With a redesign of the Sprinter, and possible expansion of the range, isn't it time for a new Econoline or the Transit?

Some products have a long life cycle and then there's the Ford Econoline. When was the last time this line was updated? It's got to be at least 12 years. But it's a staple of commercial fleets right. Who would want to upset the apple cart by making a dramatic change?
That's probably what Dodge thought alll those years. Look at this 1996 van here, you can see how little it's changed over say a 1977 version. New products cost, but Dodge learned the lesson of letting a product get stale, when they had to discount their full size vans heavilly, just to get them off the lots.
And so they made a dramatic change, they borrowed their new parent company's commercial van from overseas. Also sold as a Mercedes and a Freightliner, the "new" Dodge Sprinter is a leap from the old Tradesman van. A 5 cyl Diesel gives it far superior fuel economy, while not really loosing useful power. And the different chassis, wheelbase and payload options are almost limitless. No wonder Mercedes/Dodge sell so many of these around the world.
You would think they are the most popular commercial vehicle on the globe, but you'd be wrong, the Ford Transit is. There's even a documentary by the same name. So if Ford is really going to make some "Bold Moves" maybe this should be one of them. The Transit is now available with all wheel drive, combine that with it's flexible packaging and economical Diesel powertrains, it's a wonder customers haven't been clamoring for them.

Brands brands, who's got the brands? Thoughts on the latest edition of Autoline Detroit...

On Sunday morning while many are in church, and still others are watching the different current afairs discusions shows such as Face the Nation, I'm usually having my coffee watching Autoline Detroit the show "Of, By and For the Auto Industry" hosted by John McElroy. And luckily I Tivo it if I miss it. And this past Sunday's show was very interesting. Now if you don't already watch I strongly suggest you check your local listings for the SPEED Channel or visit the link in the title of this post.
This week, they talked to one of the authors of Branding Iron available through Amazon or B&N online. I'm going to order my copy today.
Charles Hughes, picture here with his then boss Mark Fields has been all over the auto industry in the US, including several Ford brands (Mazda and Land Rover) so it's assumed he knows what he's talking about. He didn't sound like an idiot or a fool, even if I didn't agree with 100% of what he was saying, I was impressed.
The Co-Author is William Jeanes formerly of Car and Driver. One of the few Car and Driver writers, besides Csaba Csere, that I liked. Another guy in the know.
And while the book doesn't focus on Ford alone, the comments on Sunday's show were. Mr Hughes thinks that Ford Globaly but most importantly in North America has too many brands. The way he sees it they only need 3 Ford ,Volvo and Jaguar. Now he never specifically mentioned Mazda as a "brand" to be discarded, and since FoMoCo doesn't actually "own" Mazda, but only a controlling interest, I assume he wasn't including Mazda in this discussion. So the brands that Mr Hughes sees as dead or dying are; Lincoln, Mercury, Land Rover and Aston Martin. So, of course here's my humble opinion on that situation.

Mercury is dead, it just doesn't know it, it's a brand that lost relevance from day one. as I said many times while some fans would miss Mercury FoMoCo will not. Some may disagree, but it's a sad truth.

Lincoln is dying, but there's enough meat on the bone to try and revive the brand. But is it worth it? Couldn't Lincoln be folded into Ford or revamped? It's going to take more effort than FoMoCo has shown. A new Town Car based on the Australian Ford Falcon and maybe a new CUV based on the Territory might help. But status quo won't hold off the grim reaper and the MKZ MKX and MKS aren't the answer, not even in the short term.

Jaguar? I'm still undecided here, without some new models I don't think so. Either sell it or rework it into a new company with Land Rover.

Land Rover? Well it's a natural thought to consolidate it into Jaguar in my opinion. But it's a brand that is global, and has a lot of cache. Probably better to sell it than fold it. Or keep it, but I'll follow up on this.

