Carl leason

Tata Motors, Mahindra & Mahindra Bid for Ford Brands

Both Jaguar and Land Rover have particularly poor quality and that's the primary reason for their decades long poor sales. If you buy one of these vehicles,...you better live close to the dealer ! Having them owned by another company isn't going to change quality.
And speaking of quality, why is it that Kia and Hyundai have very high quality and are new at the business, while Ford and GM are still playing catch-up ? Same applies to Jaguar and Land Rover,...long in the business but short on quality. Why would anyone in their right mind pay big bucks for cars that look good on paper but can't stay on the road ? But that's English quality for you....England can make very fine products, like aircraft engines, Rolls Royce, but on the other hand, can't make an inexpensive car that isn't in the shop all the time. LC

Ford U.S. Sales Fall 14%

I would love to be a Ford fan again but they are not producing anything that looks interesting and yet they keep on pumping out pick up trucks that get 12 miles per gal. and expect to make money ??
They really need to NO.1,..Get some really good looking cars again !
Think of the days of the 4 pasenger T Birds, the early mustangs, the 57 Fords , 55 Mercurys, TurnPike Cruisers, those were exciting times. Now we are stuck with a company that only looks at the other makes and produces look alike cars ! Cookie cutter cars that look so ordinary !...What ever happened to excitement when the new models came out every Sept. in the good old days ??
Fords biggest problem is that they have no more Lee Iacoccoa's (sp) No more imagination, just a focus on the ordinary !
At least GM and Chrysler are trying by coming out with some "Different" looking cars , if not exciting ! Ford needs someone who can put excitement back into the way cars look ! LC

Auto Retail Industry Changing Faster Than Most Can Keep Up With

Just my opinion, but dumping the older , family owned delerships is a huge marketing mistake !
Carlysle Lincoln Mercury, Clearwater, FL almost folded when taken over by one of those "Autoway" or similar organizations. They salvaged it by hiring back the same old salesmen that had been doing a good job for years, were real profesionals and knew every customer by first name !
For most people, like it or not, buying a car is a very personal thing. A buyer likes to know that they remember him and will treat him right when it comes to service and the next trade. I went personally to an AutoNation or Autoway or whatever,..and found it so impersonal that I walked out ! In fact I even went to a third place that operated the same way,.."their way or no way".. attitude.
I walked all over the huge lot for a half an hour and not one person came out to meet me or to see if they had what I was looking for ! So again, I walked ! I finally went to a Family owned dealership and did buy a new car. !But, what do I know,..I am just a retired automobile / truck factory Rep . and finally a salesman for over 30 years.
Ford and GM must realize that it IS a very personal thing,...buying a car,..and when they dump the AutoNations, etc......... sales will pick up !! LC

Ford Motor Co: Have You Driven A Ford Lately?

Ford's real problem is not quality any more, it's simply that the Design Dept. hasn't come up with anything that really appeals to people,..For example , if the recent Thunderbird had been a 4 passenger, it would have been a real winner. But, they don't seem to realize that there are a million 2 passenger cars out there that people love until they want to take someone with them ! Then they go on the used car lot !
The 50's and 60's were great years for cars and are still favorites because cars were exciting and people couldn't wait for the next new model. Today, the next new model looks just like the last model,...and that model looks just like every other make on the road !
It takes an engineer to tell people what's different. That isn't the way to sell cars !
Those gas guzzeling pick-ups are not attractive, but appeal to those guys who want the biggest bus on the road, and they are really tough on the wallet when one buys gas ! The only thing they offer is a huge profit margin to Ford. ! When they start producing really attractive cars,... screw the wind cooefficient of drag,..that's when cars may start to sell ! LC

Ford Motor Co: Have You Driven A Ford Lately?

Ford's real problem is not quality any more, it's simply that the Design Dept. hasn't come up with anything that really appeals to people,..For example , if the recent Thunderbird had been a 4 passenger, it would have been a real winner. But, they don't seem to realize that there are a million 2 passenger cars out there that people love until they want to take someone with them ! Then they go on the used car lot !
The 50's and 60's were great years for cars and are still favorites because cars were exciting and people couldn't wait for the next new model. Today, the next new model looks just like the last model,...and that model looks just like every other make on the road !
It takes an engineer to tell people what's different. That isn't the way to sell cars !
Those gas guzzeling pick-ups are not attractive, but appeal to those guys who want the biggest bus on the road, and they are really tough on the wallet when one buys gas ! The only thing they offer is a huge profit margin to Ford. ! When they start producing really attractive cars,... screw the wind cooefficient of drag,..that's when cars may start to sell ! LC

Ford Motor Co: Have You Driven A Ford Lately?

Ford's real problem is not quality any more, it's simply that the Design Dept. hasn't come up with anything that really appeals to people,..For example , if the recent Thunderbird had been a 4 passenger, it would have been a real winner. But, they don't seem to realize that there are a million 2 passenger cars out there that people love until they want to take someone with them ! Then they go on the used car lot !
The 50's and 60's were great years for cars and are still favorites because cars were exciting and people couldn't wait for the next new model. Today, the next new model looks just like the last model,...and that model looks just like every other make on the road !
It takes an engineer to tell people what's different. That isn't the way to sell cars !
Those gas guzzeling pick-ups are not attractive, but appeal to those guys who want the biggest bus on the road, and they are really tough on the wallet when one buys gas ! The only thing they offer is a huge profit margin to Ford. ! When they start producing really attractive cars,... screw the wind cooefficient of drag,..that's when cars may start to sell ! LC