Ford CEO Jim Farley on FOX this morning

[OneAlienBoi]

I know what you mean. In the ‘80’s and ‘90’s, I’ve owned a total of four different Aerostar minivans. The first was a car conversion van, two regular Aerostar vans, and another conversion van. I needed the extra seating to haul my four children and wife around.

I thing the Windstar replaced it, and not sure if there were any others afterwards. Up until I bought the Maverick and Escape, both of which are hybrid, last year, I haven’t owned any Ford since the mid ‘90’s. Everything else has been Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Chevy, and GMC.

That's creepy, we owned a red areostar, and then replaced it with a green Windstar. Now we own a Maverick hybrid. I think I found my twin guys.

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[OneAlienBoi]

Speaking of markets that Ford exited, it's a bummer they don't make minivans anymore. I can only think of 4 total being made across all manufacturers.

We need to see performance vans become a thing. Would be an awesome way for Ford to reenter the segment. We have performance crossovers, suvs, trucks, hatches, wagons etc. All utilitarian vehicles that didn't start out as performance oriented and we're massively successful after making that change. Yet very few people try it with vans.

 

[CTYankee]

No MBA here, but more than 25 years in middle and executive management in Fortune 200-level corporate America and 14 years owning my own business leads me to believe Farley needs to focus on only 3 things to be successful.

First, he needs to secure the supply chain and, if necessary, capture and bring in-house critical or strategic components. Any vehicle sitting in a storage lot or not being built for lack of parts is lost or deferred revenue and that makes it more expensive to finance the future.

Second, he needs to improve product quality by finding the right balance between effective development cycles and time to market.

Third, he needs to have a clear vision of the future 5-10 years out and make absolutely certain that his leadership team is betting their badges on executing the vision. Pocket vetoes and turf defense are part and parcel of corporate life, but he needs to recognize it and respond decisively to eliminate it wherever it is occurring.

Everything below those levels is operational and his direct reports need to be measured on key metrics that they can't fudge. Compensation for vehicle team executives and everyone above them should be based on hitting key development milestones and budgets, which I'm sure are already in place, but also externally generated customer satisfaction scores and post-launch warranty claims, for example, to create the balance between vehicle development cycles and customer experience.

 

[CTYankee]

You got it right when you said that there is no longer any need to have a Focus or Fusion with the Mavericks utility and price. However the gas mileage statement needs correcting. I have a 2012 focus and I managed 45 miles to the gallon for 1 full work week going to and from work on combined highway and town driving. I commute 50 miles per day. It was however exhausting and you have to really manage the throttle carefully, but it can be done if your patient.

We bought our 2018 Fusion Titanium because we knew Ford was quitting the sedan market. My wife loved her 2011 Fusion and wanted to get a newer one before they went away. She loves the new one, too, and has no interest in ever being forced into an SUV. She also likes the Maverick but it doesn't really fit her sense of style.

Her sister has a 2016 Fusion and complained to me that she doesn't like SUV's and doesn't know what she'll do if she has to replace her Fusion. Again, it's a personal style choice.

We can make all the technical, logical arguments we want to, but it won't change how people see themselves in a vehicle. Those folks are all likely going to become Toyota and Honda customers when they next need a new vehicle. However, I agree that, if they represent a declining or less profitable demographic, it won't matter to Ford in the long run.

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