Is the Writing on the Wall for the US Auto Industry

jnp

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I did exactly as you asked and came up with some information you didn't like. Good attempt at turning the issue around though.

Eveything in this age is based on personal preference. We all like power seats, surround sound, etc. If a verhicle, no matter if it's Toyota, Ford, Chevy, Honda, etc does not have these qualities, it will RANK poorly. So in all respect, everything IS somewhat based on personal preference.
 

jason_els

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You do realize that to be included in JD Power, a company has to pay JD power to rank them?

JD Power is about the biggest consumer scam going.

If you want unbiased criticism of a company's products I daresay the company's official website is not the place to look.

And I agree with you on the Passat. It's junk though it does handle very well when all its parts are working.

Okay, lets look at buying trends of the F-150 as America's number 1 selling truck for how many years now? Or the new Taurus being ranked as America's safest car? Well, how about I quote the official Ford Newspage-

'Ford Motor Company Vehicle Quality Soars'

DEARBORN, Mich., June 6, 2007- Ford Motor Company is the only company with five initial quality model segment awards this year, according to a customer-based Initial Quality Survey released today by J.D. Power and Associates.

In the research firm's 2007 Initial Quality Study (IQS), Ford Mustang, Mercury Milan, Lincoln MKZ, Lincoln Mark LT and Mazda MX-5 Miata swept their vehicle segments for top honors. "We are designing and building world-class vehicles, and it's great to have this acknowledgement from the customers who drive our cars and trucks every day," said Mark Fields, president of the Americas, Ford Motor Company. "While we're pleased that our internal focus on quality is receiving this kind of recognition from J.D. Power and Associates, we will not let up. We will continue to deliver even more high-quality products that customers want."

Overall, Ford, Lincoln and Mercury nameplates placed among the top 10 nameplates, with Lincoln in 3rd place, Mercury in 8th place and Ford brand in 10th . Jaguar ranked 6th. Ford Motor Company received 14 total vehicle honors, more than any other automaker.


Just in case, here is the link with information provided-
Ford Motor Company - Featured Story - Ford Motor Company Vehicle Quality Soars
 

jnp

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I understand the biased aspect, although I just quoted what was reported by JD Power, not really anything else concerning opinions by Ford itself.

And JD Power is a 2-way street. People don't mind saying how well Asian or European car companies do in these surveys, but when you mention an American company, suddenly the fact that they must have been paid-off comes into view. Not too fair if you ask me....BUT, I do understand what you're saying.

And you're totally correct about the Passat. It did handle great, and had quite a bit of pep to it. If only the little things would stop breaking 24/7. it would be a nice car. Or nicer, I might say.
 

Drifterwood

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Dare I say that the US Automotive Industry is a very good example of what happens when you believe your own publicity. I.e. presuming that you are the best and not having the modesty to implement a culture of continual improvement but rather resting on your laurels.

Ford and GM (Opel and Vauxhall) are now producing some good cars for the European Market, Focus, S Max, Fiesta, Mondeo, Astra and Vectra. Cadillacs are quite popular in China, but I think that's only because they don't know how to drive yet.

Nearly all the improvements in cars in the last twenty five years (certainly on standard models) have come from Audi, BMW, Honda, Mercedes and Toyota (Lexus).

Time to eat some humble pie and learn from the rest of the world.
 

rob_just_rob

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I did exactly as you asked and came up with some information you didn't like. Good attempt at turning the issue around though.

Eveything in this age is based on personal preference. We all like power seats, surround sound, etc. If a verhicle, no matter if it's Toyota, Ford, Chevy, Honda, etc does not have these qualities, it will RANK poorly. So in all respect, everything IS somewhat based on personal preference.

Read the thread title:

Is the Writing on the Wall for the US Auto Industry

Personal preference would be relevant if the thread was called "Why do Fords suck so bad?"

Despite JD Power and despite your defense of Ford, Ford, like GM and Chrysler, has been losing market share AND money over the last few decades. The INDUSTRY is in trouble, and you haven't said one thing that addresses that issue.

So which one of us is "turning the issue around", again? :rolleyes:
 

Elmer Gantry

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Car manufacturing is a ballsy game. Product planners have to peer into a crystal ball and try and figure out whta people will want to buy in 8-10 years time, which is the normal gestation period for a new car (not a rebodied facelift).

The US manufacturers have finally been caught flat footed. After years of treating their customers with disdain and contempt, they are now finding that the current product range is almost diametrically opposite to what the world wants. Their international sunsidiaries are starting to suffer from this short sightedness, as the available platforms are not suitable for the world market anymore. Their four cylinder product is the bottom of the barrel (except for Ford's brilliant Focus).

