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Mulally: No Global Luxury Brand


ANTAUS

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Wait a minute....only 2 V6 engines? Are they talking blocks or just displacements? because near term we have 3L and 3.5L and the 3.7 coming out in a year or two..what about the inline 6 cyc models that are used in Volvos and FoE (if I'm not mistaken) products?

 

Seat frames are a no brainer...I'd assume a passenger model and a truck/SUV seat

 

70% models off 10 platforms...

lets see:

C2 (next gen Focus)

EUCD3 (Mondeo, Fusion)

D3 next Gen (Taurus)

Huntsman RWD (large Sedans and Mustang...possibly Explorer?)

T2 Platform (F-150 and Expedition)

B2 Platform (Fiesta)

what else?

Edited by silvrsvt
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I believe as V6's go, the Duratec 35/37 is one family and the I-6 from Volvo is another...thats IF they keep Volvo. The Duratec30 is a stop gap and will probably be the last one to be dropped. The Essex 4.2L is being dropped shortly, if it already hasn't...The Vulcan 3.0L is being dropped shortly, as will the Cologne V6 when the D35 takes over.

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He said the company also plans to reduce the number of six cylinder engine models it produces from eight to two over the same period, and the number of seat frames from 28 to 2.

 

6 cylinder engine:

 

Essex V6

Cologne V6

Vulcan V6

Ford Aus Inline 6

Volvo/Ford Short Inline 6

Duratec RFF V6

Duratec 30 DAMB V6

Duratec 35/37 V6

 

I've narrowed it down to 3 candidates,

I Think Volvo's Short Inline 6 might get the chop.

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The Econoline is based the F-150 platform, so I'd assume its getting rolled into the T2

 

CX-7 is a C1 bastard child...made of parts from the Mazada5 and some other Mazada products...

 

Econoline is still its own platform... amazingly enough. It never made the move to T1.

 

The much bigger story here is the confirmation of no truly global luxury brand. Lincoln will be Ford's luxury brand moving forward, and to be fair, it is sold in South America, China, and the Middle East, so it IS quasi-global. I think it would be in Ford's best interest to REALLY get Lincoln on the China bandwagon. The Chinese are eating up Buicks and Cadillacs like no tommorrow, and if they're liking Daewoo-based compact Buicks, imagine if they could get their hands on a Lincoln MKZ.

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The Econoline is based the F-150 platform, so I'd assume its getting rolled into the T2

 

CX-7 is a C1 bastard child...made of parts from the Mazada5 and some other Mazada products...

Nice language.

The Ford is based on another platform yet the Mazda is a bastard child.

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Econoline is still its own platform... amazingly enough. It never made the move to T1.

 

The much bigger story here is the confirmation of no truly global luxury brand. Lincoln will be Ford's luxury brand moving forward, and to be fair, it is sold in South America, China, and the Middle East, so it IS quasi-global. I think it would be in Ford's best interest to REALLY get Lincoln on the China bandwagon. The Chinese are eating up Buicks and Cadillacs like no tommorrow, and if they're liking Daewoo-based compact Buicks, imagine if they could get their hands on a Lincoln MKZ.

A Lincolnised Aussie Fairlane (Orion) would be the ideal foil against the Buick Park Avenue Zeta in China.

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I think Volvo is for sale now.

 

That's what I got out of it also. And I think Mulally's statements are untrue. His VW example is a case in point. Yes, moving the VW brand upscale proved pretty difficult, but VW still has Audi as its global luxury brand. He may be taking his Toyota fixation too far.

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6 cylinder engine:

 

Essex V6

Cologne V6

Vulcan V6

Ford Aus Inline 6

Volvo/Ford Short Inline 6

Duratec RFF V6

Duratec 30 DAMB V6

Duratec 35/37 V6

 

I've narrowed it down to 3 candidates,

I Think Volvo's Short Inline 6 might get the chop.

 

I don't think the short I6 will go away, unless they are counting engine families without Volvo. It's the only 6 that will fit in some of the EUCD's.

 

I assume 3.0 Duratec will be replaced totally by 3.5 when capacity is on board.

 

Still, this is amazing progress over a short period of time. I only wish that Geelong had been given one of the Duratec 3.5 capacity increments but it looks like it's too late for that.

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The 6 cyliner Engines:

- Cyclone V6 family - 3.0l, 3.5l, 3 versions of 3.7l, and 4.0l

- Volvo I6 luxury engines.

 

Jag will either upgrade to the Cyclone or to Volvo engines.

 

The platforms:

1) EUCD2 - replaces CD3, EUCD, D3

2) C2 - replaces C1, C170, CD2

3) B2E - replaces the current B1 (all versions of it) and Ikon, Courier, Bantam

4) Transit-Connect platform (C1 front unique rear)

5) Transit platform

6) T1

7) T6

8) Huntsmen - replaces Orion, Panther, Mustang

9) D3 - will be reworked and stay for another generation - EUCD cannot stretch that far (118" wheelkbase in Flex anyone?).

