Ford To Get Greener: "We Really Have Lost A Generation" (VIDEO)

Ford CEO Alan Mulally says that his company is going to turn it all around to get with the times -- but will it be soon enough? A humbled Mulally spoke at the Wall Street Journal's ECO:nomics conference.

"We really have lost a generation," he said, turning back to the issue at hand. In the past, Ford "did not have a consistency of purpose," he said, but is now committed to producing vehicles that are "best in class."

He reiterated that Ford's mix of vehicles will do a 180 in coming years, with light cars--rather than trucks and SUVs--representing two-thirds of the automaker's lineup, as rising energy prices make fuel-efficient cars a priority for consumers.

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Comments

[HappyMarsden]

I hear people saying Ford should or will be making cars as good as Honda or Toyota, etc. ie. "the Fusion will be as good as Toyota". No, I say Ford should make BETTER cars than Honda/Toyota etc. at the same price, or equivalent cars at a BETTER price. I doubt the big 3 American companies, or any American car companies, are capable of that. Therefore I, like most consumers, will be a loyal Japanese car buyer. American car companies are a joke, and have been for decades, since the (smarter and superior) Japanese bought in.

[pfrogger]

well said.
the problem has always been the management. these are the worst businessmen ever. no insight in the car market while the Japanese walked in with good cars, they refused to change their business strategy and the cars they make. the Japanese didn't take the market from them, they were given the market on a silver platter.
Japanese cars are safer, more efficient, an overall a better value. I would never buy American, because if you make junk, why would anyone buy from you.
Japanese cars are way ahead in the alternative energy idea. Not because they are smarter. But because the Big 3 have REFUSED to adapt. Refused to make more fuel efficient cars. They have lobbied millions to prevent any form of change.
The people that work for them are literally the best and the brightest. But their management is essentially retarded and does business the way they did it 20 or 30 years ago. The management is useless, the worst businessmen ever. How can they be shocked when instead of leading innovation, they are forced to be innovated by possible bankruptcy. That's bad business, and bad common sense.

[MattInVA]

The Fusion is more reliable than a Camry, more fun to drive, and costs $3500 to $4500 less, depending on options (per price analysis and option adjustments on truedelta.com)

[breathestolive]

If the fools in Detroit had followed through on Jimmy Carter's ideas and recommendations 30 years ago we would not be in this mess right now. Sadly, the Reagan administration allowed Detroit to continue in their profligate ways, to our collective detriment.

[brooklyncitizen]

This is true but Clinto was also an enabler to the auto industry.

[pfrogger]

all the politicians are useless. good for one thing, taking tax payer money and living large.
they only react to a crisis. But they are never proactive. the Big 3 lobbied with millions for years to prevent innovation and better fuel standards - they lobbied for their own demise.
The Big 3 management is useless, fire the lot.

[marijam]

Hybrid? No thank you. Now, a diesel that is clean and gets 40 to 50 miles per gallon highway and 30 city, that would really get my attention, even more so if it were to be a truck.

[Avanti2]

All you folks should look at the new Ford Fusion 2010 Hybrid that will be in dealer showrooms this summer. Consumer Reports says the Fusion equals the Japanese in quality. Many car magazines have given the new hybrid high fives during their initial testing.

[pfrogger]

For years now, the Japanese have consistently made more efficient and reliable cars. They have a good track record of working well and being extremely reliable.
American cars have the opposite history.

Why, as a consumer, would I put money into an industry who has such poor history when I have an alternative. Fusion may be equivalent, but I'm not going to be the guinea pig for that experiment. I'll go with the Japanese who consistently make good cars known for their reliability.
BTW, the American Big 3 have refused innovation and improvement for decades. They did this to themselves. And the same useless management that led them to this catastrophe is still in charge. I'm not wasting my money on a product to support such a business.

[hegdehog]

When Ford comes out with their line of high-mileage cars, I suspect it will be one of the catalysts that turns the economy around. They're currently trading below two bucks a share. If you want to be rich as hell, gather your cash and be ready to buy. And when Ford goes green, buy, buy, buy. Ten years from now, you'll be wiping your a** with hundred dollar bills.

[brenner21]

I just got greener. from the wave of nausea this story instilled

[cautionbug]

Does that mean they'll stop advertising all their vehicles as "best in class" of some trait or another until they actually are? How does a corporation like this completely lose sight of where their customer base is going?

