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Non-Tech : FORD (NYSE:F) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Don Green who wrote (691)	2/15/2007 4:23:17 PM
From: Arthur Tang	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 1065

I am afraid you might say that. But Toyota has a poor business plan. Investing into infrastructure before the demand is there. 16 million cars and trucks sold will be a poor automobile year. A good year would be 17.5 million cars and trucks sold. Toyota has been following their strategy of imitating design flavors of GM, Ford and Chrysler to gain market share with many models. Not sufficient to run their southern expansion of plants three shifts yet. Current assembly plants depend on cheap labor, that is why Toyota had to go south, then perhaps Mexico. But the sales of Ford and GM suffered due to self inflicted harm. Not defending their brand recognition good will. And not allowing smaller dealers to have the second franchise. The many larger dealers have pushed the manufacturers around instead. Ernie Boch Jr. also pushes Toyota and Honda around too; selling dirt cheap starting prices. So, basically, I look at the softlanding due to high gasoline price as the automobile problem. Fuel economy will attract customers back if they can buy Taurus, Thunderbird, and Escort? Or even Oldsmobile Rocket 88?

To: Don Green who wrote (691)	2/28/2007 10:38:44 PM
From: Don Green	Respond to of 1065

Japanese cars still best in reliability: Consumer Reports By MarketWatch Last Update: 9:34 PM ET Feb 28, 2007 DETROIT (AP) -- Consumer Reports' latest auto reliability and survey rankings find overall domination by Japanese auto makers, strides from the Detroit Three and stumbles from Europe. The findings, released Wednesday and featured in the magazine's April issue, are based on more than 250 tested vehicles and data collected from 1.3 million subscribers' vehicles. For the second time in 10 years, all of the magazine's top-10 picks are Japanese nameplates. This year's list includes five new models: the Toyota RAV4, Infiniti G35, Toyota Sienna, Mazda MX-5 Miata and the Honda Fit. The list features vehicles that performed well in Consumer Reports' tests, have at least average predicted reliability, and adequate performance in government and insurance industry crash protection tests. The Toyota Prius ranked as the most satisfying vehicle overall for the fourth consecutive year based on the percentage of respondents who said they would buy the same model again, according to the magazine's annual car owner satisfaction survey. The Chevrolet Corvette again came in second. Seven domestic models made the top cut, compared with four last year. Japanese models fell from 31 to 26, and European models increased from nine to 11. The magazine found that Volkswagen leads in overall test performance, followed by Honda, BMW and Mercedes-Benz, Mazda and Nissan. But Honda, Subaru and Toyota get the highest marks when it comes to reliability. Vehicles are given a single score that reflects their performance in Consumer Reports' own testing. In a new report card, Mercedes-Benz received the fourth-highest test score with 77 out of a possible 100. But not one of the German auto maker's vehicles received a recommendation from Consumer Reports due to reliability concerns. By contrast, Honda's test score was 78, but the magazine recommends all the auto maker's vehicles it tested. Recommendations of the tested vehicles are based on performance, reliability in surveys, and crash-test results. The reliability of cars from Detroit vary greatly, according to Consumer Reports. While some models are good, even the best seldom rise to the top of their categories against stiff competition, the magazine reported. Chrysler posted the lowest score at 51, with 21% of the tested vehicles getting a recommendation. Ford's score was 64, with 54% of its tested vehicles getting a recommendation; General Motors received a 57 with 36% recommendation rate. David Champion, the magazine's senior director of automotive testing, said there was some good news for a domestic industry battered by a decreased market share and manufacturing cuts. "They are making strides in the right direction, but time is not on their side and certainly the financial situation is not on their side," he said. "If they're going to succeed in this market, they have to build a world-class product...that doesn't fall down in any one area." Among the domestic shining stars, he said, are the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan, both of which have the same underpinnings as the Lincoln MKZ. The Fusion and Milan were on Consumer Reports' "most impressive" list, described as having a nimble handling and a comfortable ride. Unlike many cars in their first year, the magazine said, reliability for both has been excellent. Ford also has bragging rights in the most impressive category over Toyota, whose subcompact Yaris makes the "most disappointing" list. The magazine said the Yaris has excellent fuel economy and reliability but sloppy emergency handling, a lot of noise and an uncomfortable driving position. Bennie Fowler, Ford Motor Co.'s F ) vice president for quality, was in South America on Wednesday and hadn't read the magazine's results. But he said the results for the Fusion and Milan reflect the company's plan to release an entirely new lineup by 2010. "One of the key challenges facing us as we close the gap on the competition is making sure the buying public recognizes" Ford's quality improvements, he said. "One of the hardest things is living down things that may have happened in the past. "We have to start...by taking one step."