 

The last one, I do not know --- maybe Econoline will be still around, maybe he is splitting some of the above into 2 (maybe there will be 2 version of EUCD - ca and CUV/minivan) or something else.

 

Igor

Edited by igor
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It's truely amazing how quick changes can be made when all divisions are willing.

If this change extends to Product Development, then the second half of the plan

is really going to be exciting.

As much as the FWD/AWDs are good and all, I can't wait so see the get go on GRWD.

If they get that one right, GM and Chrysler will be 3-4 years behind.

By that I mean division of labour between FoA, Mustang and Panther groups will certainly

speed product delivery compared to the overloaded Holden and Zeta roll out.

Allowing regional tailoring of vehicles will be the power suit for Ford.

Edited by jpd80
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PS: I was the first to call this ..

http://fomoconews.com/forums/showthread.ph...+in+way+forward

 

This needless complexity is the fat weighing down Ford, and it needs to be cut lose. Luckily, half of the engines listed above are on their last months or years of production - the Essex and Cologne will not go past 2009 model year, and obviously Bara will end in 2010. The 3.0l Duratec will probably continue production as long as Jaguar will want it, but I would not be surprised if Ford asked Jaguar to switch to the Volvo I6, leaving a clean 2 engine lineup in the whole FoMoCo empire:

- Volvo / PAG luxury I6 family

- Ford / Mazda "regular" and performance Cyclone V6

 

posted 7/18/07

 

Igor

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I didn't mean it like that, just that the CX-7 takes parts off two different platforms...its not quite a pure C1 platform..

Fair enough and good on Mazda for using what they already had.

The CX9 must be the largest CD3 version.

 

So all those Mustang concepts at NAIAS, I take it none are to happen then?

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Fair enough and good on Mazda for using what they already had.

The CX9 must be the largest CD3 version.

 

So all those Mustang concepts at NAIAS, I take it none are to happen then?

nope - there was no production intended - and it pisses Mulally off ... but they will probablt use the design once huntsmen is online

 

Igor

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The CX9 must be the largest CD3 version.

 

Yep, but I really wonder how much of the CD3 is used in the CX-9, Edge and MKX

 

So all those Mustang concepts at NAIAS, I take it none are to happen then?

 

Not till the Huntsman comes along....wouldn't make any sense to stretch out the Mustang platform and have it come out a year or two before the Huntsman hits the market. I'm sure that the styling will make an appearance on the Fusion and MKZ...the MKS has a new similar grill to the MKR from what has been said...

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nope - there was no production intended - and it pisses Mulally off ... but they will probablt use the design once huntsmen is online

 

Igor

Wish Ford Aus could do something interesting for FNA before 2009,

I was thinking V8 Interceptor on Orion Fairlane Chassis, kick out front rails.

Wishful thinking but to give some excitement to NA fans.

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With this kind of thinking, here are the next Mullaly soundbites over the next few years:

 

-Ford doesn't need RWD

 

-Ford doesn't need Lincoln or Mercury

 

-Ford doesn't need Mustang

 

-Ford doesn't need to be #1 in pick up sales

 

-Ford doesn't need to be assembled in America in order to be American

 

-Ford doesn't need to sell more cars a year than Isuzu.

 

-Ford doesn't need to still be in business in order for us to have warm fuzzy feelings for the brand.

 

It would be nice to stop retreating and then coming up with sour grapes type statements. Yes, sell Jag and LR, but keep Volvo and the parts of Ford that work.

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With this kind of thinking, here are the next Mullaly soundbites over the next few years:

 

-Ford doesn't need RWD

 

-Ford doesn't need Lincoln or Mercury

 

-Ford doesn't need Mustang

 

-Ford doesn't need to be #1 in pick up sales

 

-Ford doesn't need to be assembled in America in order to be American

 

-Ford doesn't need to sell more cars a year than Isuzu.

 

-Ford doesn't need to still be in business in order for us to have warm fuzzy feelings for the brand.

 

It would be nice to stop retreating and then coming up with sour grapes type statements. Yes, sell Jag and LR, but keep Volvo and the parts of Ford that work.

 

 

huh? Mullalay was pissed that Ford made the concepts, but never had any intentions on building them...they where started before he got there...

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I think this helps confirm that Mercury's time is running out. The FoMoCo of the future is just the Ford Blue Oval with Lincoln attached at the hip in some markets.

 

...I'm not convinced he will even keep Lincoln. Once you take Mercury away then the Lincoln dealers lose some bulk.

 

I thought this comment was interesting:

 

"But Mulally said Ford can be successful by making its Blue Oval products the best in the world and noted that efforts by other automakers to move up market, such as Volkswagen AG have not always been successful."

 

...er VW has just announced huge profits from the VW part of the company.

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