Evil_Capri

from autoextremist.com

I agree 100%!!


Ford needs a better idea.

Detroit. It's hard to believe, but Ford has suddenly become the "quiet" car company. A company that's concentrating on getting its financial house in order, but in the process has little or nothing to talk about - except for the runaway success of its reborn Mustang. Yes, interesting new products are coming, but Ford is reacting to the market rather than acting - and they're slowly but surely losing ground to their crosstown rivals, who are not only dictating the tempo of "the game" but making the rules too. And except for the aforementioned Mustang, Ford seems to be spending most of its time back on its heels, up against the ropes.

What the heck happened?

What happened to the Ford Motor Company of the '60s that led with bold strokes and didn't wait for their rivals to bring "the game" to them? Yes, that was a different era - blah, blah, blah - but there was a confidence and a swagger about Ford back then that was undeniable. Ford didn't let their rivals dictate anything. Despite GM's dominance in the market at the time, Ford acted rather than reacted, going with their gut, and by doing so, they succeeded more often than not while they were at it.

Seeing the need to juice up their performance image, Ford went after the burgeoning youth market with a vengeance - embarking on an all-encompassing credo of "Total Performance" - and it went a long way toward establishing Ford as the "happening" American brand. Not content to dabble in racing and dole out their support to private teams on the sly, like GM did, Ford jumped into racing with both feet - attacking virtually every facet of the sport, from grass roots sports car racing all the way to the highest levels of international competition. The Ford "blue oval" became a common (and winning) sight from Indianapolis and Daytona to Monaco and Le Mans.

And it worked. Ford became the "hot" car company with serious momentum in the market. Through the Mustang - the most successful launch in automotive history - and its high-performance marketing and racing, Ford went from being a sleepy-time car company to the "buzz" brand of the era, and it translated into sales and "buzz" at the dealer level too.

Yes, things are different now, and Detroit collectively finds itself up against the wall, faced with the daunting task of desperately trying to make headway with consumers who have literally walked away from American brands in droves. But Ford has allowed its pursuit of financial tranquility to cloud every other judgment it's making in the market - and opportunities and ground are being lost to competitors because of it.

There's a faction in Dearborn that has come to believe that those "glory days" of the '60s are long gone and that they should be relegated to a cozy corner of the company's colorful history, because it's just not applicable in today's quagmire masquerading as a car market. These Ford operatives believe that today's market is too precarious and that the challenges facing the company today demand a sober and measured approach so as not to do anything stupid, or heaven forbid, make a mistake.

But there's always a fine line between putting your head down and forging ahead in this business - and falling into a trundling, lackadaisical cadence that puts you immediately and emphatically behind. Right now, I'm afraid that Ford has fallen into a rhythm that is unhealthy and, ultimately, uncompetitive. It is so focused on the dire scenarios and the doomsday "what ifs" that the competition is leaving them behind.

Let's face it - the Mustang is a grand slam home run "hit" by any measure. But when the "buzz" on the street and in the media begins and ends with only that one vehicle for the entire brand (I'm not counting the niche Ford GT, which remains a sensational car), then Dearborn, we have a problem - again.

As bad as this market is for the Detroit car companies, by going into a "duck and cover" mode, Ford managers aren't going to solve anything. The problems and the doomsday scenarios will remain fresh and vivid - there's no danger of any of it receding too far into the background, that's for sure - but Ford managers need to pick up their heads enough so as to get some fresh air, breathe in some clear thinking and adopt a new attitude.

Building great products in this business is an industry given, but that isn't nearly enough. The car companies that rise above the rest do it with style, panache and attitude. And Ford needs to get its attitude adjusted and bring back its swagger. This is no time to blend into the woodwork.

Ford should go back to Indianapolis and go back to Le Mans. And not just to be there either - but to win. Ford needs to put the Ford name on the map again as a serious player in the international competitive arena. The internal naysayers insisting that this is the last thing that Ford should be doing are dead wrong, because Ford has lost its edge. It has lost its edge on the race track, and it has lost its edge in the market. The retro classic production cars are cool, and the corporate infatuation with NASCAR "racertainment" is predictable, but Ford needs to get its mojo back. And sitting on the sidelines like a house by the side of the road while its competitors whiz by is not going to cut it.