Aston Martin? Well, many enthusiasts will hate me for this, but kill it or sell it off quick. As far as I'm concerned they're just really expensive Jaguars anyway. Definitely not worth keeping, or spending any momey on, better to sell to the highest bidder.

Volvo, is a keeper, a premium European brand that pulls it's own weight and is the step up from Ford for customers in global markets. Don't mess with Volvo or dare to sell it off, no mater what Nissan/Renault offer. There's too much potential here to give up.

Mazda, well lets not be stupid, this is a brand that is doing well, and has potential to do much better. While Toyota, Honda and Hyundai are the shining stars of Asia, Mazda has been growing slowly and proven itself too valuable an asset to even think of altering. With so much engineering shared with Mazda, if anything Ford should increase their stake in Mazda, maybe buy it outright.

Ford brand is and always will be the crown jewel brand of FoMoCo. This is their bread and butter with the Trucks, SUVs and new CUVs, this is where the money was made to buy or create all the others. There's lots of potential here. Oh, and bring me my Reflex quick!

Now while I see killing Mercury and Possibly Lincoln, selling off Aston Martin and possibly Jaguar or Land Rover as options, I also see other oportunities. Here's one scenario, consolidate Jaguar, Range Rover into one company and bring the Rover name back. Ford recently exercised their option to buy the name, presumably to preserve the "good name" of Land Rover. Preventing the Chinese firm from using the name. A new Jaguar/Land Rover/Rover group could be streamlined in management and be an arm to enter new markets like China, Russia and Japan to European and Australian Ford based models. Or the whole package could be sold. In my opinion, the three give a broader range and help support each other. Ford should have learned when they brought out the Jaguar X-Type, that entry level luxury is a slippery slope. The same car badged as a Rover would have been a better sell. You could even fold Aston Martin into this group, and either sell it or try and make is work.

I could see Rover replacing Mercury in the US, being populated by European Fords like the Mondeo, S-Max, Ka and Fiesta.
I've said it before, Ford has some great brands and models world wide. It's been at the forefront on technology breakthroughs over the years. There's a reason they do so well globally, outside of Dearborn there is hope, people who know how to react to market changes. While the F-Series trucks paid for all the "jewelry" brands, FoMoCo needs to start thinking of what to do, sell the jewels or make them shine.

Are boycotts the answer? No, of course not, but they make us feel better

My last related post, was in support of a boycott of Citgo and Venezuelan oil. And don't get me wrong I still support it. But are boycotts the answer? No, don't be silly, they just make us feel better. If you've been following the Citgo situation, you've learned that Citgo was selling their retail operations off months ago, and that 7-11 stores were already seeking new partners for their retail fuel sales. Even if we in the US refused to buy Venezuelan Oil, don't think for a minute that it would actually hurt Chavez or the sale of the oil. There are enough buyers globally that every barrel would sell, and the only suffering would be short lived and local. The same goes for Iranian and Saudi Oil. Oil is like Heroin or Cocain, we and the rest of the world are hooked.
We can't hurt our "enemies" in the short term. It's going to take a generation to reduce our dependance on foreign oil. What we can do, is support alternative fuel initiatives and demand that our government and corporations accelerate the process. We need to push not only for Bio-Fuels, but the infrastructure and vehicles. It's not enough to have "Flex-Fuel" vehicles that can burn E-85. We need to have vehicles that burn e-85 more efficiently. 27% poorer efficiency is not acceptable.

If Ethanol, Bio Diesel or Hydrogen are going to be effective we need to demand real progress.

Ten Years later, killing in a small town

Way off topic, posted on my old blog, the story of a tragedy in a suburban town ten years ago.

Charles Campbell a 37 year old African American man, and father of one son, was shot by Richard DiGuglielmo 31, an off duty NYPD Officer, after a dispute between Campbell and the officer's father got way out of hand.

Life lost, others shattered for what?

Mark Tapscott has a point! Don't support our enemies, don't buy Citgo!

