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Strategies & Market Trends : Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: ild who wrote (14825)	11/4/2004 12:32:57 PM
From: TH	Respond to of 116555

ild, Although I work in design at the OEMs, I am focused mainly on interiors. And my track record with picking winning exterior designs is poor. The 500 might find a strong market in the low-mid sedan market. The interior just plain stinks, but when was the last time a Ford interior set any benchmarks? Never. The 500 is big, and the price is very right for this segment. It should be a solid seller, but it will not drive buyers in droves like the Telnack (Ford Design Chief in the 80's) designed Taurus did. The Mustang is going to rock for Ford for at least 1-2 years. Still, the total sales for that platform are small so the impact is little more than footnote on the Ford balance sheet. I have no opinion on the Freestyle yet. I've seen it, but it did not grab my interest. I don't think it can complete with the Pacifica. The Chevy entry into the wagon/SUV area is called the Equinox. I find it rather bland also. The big surprise for Ford may turn out to be the full hybrid Escape. I do not think it will be a major profit center, but the good PR it will generate will be a strong positive for stuffy old Ford. As a side note, I was involved in 94/95 as the lead developer for major interior parts on the Ford electric car. Ford had a chance to really lead in this market, but 18 months into the project they dumped it. Gas was pretty cheap and long-range planning is not Ford's forte. For my money, the new Porsche 997 S is the car to buy -g-* *now I just need to find 97K, hehe. Good Trading TH