill, Ont.
Mr. DesRosiers traces that back to smart policy decisions made in the 1980s that led to Honda and Toyota building assembly plants in the province.
"Many of the American states viewed the import nameplates as bad guys -- certainly Michigan did," he said.
But because Canada's auto manufacturing was already dominated by foreign-based companies -- Detroit-based Chrysler, Ford and GM -- policy makers had no reason to fear Honda and Toyota.
"We viewed them as equal to everybody in the marketplace," Mr. DesRosiers said.
Ford will soon start a $1-billion redevelopment of its Oakville site to turn it into a leading-edge, flexible assembly operation, but the new plant won't begin turning out two new SUVs until 2006.
Both Joe Hinrichs, who takes over as Ford Canada president on Jan. 1, and current president Alain Batty have pointed to the loss of market share as something that needs to be addressed.
They say new products such as the Ford Mustang sports car, Freestyle crossover utility vehicle, Five Hundred full-size sedan and others to come next year will help reverse the trend.
But analysts aren't convinced, given that sales of the Freestyle and Five Hundred haven't met their expectations in the first few months.
"Our concern is that Ford's new products may be cannibalizing existing vehicles, rather than helping the company regain market share," analyst Rod Lache, who follows the industry for Deutsche Bank AG in New York, said in a note to clients last week.
Meanwhile, Honda and other offshore-based companies aren't standing still.
Industry sources said Honda has already increased planned production next year of a new sport utility truck to 80,000 from an original 65,000. The truck will be produced in Alliston.
You obviously didn't read the article (Oakville is in Ontario...which is in Canada):
Ford will soon start a $1-billion redevelopment of its Oakville site to turn it into a leading-edge, flexible assembly operation, but the new plant won't begin turning out two new SUVs until 2006.
Both Joe Hinrichs, who takes over as Ford Canada president on Jan. 1, and current president Alain Batty have pointed to the loss of market share as something that needs to be addressed.
Both Joe Hinrichs, who takes over as Ford Canada president on Jan. 1, and current president Alain Batty have pointed to the loss of market share as something that needs to be addressed.
12/7/04, 04:14 PM
#27
Tasca Super Boss 429 Member
Originally posted by holderca1+December 7, 2004, 12:34 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (holderca1 @ December 7, 2004, 12:34 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-Robert@December 7, 2004, 5:23 AM
I sure hope Ford can address it's quality issues F-A-S-T. It needs to be BETTER than the imports if it's going to remain competitive. The following article is sobering (and a little scary in its implications):
I sure hope Ford can address it's quality issues F-A-S-T. It needs to be BETTER than the imports if it's going to remain competitive. The following article is sobering (and a little scary in its implications):
Big Three in Canada redefined as Honda tops Ford
Japanese firm cranking out cars
By GREG KEENAN
AUTO INDUSTRY REPORTER
Tuesday, December 7, 2004 - Page B1
Ford Motor Co. of Canada Ltd. will drop out of third spot in vehicle production in Canada this year and be supplanted by Honda of Canada Mfg., in another illustration that the changes rippling through the North American industry are ending a century of Big Three domination.
Ford is also unlikely to reverse that trend any time soon, because its Oakville Assembly Plant is expected to slash production dramatically from year-earlier levels in the first half of 2005, industry and union officials said.
The rise of Honda as No. 3 is "a very significant signpost of where the industry is going," said analyst Felix Pilorusso, head of Toronto-based Pilorusso Consulting Inc.
With two weeks left before auto makers shut their plants for the annual Christmas break, Honda's operations in Alliston, Ont., have cranked out 369,807 cars, sport utility vehicles and minivans. Ford has produced 352,192 cars, minivans and pickup trucks, and one of its two remaining assembly plants is operating at half its usual output this month, so Honda is certain to remain ahead.
That will put the Japan-based auto maker in third place in the rankings behind General Motors of Canada Ltd. and the Chrysler division of DaimlerChrysler AG, and mark the first time the Big Three have not been the Big Three.
Ford's production decline this year is related in part to woeful sales of the Ford Freestar and Monterey minivans assembled in Oakville, Ont. Those sales have left inventories in the range of 100 days, compared with the industry's preferred number of about 60 days' supply, and led the auto maker to eliminate one daily shift of operations this month. Normal production comprises two shifts a day.
