Now if he'd only do the really important thing and step down as the the guy in charge of the Detroit Lions.
But seriously, Ford Motor Co. is in some deep, deep, doo-doo.
2006-09-05
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Blog by reformed leftist "Paul Hue", and his friends, including some UnReformed Leftists; the headlines reflect these competing views.
3 comments:
I agree. If Bill Ford sold the Lions that would be the best thing for Detroit. Better than finding a new business model at Ford...
No, really. I'm serious. A little...
I reckon that this will be a good move. I believe that the US automakers will all bounce back. Car building is an enormous enterprise, and these companies have all the equipment in place. I believe that they are saddled with legacy problems which this crisis will resolve. One of the biggest problems I see, which gets little discussed, is the legal devotion they all have to too many car brands. One needless use of labor and marketing goes into distinguishing the same car within various phoney sub-brands. Whereas Honda needs to make just two mid-sized sedans -- one "Honda" and one luxury version sold as a "Lexus" -- the three automakers have contracts with dealers who have purchased various phoney sub-brands each needing a distinct mid-sized sedan.
That made sense 40 years ago when the 3 US automakers serviced all Americans. 12 brands divided amoung 3 automakers was doable. But now we have 12 automakers. Ford, GM, and Crysler will need to each have exactly two brands, their generic nameplate and one luxury line, just like the Asian automakers. But this will require buyouts of all the dealerships who have spent millions over the years paying for licenses and marketing of brands that today only cause confusion.
The nation that designs Apple computers can also design the wold's best cars.
http://www.slate.com/id/2149079/?nav=ais
Nice overview of the situation.
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