Mark Tapscott of "Carnival of Cars" fame, has the "Copy Desk" blog as well. And after Chavez's babling at the UN last week, he had an interesting post. I also read the Auto Prophet's take on the issue here

Chavez is a fool and unfortunately because of Citgo he's got a nice bankroll. His hate of the US and love of dictator Fidel Castro are bad enough, but his support of terrorist state Iran and hope for a "Bolivian" revolution throughout the South American continent are outright scary.

I agree with Mark and the Auto Prophet that Citgo should be starved of the precious American dollars that they funnel into the lunatic dictator's war chest. But I have a question, hopefully someone out there can help me with. Does Venezuela have other interests that we should know about? I've vacationed in the US Virgin Islands, specifically St Croix and the largest employer on the island is a refinery owned by Venezuela and I believe Hess oil. So should we boycott Hess as well?

This seems to be Mark's source and the epicenter of the boycott GOP and the City Blog.

Update, here is the Hess/ USVI connection Hovesna which should be of interest to people in the New York/New Jersey Metro area. Although we all love those Hess trucks at Christmas, is it worth supporting our enemies ?

Ford Transit 4x4, another reason to compete against the DCX Sprinter

You know, the more Dodge/Freightliner Sprinter vans I see on the road here in the NY Metro area, I wonder why Ford won't consider bringing the Transit to the US. And now reading about this four wheel drive version, furthers my belief that it could/should be brought here.

I know a couple of people who have four wheel drive Econoline vans, expensive conversions, for both personal and contractor usage. One fellow I know spent over $50,000 on his Diesel E-350 with the conversion!

How many of you have noticed an increase in Sprinters near you? Is it just a NY Metro area thing? I doubt it.

Holy crap! A cool Ford Wagon! But of course not for us.

You've probably seen this already on AutoBlog, Jalopnik or a dozen other automotive blogs/sites, but I have to give it to Ford Europe, they keep coming out with brave new product that has a sense of style.

The new Mondeo, as AutoFuture had pointed out, is taking styling cues from the Iosis concept car, and here is the wagon version. Wagons are not looked upon the same way in Europe, it would be unthinkable not to have a wagon version of almost any car there. And they're not just simple people movers, they're sharply styled with many of the handling and performance options of their sedan counterparts.

Too bad someone in Dearborn can't take their head out of their butt and see that. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, Ford has everything they need to turn around from a product line that is truly global, if only they would abandon this "Dave" idea.

Future Ford model talk at AutoBlog....

You've probably already seen this piece over at AutoBlog discussing possible future Ford models and dates.

Not much of it is earthshattering news and what's not there is more disapointing than what is.

No surprise that a new Mustang special will be introduced each year, to keep interest high or that a Bullit Mustang will be coming. There has been buzz since before the 05 Mustang hit showrooms of Boss Mustangs, Mach 1's and California Specials.

But what about a new Crown Vic/Town Car? How about the Bronco and Reflex? When are we going to see some Diesels? When are we going to see some "Bold Moves" ????

Mazda 2 redo?

There's a quick piece over at AutoBlog on World Car Fan's article and spy photos of a redesigned Mazda 2. Now since we may eventually get this one way or another, as a Ford or Mazda, you should take a quick peak.

Ford buys Rover name, now what to do with it? I know, use it!

Here's a surpise, I was just checking AutoBlog and there's a story about Ford exercising their option to buy the Rover name from BMW. When Ford bought Land Rover from BMW part of the deal gave them the option to buy and right of first refusal. Now why would they want to buy the name Rover? According to AutoBlog in order to preserve the good name of Land Rover, by preventing the Chinese firm that bought the remnants of Rover's bones. It makes sense, if a Chinese auto maker came to market with some cheap crap ( and lets face it that's what's coming) it could negatively impact the name of Land Rover.

So Ford spends a chunk of change to stop that damage. AutoBlog speculates that the next move could be for Ford to sell the name to the Chinese for a huge profit. And from an acounting point of view it could be a good move.