Industry sources and union officials said the production cutback is scheduled to continue in the first six months of 2005, with one shift producing minivans two weeks a month and the other shift working the other two weeks, said Gary Beck, president of local 707 of the Canadian Auto Workers union, which represents about 3,800 workers at the plant.
Another 212 are on temporary layoff.
"Obviously there's not enough demand for minivans," Mr. Beck said.
Ford won't reveal details of its 2005 production plans yet, spokeswoman Lauren More said yesterday.
The permanent shutdown earlier this year of Ford's Ontario Truck Plant, also in Oakville, and periodic shutdowns of its St. Thomas, Ont., assembly plant, which turns out full-sized sedans, have also contributed to the decline in the auto maker's production.
It all stems from a steady slide in the company's market share that began in the mid-1990s and has continued through the first half of this decade.
Ford's share has tumbled to 13.9 per cent in Canada this year from 18.2 per cent in 2000, and to 18.5 per cent in the United States from 22.8 per cent.
The Big Three's share of the passenger car market has fallen to less than 50 per cent in both the U.S. and Canadian markets. Honda and its Japanese-based rivals, as well as European-based auto makers are also taking dead aim at the Big Three's remaining profitable segments, trucks and sport utility vehicles.
Honda now holds 9.4 per cent of Canadian sales and 8.2 per cent of the U.S. market. That compares with 8.7 per cent in 2000 in Canada and 6.7 per cent in the United States.
The steady increases in production at Honda -- and also at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada Inc. in Cambridge, Ont. -- are part of the reason Ontario will supplant Michigan this year as the largest auto-producing jurisdiction in North America, said Dennis DesRosiers, president of DesRosiers Automotive Consultants Inc. of Richmond Hill, Ont.
Mr. DesRosiers traces that back to smart policy decisions made in the 1980s that led to Honda and Toyota building assembly plants in the province.
"Many of the American states viewed the import nameplates as bad guys -- certainly Michigan did," he said.
But because Canada's auto manufacturing was already dominated by foreign-based companies -- Detroit-based Chrysler, Ford and GM -- policy makers had no reason to fear Honda and Toyota.
"We viewed them as equal to everybody in the marketplace," Mr. DesRosiers said.
Ford will soon start a $1-billion redevelopment of its Oakville site to turn it into a leading-edge, flexible assembly operation, but the new plant won't begin turning out two new SUVs until 2006.
Both Joe Hinrichs, who takes over as Ford Canada president on Jan. 1, and current president Alain Batty have pointed to the loss of market share as something that needs to be addressed.
They say new products such as the Ford Mustang sports car, Freestyle crossover utility vehicle, Five Hundred full-size sedan and others to come next year will help reverse the trend.
But analysts aren't convinced, given that sales of the Freestyle and Five Hundred haven't met their expectations in the first few months.
"Our concern is that Ford's new products may be cannibalizing existing vehicles, rather than helping the company regain market share," analyst Rod Lache, who follows the industry for Deutsche Bank AG in New York, said in a note to clients last week.
Meanwhile, Honda and other offshore-based companies aren't standing still.
Industry sources said Honda has already increased planned production next year of a new sport utility truck to 80,000 from an original 65,000. The truck will be produced in Alliston.
Japanese firm cranking out cars
By GREG KEENAN
AUTO INDUSTRY REPORTER
Tuesday, December 7, 2004 - Page B1
Ford Motor Co. of Canada Ltd. will drop out of third spot in vehicle production in Canada this year and be supplanted by Honda of Canada Mfg., in another illustration that the changes rippling through the North American industry are ending a century of Big Three domination.
Ford is also unlikely to reverse that trend any time soon, because its Oakville Assembly Plant is expected to slash production dramatically from year-earlier levels in the first half of 2005, industry and union officials said.
The rise of Honda as No. 3 is "a very significant signpost of where the industry is going," said analyst Felix Pilorusso, head of Toronto-based Pilorusso Consulting Inc.
With two weeks left before auto makers shut their plants for the annual Christmas break, Honda's operations in Alliston, Ont., have cranked out 369,807 cars, sport utility vehicles and minivans. Ford has produced 352,192 cars, minivans and pickup trucks, and one of its two remaining assembly plants is operating at half its usual output this month, so Honda is certain to remain ahead.