And going hand-in-hand with a reinvigorated performance strategy should be a kick-*** marketing strategy too. Ford needs to stop ceding marketing "buzz" to its rivals and stop wallowing in this "quiet" car company persona. It's not only unbecoming to the Ford legacy, it's a self-fulfilling blueprint for mediocrity - and disaster.

Ford needs a better idea. This is no time for bunts and squeeze plays. Instead, Ford needs to not only get back in The Game - it needs to start swinging for the fences.

Thanks for listening, see you next Wednesday.


Automotive consultant Peter M. DeLorenzo founded Autoextremist.com - an Internet magazine devoted to news, commentary and analysis of the automotive industry, automotive marketing, strategy and product development - on June 1, 1999. Since then, Autoextremist.com has become a weekly "must-read" for leading professionals within and outside the industry, including top executives at the car companies, suppliers, dealers, journalists, financial analysts, enthusiasts, and people directly involved in motorsports. Prior to launching the site, Peter spent more than two decades in automotive advertising and marketing, holding top-level positions as Creative Director and Executive CD at ad agencies in Detroit and New York. In addition to his editorial opinion work on Autoextremist.com, Mr. DeLorenzo regularly consults for enlightened automobile companies and is a national commentator on the auto industry. The opinions expressed by Mr. DeLorenzo are his and his alone and do not necessarily reflect those of his clients.

1999 Black 35th GT

I agree too. They have a great new lineup, great safety, rave reviews from auto magazines and great reliability ratings from multiple agencies! Now they need to get those products shown to the public through competition.

With Toyota and Chevrolet dropping from IRL they need to take a stab at that before IRL detonates upon itself. They need to get back into Le Mans racing too.

They are getting on the right track though. Their Grand Am racers have been doing phenominal and their WRC Focus's have been also doing very well, and also Nascar has been always a positive campaign. What I think the ad campaign needs to do is show these products in action to the general public in magazine and billboard ads to spark excitement in the consumer.

Over the past few years Ford has stepped up their vehicles with better reliability and safety which is a giant leap in the right direction. Now they need to keep making those strides. They're on the right path, let's keep it there

mizanin

I agree with the article, but I don't know if I completely agree with you though, Andy. Ford has made their vehicles more reliablle and safer and that IS a BIG step in the right direction. But other than the Mustang and the F-150 I see a bunch of some boring looking vehicles. And that includes Ford's other brands - Mercury and Lincoln.

Seriously, does Lincoln even put out anything anymore? Alright I know they do, but come on, how can Cadillac have such a resurgence and Ford sits around doing nothing to Lincoln? They need to attack Cadillac with the same type of hot cars that Cadillac is selling - classy looking yet edgy rearwheel drive cars that have a high performance option.

And really does Mercury have any type of identity to it? Seems like Mercury's only purpose is to be a slightly better looking more expensive version of Ford. I just don't think that is cutting it. Mercury needs its own personality, right now Mercury is like Buick and Pontiac - redundant.

And right now there is a sort of horsepower war occuring that by and large Ford and GM are letting pass them by. I know SVT is supposed to start creating more cars and broaden from only working on Fords, to probably Mercury and Lincoln, but that isn't going to happen for a few years. Ford only has one entry in the horsepower war right now - the Mustang. Maybe they should reuse the Mustang platform to create a new CTS fighter for Lincoln (assuming they can create enough backseat room) and create a Cougar for Mercury. Although the Lincoln car should probably end up with its own platform, at least it would be a start and give Lincoln a push. And the Cougar could be another ponycar that could hopefully eat more market from any future entries into the ponycar market, and maybe give Mercury a push towards finding an identity.

But at least Ford isn't using GM's strategy which seems to be "put bullet in head."

