SUV strategy backfires

[Bobby Clobber]

Here's the latest on Ford's SUV push, what's next?



http://www.detnews.com/2005/autosinsider/0504/12/C01-147907.htm :censor:

[Joe Walsh]

Yep, My FORD Stock is going to be as valuable as toilet paper in a few years...

Ford has been living,.....and now will be dying on Truck/SUV sales.

Gas is at $2.25/gal and it won't be dropping anytime soon. Wait until China's automobile apetite REALLY gets going....then watch where gas prices go! ^^^

The only good thing to come out of the high gas prices will be less people driving around in GIGANTIC trucks for NO REASON other than they 'feel in control'....i.e.

> Soccer moms, whose kids are gone to college, but they still have to drive a 7500LB Suburban to the mall....get a friggin' Buick!
> A guy who is NOT a contractor/builder driving to work by himself in a crew cab dualie F350....get a little Ranger!
> White collar office types driving to the office by themselves in Cadillac Escalades or Chevy Avalanches....stick to BMWs!

There...I'm done now.... :mad2: :soap: :cheesed:


BTW....WTH does anyone need a butt ugly Lexus 470 or that abortion Infinity FX45 for??? There is no room to put anything in the back of those oversized POSs!

[dwasson]

Yep, My FORD Stock is going to be as valuable as toilet paper in a few years...

Ford has been living,.....and now will be dying on Truck/SUV sales.

Gas is at $2.25/gal and it won't be dropping anytime soon. Wait until China's automobile apetite REALLY gets going....then watch where gas prices go! ^^^

The only good thing to come out of the high gas prices will be less people driving around in Gigantic trucks for NO REASON other than they 'feel in control'
i.e.
> Soccer moms, whose kids are gone to college, but they still have to drive a 7500LB Suburban to the mall....get a friggin' Buick!
> A guy who is NOT a contractor/builder driving to work by himself in a crew cab dualie F350....get a little Ranger!
> White collar office types driving to the office by themselves in Cadillac Escalades or Chevy Avalanches....stick to BMWs!

There...I'm done now.... :mad2: :soap: :cheesed:

And the rest of you, get out of my way!

[Shaft333]

Make cars more profitable.

1. Design cars that people will want to buy. ie.. Chrysler
2. Build higher quality cars. ie.. Toyota
3. Partner with suppliers so they can provide high quality parts and still profit. ie... Honda and Toyota
4. Stop spending money in European luxo brands
5. Reduce the fat, politics and bereaucracy from all areas of the company

[RF Overlord]

5. Reduce the fat, politics and bereaucracy from all areas of the company

You're jokin', mate...it'll NEVER happen...the company will go under first.

...and Joe Walsh: I agree 100% with everything you just said...people driving gigantic trucks for no reason...people driving by themselves in duallie F350s, soccer moms in Escalades, etc. It sometimes makes me so upset I get physically ill...

From the linked article:"...and the chilling effect soaring gas prices have had on sales of sport utility vehicles." This comes as a surprise?! When was the last time you saw an SUV with more than one person in it?

[Joe Walsh]

Oh, In my previous rant I forgot to include my FAVORITE waste of sheetmetal AND gasoline....THE HUMMER!* (H1 or H2...either one is a joke on the street)

P.S. I hope that they civilize the M1 Abrams for street use....Imagine how cool that would be! And that turbine engine will get really great EPA mileage!

*Usually driven by a middle aged guy who craves attention while he drives around.......why not just buy a 427 Cobra!?...errrr...I meant CORVETTE! :o ;)

[Shaft333]

You're jokin', mate...it'll NEVER happen...the company will go under first.

You're probably right, but my suggestion still stands. I know Ford practically requires a form to use a drinking fountain on their property.

I want an International CXT, just to be annoying to H2 owners... but I s'pose half of all H2 owners originally wanted to annoy Excursion owners...

[rookie1]

You're probably right, but my suggestion still stands. I know Ford practically requires a form to use a drinking fountain on their property.

I want an International CXT, just to be annoying to H2 owners... but I s'pose half of all H2 owners originally wanted to annoy Excursion owners...

While filling up the MM yesterday there was a tiny woman who couldn't have weighed more than 90 pounds filling up her passengerless Excursion with Premium gasoline. The total on the pump was over $65 when I left and still going.

[stevengerard]

I agree about big vehicles when not needed. Yet realize that many of these "soccer moms" could be my wife after she just dropped off the 4 kids. There aren't many vehicles that carry a family of 6 and their luggage safely.

I used to own a Durango, my kids couldn't bring any freinds with and very little stowage. Looked at the new ones, more room in back but not much. The Suburban, as luxurious as a Caddy and we can fit our luggage. I don't necessarily like the size or the gas mileage. But if I could legaly stuff all 4 kids in the back seat with no seat belts like our parents used to, I still wouldn't.

[Silver_04]

Yep, My FORD Stock is going to be as valuable as toilet paper in a few years...

Ford has been living,.....and now will be dying on Truck/SUV sales.