But I have a better idea, why not use the Rover name?

How about giving Jaguar, Land Rover, Aston Martin dealers a chance to diversify? Why not use the Rover name to import a new range into the US. How about some of those European Fords that are too expensive to sell as Fords in the US? How about the Ford Focus Coupe Cabriolet? How about the Galaxy or S-Max? How about a chance to bring some of the uniquely European Fords to the US and not run them through the "Dave" mill?

What do you think? I think it's worth a serious look. I know that Ford's having it's troubles now, but this is long term thinking. You have to look beyond this weeks cuts and to what's going to be in the future. That would be a Bold Move.

Where's MyFordDreams????

Well, here I am again, finally returned from exile. And what the hell happens when I'm gone? Jeez it's a reminder that the world doesn't stop spinning just because you're not watching.

News of Ford's increases in cuts and rumors of sales of divisions have been flying around all summer, hell all year. But of course the big news was the hiring of Mually from Boeing to take over the CEO position from Bill Ford Jr. I guess all the Carlos Ghosn talk was just a smoke screen or wishful thinking on the part of Billy and the Automotive pundits.

I know next to nothing about Mulally, just that he's come from Boeing, and is getting a compensation package of around $18 million this year. I don't see how a guy from a defense contractor will be able to save FoMoCo, but like I said, I'm not familiar with any facts about him.

The second, but more possative piece of news was FoMoCo's decision to not stop building the Lincoln Town Car, at least until 2010. Could this be the silver lining in the recent clouds over Ford? I hope so. I hope that someone at Ford has seen DCX's new long wheelbase 300 and realized that giving up a money making model isn't the thing to do.

Maybe someone will see this as a breathing period, allowing time to get the Australian Ford Falcon chassis ready for a Town Car/Crown Victoria replacement.

I'm back, slow at first, but hoping to be back up to speed soon.

The AutoProphet weighs in on FoMoCo's problems, offering his fix..

The Auto Prophet, who like the Lone Ranger and Superman, keeps his identity hidden, has set his eye on FoMoCo and laid out his plan to save the company.

The men who could or should have saved Ford?

This man keeps popping up in connection with the future prospects for Ford, Carlos Ghosn of Renault/Nissan. But of course he's still in talks with GM, isn't he? The Automotive Press, think the sun shines out of his rear, and I'm sure he's good at what he does. But is this one man the Messiah of the auto industry? Doubtful, even he has limits, and being stretched thin between Asia and Europe, it seems unlikely he could be persuaded to leave his current position to take on the challenges at Ford.
This man, Jaques Nasser, former CEO of Ford and now working for JP Morgan Chase, is back in Ford news. Rumors are that Nasser is looking into buying Jaguar and Range Rover from Ford for investors. But let's not forget that Ford is still suffering from some of his lofty ideas. It was Nasser that made the purchases of Ford's Premier Auto Group brands, spending cash reserves like his personal mad money.
Bill Ford Jr, reluctantly let Nasser go and assumed comand of the family fortune's future. Net chatter is that FoMoCo will "privatize" buying back all shares of stock. I'm not Kramer of Mad Money, so I won't speculate on that. But it's obvious Bill Jr isn't the one to bring Ford back to solvency, well not alone at least.
But isn't that why he brought Mark Fields back to the US from Mazda in Japan? Isn't this the guy that's supposed to be making "Bold Moves" to drive "American Innovation" and lead Ford along the "Way Forward" into profitable times? When I read months ago, that Fields was being paid a bonus to stay at least two years, I had a feeling he wasn't going to be the one either. So who can save Ford? Or would it/ should it be one man?

I had though it would be Bill Jr, and that Ford had all the pieces of the puzzle in their global toy chest. But it seems that there is more pain in Ford's future, before anyone can be hailed as the "Man that saved Ford."

AutoBlog posted this days ago, but I just found it and thought it was cool...

