November 9, 2008

Ford management hits bottom, keeps digging

Just wonderful. Meet the Ford Fiesta ECOnetic:
0904_mz_ecocar.jpg
65MPG Diesel, sporty vehicle, lots of options. Sounds perfect for today's market right? Mostly Cajun delivers a fine rant on Ford's decision not to market this car in the states:
Try us!
One little reason why GM, Chrysler and Ford are headed down the tubes AGAIN:
The 65 mpg Ford the U.S. Can�t Have
Ford�s Fiesta ECOnetic gets an astonishing 65 mpg, but the carmaker can�t afford to sell it in the U.S.
By David Kiley

If ever there was a car made for the times, this would seem to be it: a sporty subcompact that seats five, offers a navigation system, and gets a whopping 65 miles to the gallon. Oh yes, and the car is made by Ford Motor (F), known widely for lumbering gas hogs.

Ford�s 2009 Fiesta ECOnetic goes on sale in November. But here�s the catch: Despite the car�s potential to transform Ford�s image and help it compete with Toyota Motor (TM) and Honda Motor (HMC) in its home market, the company will sell the little fuel sipper only in Europe. �We know it�s an awesome vehicle,� says Ford America President Mark Fields. �But there are business reasons why we can�t sell it in the U.S.� The main one: The Fiesta ECOnetic runs on diesel.
Okay! Say it with me. All together. One. Two. Three! GOOFY BASTARDS!!!!

Detroit is in trouble now for the same reason they were in big trouble in the Seventies. They lack vision. They sit in their ivory towers and decide to produce and sell a product. Through the miracle of modern advertising, they flim-flam the American public into believing that we WANT what they sell. And it works for a while until some external force comes along and shakes consumers up.

In the Seventies it was a combination of quality and fuel economy. And it caught the Big Three flat-footed. And thirty years later, it happens again. And they just don�t get it.
More to read at Mostly Cajun's site What are these people thinking? Posted by DaveH at November 9, 2008 2:16 PM
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