At least fast food and tobacco companies know how to follow their customers. Get 'em young, get 'em for life.

[politisophical]

ford got on the map by building cars oriented towards the youth... the youth of the 80's and 90 were taken by honda and toyota and now those customers are older and are buying the same cars that they bought in their youth...

ford needs to follow the foot steps of Honda and they need to build a quality tuner car that will draw in the high tech youth of america..

[NobodysPoodle]

Forget Ford, GM, and Chrysler......check out Tesla Motors in Silicon Valley. They have a car that is 100% electric and travels 200 miles on a single charge. Yes the car cost is $100,000 but that is because they build one at a time. They have just obtained land for a small factory that is predicted to reduce the price 50%. Imagine if we stopped bailing out the Big 3 and invested in the future.

[pfrogger]

absolutely, Tesla and the like are the future. goes to show if the Big 3 resist change, there are others who can provide it.
by the way, Tesla was a little backwards. they are building the flashy car, costing 100K, first for publicity and PR. But there is a definite plan to build more affordable green EV cars around the 20-30 K range next.
google Tesla and read for yourself

[CAMBEL]

If I want to help out American workers, why would I buy a Ford built in Mexico when I can buy a toyota built in Alabama, or a honda built in Ohio?

[MattInVA]

For a good definition of what makes a car an American car, please see John McElroy's good editorial on it:

http://www.autolinedetroit.tv/journal/?p=2206

A quick sum up of it is that assembly isn't what defines a car's nationality, it's "product creation". A Hyundai that was design, engineered, tested, and sourced in Korea, that spends less than thirty hours being assembly at a plant in Mississippi on machinery built and designed in Korea is not American. A Mazda Designed and tested in California, and built in Michigan is. So is a Ford designed, engineered, test, and sourced, with and engine built in Cleveland, even if the final assembly is in Mexico.

[DaleR]

Hey Ford CEO Alan Mulally, thanks for finally bringing Ford's decent small car (Ford Fiesta) to the US from Europe. About 8 years late but better late than never. And generating jobs in the US. So where are you gonna manufacture the Fiesta? Tough choice between factories closing or closed in Georgia, Michigan, Ohio, etc. Which one .. which one.

Oh, ... Mexico? Make em in Mexico and sell them in the US. Excellent idea. To quote John Stewart: F YOU!

How 'bout cars you plan to sell in the US are built in plants located in the US.

[crabapple]

An irony is, of course, that Henry Ford understood that he needed customers to buy his product, which was part of his reason for raising the daily wage of workers from $2.34/day to $5.00/day. This in January of 1914. Today, with massive outsourcing to Mexico, Brazil, and India, short term profits have been unsustainable. I can almost here his "duh!"

[aBr1t]

that is the problem we face as a planet!

Logic says in eco 101 "find the cheapest place to build" and "sell" to the people with the most money to make a profit..

This inturn being the world in what we live in, brings about currency!..

The world can no longer ship jobs around the gloab for ever increasing profits!! becouse the world one day will ALL be rich! not rich in Profits but able to move around willy nilly more atm we do this kinda but .. lets look at this more "policy"...

Countries are the New shops with there own policy.. were you wish to live will determan how much profit you will make in the future right? think of china !!

Would you move to china just for a job? or would you move to euroland?..

What people fail to grasp who make money is that you cant sell anything to people with NO money!!!

PAY us more WE BUY MORE its very simple.. one day it will hit them in the heads "i hope"

Dont need pay cuts we need a PAY RISE of biblical proportions!!

[pfrogger]

the sad thing is that they will never get it. all they care about is profit and the almighty dollar. Americans losing jobs doesn't matter to them. They only care when calamity hits.
Excellent business plan on their part - their companies are going under.
RIP.

[ferrarimanf355]

Just as long as they don't kill the Mustang, it's all good.

[fishinwithtom]

I want to buy a new car. I have the money to buy a new car. But I have a 12 year old 4 Runner I could drive to Florida tomorrow and NOTHING on any Ford lot even comes close. In 1979 I ordered a new Ford from the factory and it arrived in Los Angeles without a radiator core. The car was toast before I made it into the driveway. Ford covered the loss, but what kind of mentality allows a special order car to be built so poorly? Thirty years later I watch the death spiral and I feel sorry for a once great company but I realize THEY DID IT TO THEMSELVES

[Cloball]

You're judging them by a car you bought in 1979? Gee. You could do that with any company with any product.