Remember that cool commercial that Ford had for the Superbowl in 2005, where Steve McQueen appeared in a corn field and then drove the new Mustang GT? Well AutoBlog has an earlier commercial Ford did where Detective Bullit retraces the route of his famous chase through the streets of San Francisco!
And believe it or not, it wasn't in this! Although that ad would have been very cool. Ford used this particular iconic imagery to sell something far removed from the muscular Mustang GT.
AutoBlog has the YouTube video of McQueen piloting a Ford Puma ( sold in Europe from 1997-2000 and based on Fiesta mechanicals.) Along the same route and then into the garage, where the four wheeled star of the film also make a cameo.

I found this interesting, because while working on my home PC, I found a video clip of the Top Gear crew ( Clarkson and Tif) driving the Puma, as they named it Top Gear's Car of the Year. One of these days, I'll try and post that video also, or find a link to it online.

The Puma was a great idea for Europe, and possibly for the United States someday. I think of it as the precursor for the Reflex. There was even a spec racing series in Europe featuring Pumas.

Enjoy the video, link to AutoBlog in title.

Ford not so busy with the B's , while others move toward emerging segment

This is the year that many expected the B segment to get traction in the US market. A combination of high fuel prices and sticker shock was to see an invigeration at the "entry level" of the market. Honda brought their Fit micro wagon/hatch and that was to the benchmark even before anyone actually drove one. Others like the Hyundai Acent and Nissan Versa are here or coming soon from abroad and Detroit's resposne has been varied.

GM has been importing the Aveo from Korea and is the only "domestic" maker that has something in place. It's an unexciting model, but reviews have been mostly favorable. It may not be perfect, but it's the only solid move from the "big 3."
Hopes had been that DCX would bring the Hornet concept to market in the US, with it's tough styling and superchared mini motor still anticipating near 40 mpg. Chrysler is shopping for a partner to build this, but it's still years off. And Chrysler's relying on the Dodge Caliber and it's Jeep siblings Patriot/Compass to give them something "fuel efficient" to offer.
Speculation recently was that FoMoCo would bring a version of the Mazda 2 to the US around 2008. But my question about this, is why? Why bring the Mazda 2 here, when there are plants in Latin America building Fiestas and other vehicles sharing components?
The Fiesta shares components with the Mazda 2, but in my opinion is a better looking car. And in Europe it outsells the Mazda, like it's larger brother Focus does the 3. I suspect Mark Fields tends to think anything Mazda is the answer to FoMoCo's problems.
I know it seems unlikely with all of the stumbling in the "Way Forward" that new models will be introduced anytime soon. But when FoMoCo does get it's ducks in a row, it needs to bring something exciting to market. Something that will be distinctly American, yet attract import buyers as well. Key factors will be economy, styling, utility and cost.
Economy and cost can be served by basing several models on a common platform (Fiesta) using Ford powerplants from their overseas markets. The Ford Faction Concept, as I've stated before, would be a great counterpoint to competitors such as the Caliber and Versa. And when Ford can get their European Diesels to pass US Emissions, they can slide right into these new models.
The recent Bronco concept was to be built on such a chassis with all wheel drive and a Diesel from the Fiesta range. Just think how segment busting such a model could be! The rugged retro styling, with soft road capability and Diesel economy, would be uniquely American and green.

Ford has been showing concepts for the last few years that have gotten major recognition and interest. Just look at the Reflex! A 2 door sporty coupe, powered by a Diesel-Hybrid powertrain that could achieve 65 mpg!

Yet what will be get if Ford survives to bring a B segment model? We'll get a stripped Mazda 2 if we're lucky.

