When the Edge arrives in Ford showrooms later this year, Ford will have a three-CUV lineup, starting with the best-selling Escape,
then the new model, and followed up with the popular Freestyle, resulting in more entries in the hottest new market segment than most rival entry-level automakers. And this speaks strongly for the blue-oval brand's future profitability.
But talking profits while in Detroit, where the Edge will be introduced to the motoring press today, it's hard not to think about the challenges the Big 3 faced only last year, General Motors and Ford especially, dealing with problems that haven't gone away and therefore will continue to wreak havoc to the bottom line throughout 2006, and probably beyond. The massive tri-tower Renaissance Center, recently renovated with the addition of an elegant glass atrium looming over the Detroit River, is a constant reminder that bigger isn't necessarily better.
And while bigger (but ever-shrinking) GM, and a downsizing Ford often get
lumped into the same discussion when describing what's wrong with the North American auto industry on the whole, their problems, at least when it comes to the products currently being offered, are very different.
The world's largest automaker, largest at least until Japanese giant Toyota takes the lead sometime in the year future, is plagued with too many powertrain combinations driving too many different models being sold by too many different brands through too many independent dealers, which of course adds tremendous cost to what could otherwise be a much simpler lineup. Ford, on the other hand, hasn't given its buyers enough model and drivetrain choices, especially in its midsize car and crossover range. Up until recently it only offered potential buyers the stale-dated Taurus and well executed but somewhat bland looking Five Hundred in the sedan range, plus the impressive and, fortunately for Ford, extremely well received aforementioned Freestyle in the CUV segment. With only a single V6 available for all models, from entry-level blue-oval midsize vehicles to upscale Lincolns and Jaguars, the Duratec 30, an engine that's hardly new and not the most powerful in its various segments, is taxed beyond what most engines have to deliver.
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| When the Edge arrives in Ford showrooms later this year, Ford will have a three-CUV lineup. (Photo: Ford Motor Company of Canada) |
But talking profits while in Detroit, where the Edge will be introduced to the motoring press today, it's hard not to think about the challenges the Big 3 faced only last year, General Motors and Ford especially, dealing with problems that haven't gone away and therefore will continue to wreak havoc to the bottom line throughout 2006, and probably beyond. The massive tri-tower Renaissance Center, recently renovated with the addition of an elegant glass atrium looming over the Detroit River, is a constant reminder that bigger isn't necessarily better.
And while bigger (but ever-shrinking) GM, and a downsizing Ford often get
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| Attractive styling makes all the difference in getting noticed. (Photo: Ford Motor Company of Canada) |
The world's largest automaker, largest at least until Japanese giant Toyota takes the lead sometime in the year future, is plagued with too many powertrain combinations driving too many different models being sold by too many different brands through too many independent dealers, which of course adds tremendous cost to what could otherwise be a much simpler lineup. Ford, on the other hand, hasn't given its buyers enough model and drivetrain choices, especially in its midsize car and crossover range. Up until recently it only offered potential buyers the stale-dated Taurus and well executed but somewhat bland looking Five Hundred in the sedan range, plus the impressive and, fortunately for Ford, extremely well received aforementioned Freestyle in the CUV segment. With only a single V6 available for all models, from entry-level blue-oval midsize vehicles to upscale Lincolns and Jaguars, the Duratec 30, an engine that's hardly new and not the most powerful in its various segments, is taxed beyond what most engines have to deliver.