That will put the Japan-based auto maker in third place in the rankings behind General Motors of Canada Ltd. and the Chrysler division of DaimlerChrysler AG, and mark the first time the Big Three have not been the Big Three.
Ford's production decline this year is related in part to woeful sales of the Ford Freestar and Monterey minivans assembled in Oakville, Ont. Those sales have left inventories in the range of 100 days, compared with the industry's preferred number of about 60 days' supply, and led the auto maker to eliminate one daily shift of operations this month. Normal production comprises two shifts a day.
Industry sources and union officials said the production cutback is scheduled to continue in the first six months of 2005, with one shift producing minivans two weeks a month and the other shift working the other two weeks, said Gary Beck, president of local 707 of the Canadian Auto Workers union, which represents about 3,800 workers at the plant.
Another 212 are on temporary layoff.
"Obviously there's not enough demand for minivans," Mr. Beck said.
Ford won't reveal details of its 2005 production plans yet, spokeswoman Lauren More said yesterday.
The permanent shutdown earlier this year of Ford's Ontario Truck Plant, also in Oakville, and periodic shutdowns of its St. Thomas, Ont., assembly plant, which turns out full-sized sedans, have also contributed to the decline in the auto maker's production.
It all stems from a steady slide in the company's market share that began in the mid-1990s and has continued through the first half of this decade.
Ford's share has tumbled to 13.9 per cent in Canada this year from 18.2 per cent in 2000, and to 18.5 per cent in the United States from 22.8 per cent.
The Big Three's share of the passenger car market has fallen to less than 50 per cent in both the U.S. and Canadian markets. Honda and its Japanese-based rivals, as well as European-based auto makers are also taking dead aim at the Big Three's remaining profitable segments, trucks and sport utility vehicles.
Honda now holds 9.4 per cent of Canadian sales and 8.2 per cent of the U.S. market. That compares with 8.7 per cent in 2000 in Canada and 6.7 per cent in the United States.
The steady increases in production at Honda -- and also at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada Inc. in Cambridge, Ont. -- are part of the reason Ontario will supplant Michigan this year as the largest auto-producing jurisdiction in North America, said Dennis DesRosiers, president of DesRosiers Automotive Consultants Inc. of Richmond Hill, Ont.
Mr. DesRosiers traces that back to smart policy decisions made in the 1980s that led to Honda and Toyota building assembly plants in the province.
"Many of the American states viewed the import nameplates as bad guys -- certainly Michigan did," he said.
But because Canada's auto manufacturing was already dominated by foreign-based companies -- Detroit-based Chrysler, Ford and GM -- policy makers had no reason to fear Honda and Toyota.
"We viewed them as equal to everybody in the marketplace," Mr. DesRosiers said.
Ford will soon start a $1-billion redevelopment of its Oakville site to turn it into a leading-edge, flexible assembly operation, but the new plant won't begin turning out two new SUVs until 2006.
Both Joe Hinrichs, who takes over as Ford Canada president on Jan. 1, and current president Alain Batty have pointed to the loss of market share as something that needs to be addressed.
They say new products such as the Ford Mustang sports car, Freestyle crossover utility vehicle, Five Hundred full-size sedan and others to come next year will help reverse the trend.
But analysts aren't convinced, given that sales of the Freestyle and Five Hundred haven't met their expectations in the first few months.
"Our concern is that Ford's new products may be cannibalizing existing vehicles, rather than helping the company regain market share," analyst Rod Lache, who follows the industry for Deutsche Bank AG in New York, said in a note to clients last week.
Meanwhile, Honda and other offshore-based companies aren't standing still.
Industry sources said Honda has already increased planned production next year of a new sport utility truck to 80,000 from an original 65,000. The truck will be produced in Alliston.
They make Toyota Tundras in Indiana, but I still consider Toyota as an import.
12/7/04, 05:48 PM
#28
I Have No Life
So you consider an F150 made in oakville an import to the US?
They are not 'american' cars, they are 'north american' cars....
North American car companies are...by gollie....NORTH AMERICAN..not just from your country....
Last I checked there was more than one country in north america...
They are not 'american' cars, they are 'north american' cars....
North American car companies are...by gollie....NORTH AMERICAN..not just from your country....
Last I checked there was more than one country in north america...