Gas is at $2.25/gal and it won't be dropping anytime soon. Wait until China's automobile apetite REALLY gets going....then watch where gas prices go! ^^^

The only good thing to come out of the high gas prices will be less people driving around in GIGANTIC trucks for NO REASON other than they 'feel in control'....i.e.

> Soccer moms, whose kids are gone to college, but they still have to drive a 7500LB Suburban to the mall....get a friggin' Buick!
> A guy who is NOT a contractor/builder driving to work by himself in a crew cab dualie F350....get a little Ranger!
> White collar office types driving to the office by themselves in Cadillac Escalades or Chevy Avalanches....stick to BMWs!

There...I'm done now.... :mad2: :soap: :cheesed:


BTW....WTH does anyone need a butt ugly Lexus 470 or that abortion Infinity FX45 for??? There is no room to put anything in the back of those oversized POSs!

Hmmm, I'm a single guy driving a big ol' Chevy Silverado Crew Cab as my daily driver and it gets ~2mpg worse than my Marauder did in the city, 15.7 mpg and 18 mpg repectively. That's a negligible difference IMO, especially considering how much more useful my truck is and I don't have to burn premium now. So I find it pretty amusing that people, i.e. some of you, are driving a 4000lb land yacht with 300+ horsepower and are ranting about fuel consumption considering the Marauder window sticker only claims 19/23 city/highway...at least that is what mine said and never achieved. If you're that worried about economy go trade your Marauder in for a Focus. Anyone...anyone? Didn't think so.

[Joe Walsh]

Hmmm, I'm a single guy driving a big ol' Chevy Silverado Crew Cab as my daily driver and it gets ~2mpg worse than my Marauder did in the city, 15.7 mpg and 18 mpg repectively. That's a negligible difference IMO, especially considering how much more useful my truck is and I don't have to burn premium now. So I find it pretty amusing that people, i.e. some of you, are driving a 4000lb land yacht with 300+ horsepower and are ranting about fuel consumption considering the Marauder window sticker only claims 19/23 city/highway...at least that is what mine said and never achieved. If you're that worried about economy go trade your Marauder in for a Focus. Anyone...anyone? Didn't think so.


My Marauder is NOT my daily driver...and as for "putting your money where your mouth is"...I am selling my 96 S10 Blazer: 16mpg city 19mpg hwy. :(
I am now driving an '05 Subaru Legacy GT* wagon: 21mpg city 28mpg hwy. :)
*GTs have a DOHC 2.5 Turbo w/250 hp and it hauls a$$ while getting very good gas mileage. :D

[twolow]

I was also thinking everyone's ranting was sort of hypocritical since our MM isn't exactly economical.

[Bigdogjim]

You know it's much deeper than a rant? Look at the way people drive? Nothing out their will ever deliver the MPG the sticker has printed on it. Why? Because most people drive erratically
.
I have had other drivers in a Honda tell me I am wasting gas. Then when they get on the hightway it's like they are on the backstreach at Indy...............zoom....... .... :burnout:

Take a ride on any express way/freeway in America and see for yourself.

Next time your stuck in traffic look around and see how many cars have only one person in them! :help:

[ctrcbob]

Silver-04,

Because I purchased my 03 MM used, I did not know the window sticker had the milage listed as 19/23. Have not taken any trips yet with mine, but I know darn well I will beat the 23 highway milage.

Around town, (around Lake County Florida) everyday driving, I've gotten a low of 18.5 and a high of 21.7 mpg. I normally average 19.0 to 19.5 mpg in everyday driving. This is the same as my Continental.

Taking a trip with the Continental on the open road, I get anywhere from 25.7 to 31.0, averaging 27 mpg, so I'm sure that when I do take a trip with my Marauder, I will beat the sticker 23 highway milage listed.

[JamesHecker]

I paid $2.84/ gallon today. Think I kept my foot out of it because of that? Not a chance :D

[Shaft333]

Wooh hoo a fight!

I'm rooting for the car guys... because trucks put me in the most peril when I'm on the bike.

[Bobby Clobber]

Sorry guys , didn't mean to start a war, my point was about FORD's marketing strategy around SUV's and Trucks, and that their share price was being punished by that. :run:

[Joe Walsh]

Sorry guys , didn't mean to start a war, my point was about FORD's marketing strategy around SUV's and Trucks, and that their share price was being punished by that. :run:

My bad....I commented on your post then quickly digressed into a rant about driving 'GIGANTIC' trucks for no reason...

Back on topic....Ford stock is about to drop below $10 per share (it's already at a 52 week low), but Ford will cling to their Truck/SUV product lines as their only real profit making products....
I remember when Ford made lots of nice (profitable) Sedans. Heck, they 'rode' the Taurus into the ground and are now counting on the '500' to replace it.
Uhmmmmmm....Don't think so!

[ADE 1000]

You guys have got me thinking. What does a single guy like me need a 4000lb+ fuel sucking boat of a car like the Marauder? Perhaps I should trade it in for a Prius......

Back to the original topic, I think Ford still needs to keep investing in trucks/SUVs as they are still going to make up a majority of its profits. On the car side, the Mustang seems to be a big hit and I am sure the Five Hundred/Freestyle are doing well enough. The upcoming Fusion looks promising and should help them stem the tide a bit.