Alan Rocks, and it shows on the scales.

 

this is great news!

 

Coming from anyone else in the industry other than Mulally, I might think it just a dismiss is as corporate wishful thinking (as they pump out ever larger, fatter car models), but Mulally has some real credibility in making things actually happen. This would be a refreshing change from ever fatter cars needing ever bigger motors pushing ever fatter cars needing ever bigger motors...

Cap power levels where they are now and start adding lightness instead, which would be Godsend for overall performance, not to mention saving beer money as you drive past the gas pumps. As the saying goes, more power makes you faster in the straights, less weight makes you faster everywhere.

Even the baseline 250lb. diet for the Mustang would be huge. Even if you kept the same power, plus an IRS and some good suspension tuning, you'd have a car that not just matches an M3 but one that would eviscerate it, on any road or track, at a $25K+ savings in price.

 

Great article good information.

 

Awesome, I knew I liked Mulally and this cements it.

Of course it did, when you let those soulless zombies otherwise known as bean counters engineer vehicles (well anything really), you get the crap that has rolled out of detroit for the past 30+ years.

I know Ford has been really clamping down on weight in new models, elsewhere one of the guys on another board is a component supplier and before it was "make it strong enough to get the job done" and that was it, now Ford is saying "make it strong enough to do the job and make it light as possible".

 

I just hope this doesn't mean that they will start selling stripped cars ... like my F-150, which doesn't even have a simple cassette player. I understand it's a base model, but **** ...

 

Yeah I always hated my '83 F150 didn't come with an 8 track...

 

My dad just purchased a base 2011 F150 with the V6 and its pretty well equipped. Compared to what alot of people remeber as a "base" vehicle (roll-up windows, standard locks, heat/defrost only, no radio, power steering/power brakes only if it was impossible to turn or stop the car without being roidded out, rubber floor mats only, no headliner, ect) this truck is very well equipped. Hell the radio has a CD player and 30 presets, power locks, power windows. A6 trans, 4 wheel disc brakes, articulated steps to help reach over the sides of the bead, stamped high strength cargo ties instead of just holes in the bed.

I was really impressed, it even came equipped with Michelin tires (granted they are Cross Terrains).

 

For the most part, the trend is toward more standard features, not less. More profit and better brand reputation. Pickups are a special case, though, they usually have a stripper model because people who buy them for contractor use want as little extra as possible to pay for.

 

I drive my F-150 for only few months every year (there's under 20,000 miles on the odometer and it's 6 years old) so I bought the cheapest 4 door/V8/4x4 model available.
I know I got the basic model, but I guess even a power lock and a CD player (which can be bought for $50 at Wal-Mart) were too much to ask.
And yet in a Mustang (which is also one of the basic models) I got both CD player and a cassette player ... Doesn't really make any sense ...

 

If you don't mind me asking, how much under MSRP are F-150s selling now?

Back in 2005 I got mine for $8,500 under MSRP.

 

2010's were around 10k off msrp, the 11's are nowhere near that but they still carry some rebates I don't remeber them off the top of my head though.

 

I think with the CAFE standards this is the next frontier that people will seek out. Glad to see Ford being proactive and pushing forward.

 

Sometimes, it's good to set limits and challenge the engineers. Always hated watching the weight of most vehicles going steadily upward across the board.

 

Makes perfect sense really. You have a genuine market for trucks like the F-150 that wants to spend absolutely as little as possible, and even more, which does not want the extras. I'm sure there are some folks who want a Mustang that stripped, in fact a mega-stripped GT could be a workable angle as a sort of special edition. However, outside of that kind of SE effort I don't think you are going to find a large enough market within a total Mustang market of 60-100k units per year to justify the same.