Thirty years ago!!

I've owned Ford SUV's and trucks for the past 20 years and have had no problems. None. Not one breakdown either. Maybe I've just traded them in sooner than you would for newer and bigger models due to personal necessity, but I'm sure they'd still be OK if I hadn't.

[AAKAlan]

You're quoting history.

I had a similar experience with three Fords, a 1977 Mustang that burned to the ground on the highway, a 1978 Thunderbird whose electrical system threw off a lightning storm under the hood and a 1979 mustang that burned anti-freeze instead of gas. All three, totally defective.

So, I switched to high-end Toyotas. I had three Supras. One had an engine seize up, another had to have the engine pulled to replace a defective heater hose, the last one went through three full exhaust systems in a single year. Got discouraged, went to Chrysler, got discouraged, went back to Ford.

Two Lincoln LS's and now a Ford 500 Limited (recently renamed "Taurus"). It's two years old and has never, even once, been back to dealership. It is brilliantly designed, handles exquisitely, gets decent gas mileage for a full-size car (19/24) is roomy, beautifully appointed and is stunningly well-built (on a Volvo chassis). It was also named the safest car in the world last year. One of the only cars in which the headrests were effective.

This is not "my father's Ford". It is an extraordinarily well-designed and well-built car. This is what Ford has been putting out the last few years, and I wouldn't trade it, even for a Lexus.

Times have changed. You need to update your thinking to match.

[pfrogger]

In general, American car companies have a bad reputation for making over-sized fuel hogs with very poor reliability.
Japanese car companies have the opposite reputation.
I will never buy American until they can show significant change over 20 years. Why would I, when I can get a reliable Japanese car, great reputations and great experiences with them.

[thevealchop]

"We really have lost a generation."
No sh*t? Could've seen that coming about 10 YEARS AGO!
No bailout.
let it burn, divide the rest among the workers
these dbags deserve nothing
and should be happy for getting it

[potbellyjoe]

Umm... Check the facts, Ford hasn't taken any bail-out money.

[hulagirrrl]

Sad part is, ten years ago they promised lower emission producing cars... they were never held up to their word by politicians and mostly US consumers. European Fords sell great and use so much less gas, just like GM's, they know how to make cars, just didn't bother here in the US. The saying among European Carsales people was always, in the US all it needs is a lot of cup holders..
European car drivers and their manufacturers have a different kind of passion for carsl First of all, Engineers and not money managers are in charge, and then they listen really quickly to consumers when it comes to milage/gas usage and such.
American cars used to be the envy of the world, I don't know what happened, but somewhere they lost when others smartened up and competition started. Same for dishwashers and washing machines, US dishwasers are dinosaurs and so loud, they should not be allowed given the noise pollution level. Yet, no customer complains and the saying goes, if it ain't broke don't fix it....

[pfrogger]

it's not the real workers. It's the damn management. Fire them, replace them with people who work for a living, have a brain, and don't refuse to adapt, and American cars would be fine.
It's the management.

[Cloball]

those dbags didn't take a bailout.

[rdiaz921]

I live in Michigan, about 80 miles west of detroit. My brother bought a Honda Prelude in 1990. In those days, Japanese cars were frowned upon in this area. Now all you see are Civics everywhere. I think the SUV drivers traded in.

[skymuffin]

The head of GM showed up for his first day of work in a Lexus.

American car companies should swallow their pride and reverse-engineer foreign cars and try to emulate the quality that a Toyota or Honda brings, versus an American car. I want our American auto workers and industry to thrive and exceed the quality of a foreign car, but, unfortunately, they are not even close. That fact has to do with the overall design and management, not with the workers.

[MattInVA]

First off, it is the head of Ford who owned a Lexus LS460. Not a good start to someone who's about to give advice.

As for quality, as mentioned below, Consumer Reports (which is pretty much the only source of info on this) says their surveys show that Ford cars are now on par with the best Japanese automakers in terms of reliability.

[skymuffin]

I stand corrected. But I'm still not convinced to buy an American car and I'm not alone on this one.

[CAMBEL]

I've owned two fords, two GM's and one Japanese car....the reason I've only owned one Japanese car? Because it hasn't broken down like the two fords and two GM's did.

[Cloball]

I'm sure he's driving a new Taurus by now!

Was he suppose to walk to work so no one would see his Lexus?