Sponsored

How badly is Ford struggling?

EcoVert

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 28, 2016
Threads
94
Messages
3,454
Reaction score
1,874
Location
W.VA
Vehicle(s)
2015 Ecoboost convertible
Vehicle Showcase
4
Then explain Ford's stock price for the past decade. And while at it, please also make sense for us your remark of if "a stock market" wishes labor to be cut, then why is Ford also cutting white color jobs? Why has Ford gutted its car lineup? And why is Ford giving us things that we keep saying in public forums we don't really want, or are things that are absolutely destroying legacy names such as GT500 and now ST. I personally could care less about GM, although I think it sucks when anyone loses their job due to inept decision making from mid and upper level management...so why you brought that into the conversation makes zero sense to me. Maybe Camaro forum people are having a discussion about GM, but to me, its apples to oranges here, yeah sure they are both fruit but that's where the comparisons stop. But, I thank you for your reply none the less...but let's stay on topic here, and at least, if you wish to clean up your response, maybe you could take a few lines to address my question. How badly is Ford struggling? That is the topic at hand. Thanks!
So OP has started this threat in hopes everyone would jump on his bandwagon and crucify Ford for cutting jobs like GM has sorry not going to do it.
Sponsored

 
OP
OP

1MEAN18

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 5, 2019
Threads
44
Messages
620
Reaction score
320
Location
Where I stand
First Name
Mike
Vehicle(s)
'18 GT
So OP has started this threat in hopes everyone would jump on his bandwagon and crucify Ford for cutting jobs like GM has sorry not going to do it.
LOL on your mind reading skills too. I'm still waiting for you to say something actually intelligent. If you care to drop the hyperbole (and spell check your stuff too) and actually address my original points instead of just being argumentative for the sake of it, then I'll change my tone back to you. I await your intelligence, come on man, you must have something thoughtful to actually say tonight right?
 

Coolmanfoo

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 13, 2016
Threads
62
Messages
429
Reaction score
343
Location
California
Vehicle(s)
2016 gt
He didn't answer a single part of my original question...so I'm sorry if you think he did "given his fairly good point" which I can't agree too, my possible annoyance in my response was because of that fact. I think I make fairly good detailed points. Points which, I dare to say a large majority of us die hard Ford owners (who also buy new cars, I've bought 3 in the past 2 years in fact) think are relevant. If you want a bit more, I was (stress was) a person who had saved up and followed the GT500 hype from the beginning. I decided last Spring I just couldn't wait, been without a Stang for nearly 2 years up to that point, and fell in love with the '18 refresh, the Gen 3 changes to the coyote, and really wanted the new A10. Only after buying it, and finding out specs of the new GT500 and the months of horrible speculation which in my opinion has been botched all along by Ford marketing (we still to this day don't know real prices and even real hp numbers) when I heard the rumor it would not come in a stick. No issue with the DCT, I'm a drag racer at heart, but no stick offering at all? And no word from Ford exec's as to why they think its a good thing to literally end 50+ years of legacy with one new car model just because they wanna bring back an iconic name and vehicle designation? I see it was a millennial who gave it the same plastic knob you'd find in an Edge. He actually seemed proud when asked about that in some YouTuber videos, all of which I won't point out because dropping those names doesn't matter here and would be a distraction. Personally, I'm so Glad I couldn't wait now, glad I fell in love with the '18 refresh, I'm spared holding onto a dream of buying a car that is likely gonna be 6 figures that a lot of us older guys, who give a darn about our brands history and legacy gets to see be broken. Everyone has a valid point, if they bother to respond to the actual question I posed. I don't mind what you point is, its your point of view and I think this is a discussion well worth having...but if you re-read my OP, I used the GT500 as one of many examples to state my feelings about my worry as to the perception, with all the layoff's of both white and blue collar workers, stock prices stagnant for a decade, the ending of the ST legacy, and in general the ending of what I see as successful lines of cars that will now never be made in America again. I'd love it if you actually took as much time to weigh in on that more, that's what I was hoping by asking the question in public.
Well okay now you're making valid points and opinions. In your original post it seemed you were using hot new topics as indicators that Ford's financial health may be declining. However it sounds more like you're upset with the direction Ford is going. They are definitely trading legacy and tradition for dollars. Most companies do at some point.

