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Ford CEO Hackett to employees: 2019 will be turning point


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On 3/15/2019 at 11:45 AM, akirby said:

 

Yes, sales and profits.  Say what you want about RAM and Jeep but they’re setting sales records and turning a profit doing it.

They have great ads and that's about it.  That's one thing Ford could seriously learn from.  FCA's ads tug at you and that does get people interested.  Ford it kind of getting there with the Built Ford Proud ads but they need to keep it up and get that emotional connection out there.  You can see tons of ads for the Charger/Challenger but when was the last time you saw a Mustang ad?  Yes, everyone knows the Mustang but it's the better car and they should advertise it.

If Ford were to do what FCA is doing they would be crucified.  FCA's platforms and engines are ancient.  Sure profits are up because they are not investing in new stuff.  Hemi is old and inefficient (and has issues), the Pentastar is a good engine but nothing stellar in the competition.  They have no smaller engines, little electrification, and no real new platforms in the pipeline.  Sure selling old crap makes profits go up.  But they still have not figured out reliability so that eats into profits.

Sorry, they should have been relegated to a footnote in automotive history in the 80s and again in 2008.

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3 minutes ago, itguy09 said:

They have great ads and that's about it. 

Sorry, they should have been relegated to a footnote in automotive history in the 80s and again in 2008.

I agree about Chrysler in general but not about RAM and Jeep. 

Jeep has a big faithful following and people (especially youngsters) love them.  They were smart to come out with several smaller crossovers which benefit from Wrangler appeal.

RAM has stepped up their game with interior and exterior design and features even if the engines are ancient.  They're very competitive.

I agree they don't seem to be prepared for the future with electrification and smaller more fuel efficient engines and quality is still an issue, but they've done a lot of things right the last few years.

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1 hour ago, akirby said:

I agree they don't seem to be prepared for the future with electrification

FCA has 12 separate electrification systems either in production or under development. They were kind of late to join the push for electrification. The late Sergio Marchionne's negative attitude toward EVs was the main reason. But now FCA is prepared for this inevitable shift.

Wards Auto said "Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ war with the electrification movement is over, as the automaker promises here to invest €9 billion ($10.5 billion) over the next five years on a broad portfolio of products ranging from mild hybrids all the way to full battery electric vehicles." https://www.wardsauto.com/engines/fca-makes-big-commitment-electrification

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7 minutes ago, rperez817 said:

FCA has 12 separate electrification systems either in production or under development. They were kind of late to join the push for electrification. The late Sergio Marchionne's negative attitude toward EVs was the main reason. But now FCA is prepared for this inevitable shift.

Wards Auto said "Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ war with the electrification movement is over, as the automaker promises here to invest €9 billion ($10.5 billion) over the next five years on a broad portfolio of products ranging from mild hybrids all the way to full battery electric vehicles." https://www.wardsauto.com/engines/fca-makes-big-commitment-electrification

They’re finally working on it. How fast they bring it to market and how good it is is another story. Pacifica Hybrid landed with a thud. 

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2 minutes ago, fuzzymoomoo said:

They’re finally working on it. How fast they bring it to market and how good it is is another story. Pacifica Hybrid landed with a thud. 

Pacifica Hybrid is one of FCA's success stories in the electrification area. FCA beat Honda and Toyota in offering a plug-in minivan for the U.S. and Canada markets. It won the 2018 Good Housekeeping Award from best new hybrid. Even today, Pacifica Hybrid remains the only plug-in vehicle in its class.

Plus, Waymo chose Pacifica Hybrid for its self driving transportation services in Phoenix and San Francisco. This partnership is a good way for FCA to catch up learning about AV technologies.

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38 minutes ago, rperez817 said:

Pacifica Hybrid is one of FCA's success stories in the electrification area. FCA beat Honda and Toyota in offering a plug-in minivan for the U.S. and Canada markets. It won the 2018 Good Housekeeping Award from best new hybrid. Even today, Pacifica Hybrid remains the only plug-in vehicle in its class.

Plus, Waymo chose Pacifica Hybrid for its self driving transportation services in Phoenix and San Francisco. This partnership is a good way for FCA to catch up learning about AV technologies.

WOW!  They should be touting that from the rooftops!!

Who cares?

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FCA is lucky that Jeep has the 'rough and tough' image, dating back to WW2. "Jeep" still means the near 80 year old Military vehicle to many. When 'CJ' was being dropped in favor of Wrangler back in '87, there were protests, thinking the whole Jeep brand was going away.

Every ad has to say "Jeep is a registered trademark..." though, so average people won't call anything 4x4 a "Jeep"..

Edited by 630land
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