Escape and Freestyle are Blue-Oval Growth Leaders at 60- and 63-Percent Respectively There have been a lot of doomsayers in the auto industry in recent months, especially focused on dissecting what is wrong with
| |
| Product, product, product, is the key to any company's success. (Photo: Ford Motor Company of Canada) |
domestic producers. And while a particularly positive November no doubt has Ford Motor Company of Canada execs feeling elated, anyone who reads the automotive news section of this website is aware that there are still plenty of challenges facing Big 3 automakers despite a few uplifting signs of progress. Regular readers will also be familiar with my steady mantra of product, product, product, being the key to any company's success. I often point to DaimlerChrysler as an example of how to get around weaknesses, which in DCX's case would be a lack of economical drivetrains, and increase sales by becoming the poster child of customers who not only don't care about the rising price
| |
| I often point to DaimlerChrysler as an example of how to get around weaknesses, which in its case would be a lack of fuel efficient drivetrains. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
of fuel, but also might find political correctness offensive to their rebel-with-a-cause image. When other carmakers are finding new ways to reduce weight, increase aerodynamics and introduce fuel efficient hybrid technology, DCX is raking in the cash selling heavy, wind-resistant muscle cars and by so doing teaching a valuable lesson - you can get very rich by serving the disenfranchised minority. Ford, however, only offers a few cars in this league, the new Mustang GT and upcoming Shelby Cobra GT500 variant, plus the 550-horsepower GT40-inspired GT - its full-size SUVs excluded. Rather, the automaker has been focused on maximizing fuel economy without compromising interior space and general usability. Even those critical of the company's rather generic looking Five Hundred sedan can't argue with its accommodating interior/trunk volume and efficient fuel consumption combination.