1999 Black 35th GT

I see where your coming from. I do agree that the 500 needs revamped. I personally like the looks as they are now but I think Ford wants it to stand out a bit more. But I do think that the Fusion is starting a new trend. I love the looks. Very sleek and very sporty.

So far in my opinion I like what I'm seeing. The new Explorer's are looking more truck like (which I like) opposed to GM which seems to be going for a softer look that I really don't care for.

Albeit it would be neat, I don't know if building a CTS fighter would be a good idea right now. I think that's what is killing GM. They are focusing so much on these high end vehicles that their entry models are suffering.

IMO I think what Ford is doing is a good plan. Appeal to the masses, not a select group of the higher income bracket. They need to show off these vehicles to the average joe.

Of course this is just my opinion.

mizanin

Well I agree not to focus too much on the higher income brackets, but Lincoln and Mercury still need to get a real identity to them.

I do think Ford is on the right track, especially quality wise and their interiors are finally not entirely plastic. The biggest thing Ford is missing in their products is a personality. I liked the first generation Focus, especially the 3 door. It had a weird quirky look to it that worked really well, but I think Ford went too mainstream with the new ones. I always thought one of the Big 3's biggest problems was not having a small, cheap, fuel efficient car like the Honda Civic. I thought Ford was finally catching on with the Focus and its styling.

I still think Ford is on the right track, but could do so much better if they may be a bit more adventerous with the styling. And I'd also like to see SVT broadened across almost the entire product line and have Ford be more agressive with hybrid technologies.

Zastava_101

I completely agree with you. Although Lincoln and especially Mercury do need better idea, Ford is doing great job. Since Ford's vehicles are almost best sellers in all categories, Chrysler and GM are the one who have to follow. For example, until recently Taurus was best selling domestic sedan, Focus is best selling domestic small sedan, Escape is best selling small SUV, Explorer is best selling full size SUV, F-Series is best selling full size truck, Ranger is best selling small truck, Mustang is best selling muscle car and so on. So Ford, for now, is on right track (except for 500, they need to replace that car, Fusion should get the job done).
I like Lincoln's cars, Town Car and LS are awesome looking, but Lincoln needs to have younger buyers, not 70 years olds. Zephyr is pretty good, but withough really powerfull engine (which Zephyr doesn't have and most of Cadillac's cars do) Zephyr will not be really succesful.
I don't even know why Mercury exist, they look just like Fords and they are more expensive. Only exception is Mountaineer, which doesn't look much like Explorer.

Anyway, I would like to see more sporty vehicles from Lincoln, more vehicles PERIOD from Mercury and for Ford ... just get rid of 500 and spent more time and effort on Fusion because that car might be succesful like Taurus was.

66Mustang289ci

I think Ford has come a long way in the past few years, but I agree they are following rather than leading. The biggest thing I think Ford could do is get a fuel efficient car as Mizanin said. If it wasn't for the F-series Ford would be in serious trouble. I love the looks of the 500 (although the LS is better), just wish it had some GO. I'm not much for the Focus or Fusion, or many other small sedans for that matter, but there must be something to match Civics and Camrys ect.

Mercury as it has been stated (many times) needs cars of its own. You don't need 2 or 3 of the same car. I would love to see a decent Cougar. One that actually looks like its cousin and has some power.

I think we can all agree though that its good Ford is not taking GM's approach.

mizanin

Amen to that. GM's approach seems to be "put bullet in head"

Evil_Capri

My wife's Five Hundred (and I'm sure all the other Five Hundred's) have some good 'get-up-and-go'. Mind you not neck snapping acceleration, but it's pretty good. The 3.5 V6 with an extra 50-60hp should help even further.

Going from my Taurus to my Wife's Five Hundred . . .I began to appreciate the Five Hundred that much more . . .

forddude1416

Why can't Ford build a car like the cavaliers? We got a 99 2.4L and that thing is quick. The cheapest car Ford has is the Focus or Fusion or somethin with an F in it. Those things are still like 12 grand baseline? Andy help me out here!