12/7/04, 08:06 PM
#29
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Had a dash rattle and squealing brakes. Took it to dealer, who had car all day and they only fixed the dash rattle...Next will be the brakes.
Has anyone noticed a "grinding" sound from your throw out bearing when it is cold? I notice it when you engauge and dis engauge the clutch
Has anyone noticed a "grinding" sound from your throw out bearing when it is cold? I notice it when you engauge and dis engauge the clutch
12/7/04, 08:24 PM
#30
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IMO...its just first year things that happen to most cars. Hard to have a perfect car first try...it'll be better as it progresses hopefully into 06 and 07...and so forth.just an opinion. 
12/7/04, 10:17 PM
#31
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Originally posted by Boomer@December 7, 2004, 6:51 PM
So you consider an F150 made in oakville an import to the US?
They are not 'american' cars, they are 'north american' cars....
North American car companies are...by gollie....NORTH AMERICAN..not just from your country....
Last I checked there was more than one country in north america...
So you consider an F150 made in oakville an import to the US?
They are not 'american' cars, they are 'north american' cars....
North American car companies are...by gollie....NORTH AMERICAN..not just from your country....
Last I checked there was more than one country in north america...
All parts, assemblies and cars move freely across the border just as as if they were moving between Ohio and Kentucky. It's been good for both economies.
12/14/04, 02:36 PM
#32
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Took my Car to the dealership for the problems, and they said they can't duplicate any of them. I am so ticked.
I've had 5 cars since I was 16, and this is the first one I've ever taken in for warranty issues. So I know I'm not picky.
Called the GF about it, and she said they must be crazy. Her and I have heard the noises so many times. The first time my roommate ever got in the car, He asked what the tapping noise was. And the Brakes, OH MY GOD!!!!, the brakes. How embarrasing can you get.
I've had 5 cars since I was 16, and this is the first one I've ever taken in for warranty issues. So I know I'm not picky.
Called the GF about it, and she said they must be crazy. Her and I have heard the noises so many times. The first time my roommate ever got in the car, He asked what the tapping noise was. And the Brakes, OH MY GOD!!!!, the brakes. How embarrasing can you get.
12/14/04, 07:35 PM
#35
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Update. Dealer replaced rear brake pads which took care of the squeaky brakes. Bulge in IUP airbag cover is a problem that the service manager said has been acknowledged by Ford and he said their working on how to fix it. So far, so good on problem acknowledgement and resolution.
Jason
Jason
12/15/04, 11:13 PM
#37
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Originally posted by vwAirCooled+December 14, 2004, 6:43 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (vwAirCooled @ December 14, 2004, 6:43 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-Boomer@December 7, 2004, 6:51 PM
So you consider an F150 made in oakville an import to the US?
So you consider an F150 made in oakville an import to the US?
Is that so?
Then I'm sure you will be amused to discover that just about all police cars in the United States are "Foreign Imports"!
They are all made in the little village of Talbotville by igloo dwelling artisans from a country just north of Russia. With your tax roubles.
[All Crown Vics are built at St Thomas, aka Talbotville, in Ontario using parts sourced from all over North America and beyond; The world is no longer flat!]
12/16/04, 12:47 AM
#38
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I just got my 05 and the only problem I am having seems to be a slight whinning noise on decel. Its strange, while Im driving if I take my foot off the gas you can hear the noise but as soon as I push the pedal it stops. Its not that annoying and Im not sure if the noise can be heard by others who are not in the car. Also this noise only seems to happen between 40 - 60 MPH
12/16/04, 01:05 AM
#39
Originally posted by Robert@December 7, 2004, 6:23 AM
I sure hope Ford can address it's quality issues F-A-S-T. It needs to be BETTER than the imports if it's going to remain competitive. The following article is sobering (and a little scary in its implications):
I sure hope Ford can address it's quality issues F-A-S-T. It needs to be BETTER than the imports if it's going to remain competitive. The following article is sobering (and a little scary in its implications):
12/16/04, 01:18 AM
#40
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Originally posted by Arvil19@December 15, 2004, 11:50 PM
Its strange, while Im driving if I take my foot off the gas you can hear the noise but as soon as I push the pedal it stops.
Its strange, while Im driving if I take my foot off the gas you can hear the noise but as soon as I push the pedal it stops.