Hot Rod rants and raves, link to new forum

Is this what you think of when someone says "Hot Rod?" This is a 1932 Ford 5 window coupe, a replica of the car from American Grafiti. I would guess that the vast majority of "Hot Rods" are Ford bodied ( or fiberglass replicas of Ford bodies) from 1922-1937. Hot Rods came into being in the 30's and 40's, but really took off in the 1950's and have been an American staple, that's been exported around the globe like Rock music and the Hoola Hoop. And even though the hey day may have passed, Hot Rod culture never really went away, it's evolved and survived.
And it's got different stratta like the Rat Rod movement which seems to be attracting a younger following back to these classic tire burners.
I've always loved Hot Rods, would dream of building one, like the ones I saw in Street Rodder magazine. But of course, mine would have been FORD powered, unlike some that had bowtie transplants. In my humble opinion, if the car has a blue oval on the hood it should have one under it too.
And thanks to Jonathan, I can now clue my readers into a new site for and by Hot Rod guys, www.hotrodders.com which has forums. And in those forums recently Jonathan has been taking issue with a blatant marketing error, but click the link for the entire story and more pics.
What I will say, is that these two poor bastards need to put on some real pants, and cover up their short comings quickly. This is not the way to market anything to the "Hot Rod" culture. I think they missed the mark with this one in a big way.

I mean , THIS is a Hot Rod, and Milner was the guy that personified the movement, not some "Bad Boy" posers with eye patches over their willies. And if you really want a laugh, click the link and read some of the thought baloons that Jon has posted for the two punks. I was rolling on the floor.

My dream Hot Rod, just for the record, a 1934 Ford Vicky with a 289 and 4 Weber carbs, full fenders riding low with Pinto IFS and Jag IRS and of course it has to have the finned Cobra valve covers. A nice gray primer Suede finish with red Kelsey Hayes wires. What about you? And if you don't know what a Vicky is, look it up, that's half the fun of the internet.

LPG is on the rise for Ford of Australia, could it work here?

Linked in the title is an article about Ford Australia's increased sales of LPG powered Falcons. And it got me thinking, why can't LPG work here in the US? I'm sure that it's got to do with customer resistance and the American addiction to litigation.
But I recall in New York City, pilot projects with LPG Taxis.

And fleets of utility trucks and busses being powered by LPG.

With most alternative fuels there are issues of infrastructure and availability, but LPG is Propane and I can guy that for my outdoor grill at my local gas station. So why can't it be an option for my vehicle?

Dave Thomas formerly of MPH Online, drives the new CX7 for Kicking Tires Blog

Dave Thomas formerly the nerve center for MPH Online, takes Mazda's SUV with the spirit of a sports car for a spin. I've always enjoyed Dave's reviews of vehicles, especially his video Q&A at MPH. So while I'm fairly inactive, go on over and check Dave's new site Kicking Tires

Gas caps for morons, are not "Bold Moves"

You know, if Ford thinks this is revolutionary, or "Innovating" they're really in for a hard lesson.

This is the biggest piece of "non-news" that nobody should care about.

Hey Bill, if you want to sell some cars, don't worry about the gas caps, worry about the crap that sits on dealers' lots.

Bring us some real "Bold Moves" like the Reflex, Faction, EcoSport, Fiesta, C1 Focus, Fairlane and Bronco!

Why aren't I excited about this? Everyone else is. Maybe it's the 325 hp

I like it, I really do, the new Ford Shelby GT is nice, and I get it, a lower priced-higher production Shelby for the masses. But even though prices haven't been released, If ind it hard to really get excited about. Oh, I know I sound like a spoiled sport, I should be rallying behind the Blue Oval at the mearest hint of something good. Shouldn't I? I mean I'm a Ford Fan and self professed lover of the Mustang. But the fact that the "entry level" Shelby will only have 325 hp and the mods are all Ford Racing Products pieces, that anyone could buy from their catalog, leaves me disapointed. Sure in the 60's Shelby Mustangs were similarily just a shade better than "lesser" Mustangs, and Shelby American sold many of the parts over the counter so you could "Shelbyize" your stang. But 325 hp just doesn't seem enough, no not even close.

For the premium price that dealers will charge, and we all know they will, I'd want at least 375 hp and some further differentiation between the Shelby GT and the more pedestrian Mustang GT.