August 12th, 2010
I have a $150,000 sports car in my parking garage, a handcrafted machine produced overseas in limited numbers. Next to it, I have a U.S.-made Ford Mustang GT, armadas of which will be sold for as little as $30,500.
I tested both the day before, so which to take out today just for the thrill?
“The ‘Stang, please,” I tell Paul and Hector, my trusty garage guys.
Paul raises his eyebrow. Seriously?
Times have changed. Changed in a whopping, Big Bang kind of way. Once hopeless and bumbling, Ford Motor Co. is now really cranking out the good stuff. And its new Mustang is about as good as it gets.
I’m reminded why as I aim the sparkling blue hood (the deep, lustrous paint is called “Kona Blue Metallic”) on my way out of town.
Normally I nurse high-dollar rides over the canyon-sized cracks and craters in New York’s West Side Highway as if guiding a colicky baby in a carriage. With the Mustang’s high clearance and sturdy shocks, I bound over the choppy asphalt. Bulletproof.
On today’s just-for-fun itinerary: I’m prowling for open, winding lanes where the V-8 can have its torque-mad way with the world. Under full throttle, the brand-new 5.0-liter motor sounds like Zeus hurling thunderbolts, channeling 412 horsepower and 390 pound-feet of torque.
Years ago it was inconceivable to have so much power at such a bargain price. This base coupe has more kick than the original V-10-powered Dodge Viper or a Ferrari 360 Modena.
And boy does it pull. At a stop light it yanks you, inexorably, toward the next traffic stop like a leashed bull mastiff, a kind of torque overload that’s nearly impossible not to childishly indulge in over and over again.
The sound is bright, raw, delicious.
As for gas mileage, the V-8 manages 17 city and 26 highway and can be run on regular gasoline rather than premium with a slight reduction in power.
As driven, my test car was $42,305. It included most of the convenience and sport options, including navigation, improved Brembo brakes, 19-inch wheels and an electronic stability control meant for spirited driving.
So equipped, the GT was as much or more fun than any European or Japanese car at that same price.
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July 27th, 2010
Ford unveiled the 2011 Ford Explorer in a unique way – making it’s commitment to social media more significant than any automaker has ever done.
The first time any automaker has chosen a virtual unveiling now gets credited to Ford. Aside from the obvious hope that people will actively engage, share with friends and comment on the pieces of content to the extent it leads to sales remains to be seen.
The decision to use Facebook, and to integrate the Facebook “Like” buttons in it’s material is definitely a good idea should Ford want to study the effects of the social graph and the characteristics of “influencers”.
Influencers are people who are very active only, blog, tweet and often stimulate great discussions about topics their audience is interested in. If Ford can figure out what makes these people tick, they’ll definitely have some ideas on how to create a network of influencers.
It’s still a gamble worth taking because being on the front lines and differentiating yourself will get people’s attention. People want to break free from the norm, they want to experience remarkable things in their own space and not have to physically travel to an auto show to experience the excitement.
That being said, there is still definitely something missing from online media and it’s certainly the inability to replicate human interaction and physical emotion from an event.
Ford hopes that the people will appreciate this effort in being different in hopes that it will generate specific conversations about the new product. Ford has invested in social media with campaigns like the Ford Fiesta movement where they gave cars to people who are active online and allowed them to become the voice behind the brand.
There is no doubt that great things have been happening for Ford with it’s second quarter income of $2.6 billion, a sign that they are doing a lot of things right.
It still comes down to the product in the end. Ford products have been brilliant, so the 2011 Ford Explorer should be no exception. The focus on technology and marrying the online experience using the vehicle as the connection is proving that Ford is listening and taking full advantage of utilizing social networks to their greatest extent.
Tags: 2011 Ford Explorer
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July 12th, 2010
Even when the all-new Explorer existed only on a computer screen, Ford was scrutinizing every inch of the redesigned SUV. Every seam, every button, every dial has been studied to make sure Explorer stands out in a crowded, competitive marketplace. In fact, Ford used such high-tech equipment as laser wands and an innovative “e-cube” to ensure the rugged, repackaged Explorer will meet the toughest craftsmanship standards when it debuts later this year. more…
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June 24th, 2010
The Blue Oval goes hand in hand with quality, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2010 Initial Quality Study. For the first time, the Ford brand has the highest initial quality among all non-luxury brands. Additionally, Ford moved to fifth place among all brands from eighth last year, the highest position the company has achieved since its 23rd ranking in 2004. Some of Ford’s most popular nameplates received top honors for their respective segments, including Ford Focus, Taurus and Mustang.
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June 17th, 2010
If there were any doubts about reports that the American auto industry is on the mend, they were laid to rest today with the release of J.D. Power and Associates’ 2010 Initial Quality Study (IQS). Domestic brands, as a whole, demonstrated higher initial quality than the imports for the first time in the study’s 24-year history. And, not surprisingly, Ford Motor Co. led the reformation.
Even before the Big Three went to Washington with their hats in hand back in the fall of 2008, Ford had been making sound decisions about the direction of the business. One of the pivotal moves it made was hiring Alan Mulally, the automaker’s current CEO, from Boeing. By focusing on the company’s balance sheet and leveraging its assets, Mulally was able to cut costs, put money in the bank and avoid taking government bailout money, unlike the other two big American automakers. While this endeared the brand to a financially strapped American public, it also gave Mulally the money needed to aggressively restructure the company and, more importantly, develop better automobiles.
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