I will agree I highly dislike the current management and their ideas for the brand. When I watched the faster horse documentary I was majorly impressed with the project leaders and their mentality. A lot has changed since then.

So just to clarify are you concerned about Ford going belly up or just that they are morphing into a brand you don't recognize and support?
 

Bear376

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 9, 2018
Threads
11
Messages
276
Reaction score
175
Location
Stillwater, OK
First Name
Steve
Vehicle(s)
2019 EB, 2013 Mustang, 2017 F150SC, 2019 Flex
Vehicle Showcase
1
Ford is like all lasting companies. They are changing with the demands of the future. Their cutting back on sedans is only in North America, and is not reversible. The sedans and coupes are still being made overseas. An increase of production and boat ride to the States. and it is on the way to be solved. The real problem is that Trump's trade battles is a risky, but necessary struggle. How it sorts out, can change everyone's future plans. With the move to alternate energy sources and autonomous drivers also adds confusion.
 

jake_zx2

Banned
Banned
Banned
Joined
Jun 19, 2016
Threads
11
Messages
2,305
Reaction score
1,418
Location
Texas
Vehicle(s)
Kona Blue 2018 GT
Vehicle Showcase
1
I'm really hoping that once this trade war ends, we can start getting some passenger cars back. The European Focus and Fiesta sound excellent, the Chinese Taurus is great, and boy I sure would love if Ford found some justification to give us a RWD based V8 manual sedan. Since most of the development costs have already been eaten for those foreign markets, and once the trade war ends and import costs are low again, maybe we'll start to see the return of cars. After all, I recall a Ford rep saying that cars aren't necessarily dead for the brand, just being put on hold to gauge market interest
 

Sponsored

EcoVert

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 28, 2016
Threads
94
Messages
3,454
Reaction score
1,874
Location
W.VA
Vehicle(s)
2015 Ecoboost convertible
Vehicle Showcase
4
What Ford and all the other auto makes are doing and the only thing they care about is making money because if they don't make money they go out of business. Legacy, tradition and the way we use to do business is gone profits is all that matters. If that means killing Mustang or bringing back cars over suv's that's what Ford and all the auto makers will do.
 

jake_zx2

Banned
Banned
Banned
Joined
Jun 19, 2016
Threads
11
Messages
2,305
Reaction score
1,418
Location
Texas
Vehicle(s)
Kona Blue 2018 GT
Vehicle Showcase
1
And that's exactly why I'm on the verge of switching to being a Mazda diehard. They seem to be the only company left who actually cares about the soul of a car
 

NoVaGT

Banned
Banned
Banned
Joined
Sep 29, 2016
Threads
115
Messages
5,682
Reaction score
4,410
Location
Northern Virginia
Vehicle(s)
2019 PP1 GT Kona
Say it ain't so...first thousands of white collar guys get the axe. Now we are hearing tens of thousands of blue collar guys are too? All this and Ford can't seem to make a profit building cars (in America at least) any more? Stock prices have been stagnant for a decade, is this the tell tale sign of our loving brand in serious jeopardy? Please, please, please don't go the route of Chrysler and let some European car maker buy you out. If that happens, I'm done buying new Ford cars. What do you all think of this stuff?
It wasn't "thousands of white collar guys". It was about 700 here in the US. The rest were over-seas, or were retirements where the position was not re-filled. Ford was simply getting rid of thousands of do-nothing positions in middle-management, which is a good thing.

Don't pay attention to the media/news, they're completely full of shit, and sensationalize everything.

If there is news of laying off production people, that would be due to Ford axing all their passenger cars.
 

Tseg

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 19, 2019
Threads
3
Messages
141
Reaction score
139
Location
Detroit
Vehicle(s)
2018 Mustang GT Premium Convertible
Glad I got my '18 GT before the workers start sabotaging production like was done in the 1970's which helped drive the Japanese invasion of cars to this country.
 

jacknifetoaswan

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 6, 2016
Threads
49
Messages
1,425
Reaction score
760
Location
Charleston, SC
Vehicle(s)
2016 Race Red Mustang GT Premium Performance Pack
Holy crap, this thread is a dumpster fire.