GM is drowning in employee liabilities and it's only time before what was the worlds greatest car maker is in receivership. Their domestic sales are plunging and they aren't strong enough in Europe or Asia to make up for that.

Ford once had more money than God in the bank, in cash but noone's quite sure where that all went. They went on a mad expansion phase in the early nineties and bought a lot of smaller manufacturers and suppliers, most of which have been sold at discount prices since. They have been able to hang onto a bunch of strong and fairly profitable brands (Aston, Jag, Land Rover), but they never come to grips with owning high tech companies like Coswarth or the Pi group. Sales are still fairly strong and they do have a strong Euro presence to lean on as well.

Chrysler is not really a volume player anymre and it increasingly looks like becoming a mid-higher market boutique for "individualist" designs. Benz lost hundreds of millions trying to turn them around and ended up offloading it for a fraction of it's purchase price.

The big manufacturers left are then GM, Ford, Chrysler, Fiat, Benz, BMW, Volkswagen, Nissan, Toyota, Mitsubishi and Honda. But the ten sisters will soon be six with a decidedly Euro flavour to it.
 

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Volkswagen's problems are well know, and well documented. VW is famous for electrical failures. They also had problems with oil consumption. They do drive and handle good. Most all European cars do. It's no wonder, look at the difference in the roads and traffic laws there. I personally would be at least somewhat afraid to buy a VW product. I also wonder why VW stopped importing diesel power vehicles to the U.S.?
 

Dave NoCal

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When my Jeep's radiator exploded and it had to towed in to the shop, I asked truck driver what brand of car he picks up most often. His immediate response was: "Volkwagens. They are the crappiest cars on the road."
To echo Viking, I had a GTI that I bought new. I loved the way it handles but by the time it had 15,000 miles it was burning a quart of oil evey 1500 miles. When I brought it to the dealer's attention (Chris Motors in Atlanta), their response was "that's normal." Not in my book. I ditched it shortly thereafter and wouldn't consider another.
Dave
 

jason_els

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The oil cartel strikes again...

No, particulate emissions. VW's diesels were dirty old things, nothing like the better diesels, and they were horribly slow. 0-60mph times at 16 seconds or so. Newer and cleaner diesels aren't a problem.
 

dong20

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No, particulate emissions. VW's diesels were dirty old things, nothing like the better diesels, and they were horribly slow. 0-60mph times at 16 seconds or so. Newer and cleaner diesels aren't a problem.

I remember those (mid - late 90s), they were useless! The modern diesels (inc VW ones - I had a '06 TD Golf a while back) are worlds apart. That said, even the current none-turbo diesel Golf is glacially slow. They're still far from eco-friendly though.

In any event, conventional technologies such as petrol and diesel are term limited. It's only a matter of time until the cost of fuel/resistance to relinquish personal transport balance tips toward alternatives which will hopefully include a comprehensive public transport system. The US automotive industry needs to plan for that day, if it doesn't it will be wiped out; swiftly and brutally.

As Chuck said, this industry requires guts, forsight and innovation I'm not sure the US industry has the requisite allocation of these right now.
 

ClaireTalon

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Dare I say that the US Automotive Industry is a very good example of what happens when you believe your own publicity. I.e. presuming that you are the best and not having the modesty to implement a culture of continual improvement but rather resting on your laurels.

Time to eat some humble pie and learn from the rest of the world.

As I have said, it is amazing to see the number of developments that we overslept. Whether it's due to our gas prizes, which are still a lot cheaper than European, in my experience, due to managements' lapses of judgment or the mentality of the average customer is irrelevant in the end, now we're suffering the consequences and have to make up this leeway.

Volkswagen's problems are well know, and well documented. VW is famous for electrical failures. They also had problems with oil consumption. They do drive and handle good. Most all European cars do. It's no wonder, look at the difference in the roads and traffic laws there. I personally would be at least somewhat afraid to buy a VW product. I also wonder why VW stopped importing diesel power vehicles to the U.S.?

Yep, I agree. Since Audi is part of the Volkswagen group, I suppose they use the same, or at least a similar concept in electronics. In my case, this leads to silly cautionary alerts (ABS failure, ESP failure) which have absolutely no reason in their respective system.
 

RedScrotum

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OK, to relate this thread to the forum, let me ask you this.... it's said that to compensate for a small penis, guys with small penises drive big SUV's, then what vehicle do you guys with large penises drive?
 

viking1

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OK, to relate this thread to the forum, let me ask you this.... it's said that to compensate for a small penis, guys with small penises drive big SUV's, then what vehicle do you guys with large penises drive?

We all use public transit, of course...