Listen, everything in economics is cyclical, for as long as there is recorded history. Car sales are down across the board. Cars are lasting longer, and more and more people are moving to cities. Fewer young people want to buy cars, and given the high prices of new cars, fewer can afford them. Avocado toast, you know. Regardless of the desireability of the GT500 with/without a manual transmission, whether you think the BULLITT and PP2 should have been the same car (they shouldn't, and you'd have bitched about Ford not offering people choices, if they were), or whether it was smart to cut Ford's entire car line (minus the Mustang), the fact remains that fewer cars are being sold this year, and that trend is projected to continue for at least the next couple years. From an economics standpoint, that means that the manufacturers have to contract in their workforce, if they're to remain profitable, or close to profitable. It also means that less demand might increase incentives or just lower the MSRP on vehicles in an effort to get people to buy more cars. That, in turn, would lead to more sales, which leads to the manufacturers hiring more people, which leads to bloat, which leads to optimization (layoffs).

Does it suck that people are losing their jobs? Definitely. Unfortunately, it's a cycle, like I said. This has been happening in the auto industry for decades, and until robots are designing and building literally everything, will continue to happen. Stock price has little to do with the health of a company, only the market's valuation of the company and its operations. Remember, the company is not beholden to you, the buyer, they're beholden to their shareholders (of which I am one).

JR
 

Sponsored

Ebm

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 21, 2016
Threads
66
Messages
3,051
Reaction score
1,338
Location
North Carolina
First Name
Guy
Vehicle(s)
'14 GT
I'm wondering something... I believe the Fiesta and Focus were some of the cheapest(price wise) vehicles you could buy from Ford. With the elimination of the Focus, Fiesta, and Fusion, won't Ford's average vehicle price go way up?

By eliminating cars, Ford took out a buying segment that were buying their vehicles because they had a price tag people could actually afford. A mistake in my opinion.
 

Zelek

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 11, 2016
Threads
101
Messages
4,763
Reaction score
4,621
Location
Round Rock / Hutto, TX
First Name
Matt
Vehicle(s)
2021 Mustang Mach 1
And that's exactly why I'm on the verge of switching to being a Mazda diehard. They seem to be the only company left who actually cares about the soul of a car
Except they don't listen to their fan base at all and keep releasing 3 different versions of the same crossover instead of making a Mazdaspeed like everyone keeps asking for.
 

SVTSNAKE355

Banned
Banned
Banned
Joined
Aug 22, 2018
Threads
1
Messages
434
Reaction score
248
Location
chicago
First Name
hothands
Vehicle(s)
2014 GT500
Well my 2 cents is this, if FORD built their cars and SUVs like they do the F-150 they would not have this problem. If they had V8s across the line up, that would help. Why they refuse to build cars and trucks that some people want is just plain stupid. I am going to say this, IF they put a big V8 in the RAPTOR, they would sell more, IF they did a lightning truck, they would sell that, IF they had a Rattlelac v killer they would sell some of those, IF they put a big V8 In a mustang we all know that would sell. So to a point FORD is screwing FORD:explode::lipssealed:
 

Blue Horse

Banned
Banned
Banned
Joined
Jun 13, 2014
Threads
8
Messages
626
Reaction score
73
Location
USA
Vehicle(s)
Mustang GT
Except they don't listen to their fan base at all and keep releasing 3 different versions of the same crossover instead of making a Mazdaspeed like everyone keeps asking for.
It is just a matter of time,Ford started killing the Mustang after M/Y 2014, when they made the beloved Mustang to look like every other Euro box on the street,then they really messed up the great Coyote engine in M/Y 2018.Ford is doing a slow flush of what used to be a good car company.
 

Lightning Struck

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 15, 2018
Threads
6
Messages
142
Reaction score
64
Location
Waupun WI
Vehicle(s)
2018 Kona Blue PP2
It's a contract year. Laid off workers love that ratification bonus, and companies know it.
Sponsored

 
 




Top