Wee Won?

[Close] [Close and Don't Show Again]

News & Analysis
In the News Gristmill Blog Muckraker Features GristTV

Columns
Ask Umbra Victual Reality Weekly Recipes The Bottom Line From A to Green The Grist List

Support nonprofit, independent environmental journalism.
Donate to Grist.

ADVERTISING POLICY

[Advanced]

Read more about: business | cars | news | politics | all of these topics

Tools: print | email | write to the editor | subscribe | RSS

Ford planning shift to small cars, company says

Posted at 4:45 AM on 02 Dec 2008

Ford Motor Co. is planning a significant product shift that will focus on the manufacture of small, fuel-efficient cars in lieu of its largely failed strategy since the 1990s to churn out mostly large vehicles like trucks and SUVs. Ford's plan is meant to woo Congress into granting the Big Three U.S. automakers a much-needed $25 billion loan package.

source: The Wall Street Journal

ADVERTISING POLICY

< Previous | Next >

Comments: (5 comments)

You are not logged in. Thus, you cannot post a comment. If you have a Gristmill account, log in below. If you don't have a Gristmill account, well, by all means go make one! Meet you back here in five.

Hmm...

Get it in writing. Oh, and get the resignations of all three boards and CEOs in writing, too. That would be enough for me. Ah-hah, and no freakin' engineers at the head of any of the companies. Damn fools can never admit they are wrong. A conversation I overheard at the printing company I once worked at(rotogravure press operator): Pressman: Don, this things f**ing up again! I thought you fixed it?! Engineer: Well, it's not supposed to do that[that was funny]. Pressman: G*ddammit, Don, what the fk are you talking about, It's not supposed to do that? It's doing it, I can see it with my own f*king eyes! And so on for about 5-10 minutes, with no resolution. Engineers: can't live with 'em, and ya' can't shoot 'em.

The mellotron is your friend.

by archigeek at 6:18 AM on 02 Dec 2008

hey...

How did I get that bold in there? What key was that? Meh...

The mellotron is your friend.

by archigeek at 6:27 AM on 02 Dec 2008

No concession to me, They were already there

Promising to make smaller fuel efficient cars is no concession in my eyes.

All 3 automakers were already closing down their truck plants. Because with gas at more than $4.00 a gallon, no one was buying their stupid trucks and SUV's for the past year.

This is no concession, it is a bull crap line they want us to fall for so they can grab the money without actually having to do anything different for it.

And half that money will probably go into some Senators pockets next year as the automakers fight against better fuel efficiency standards in Congress, as is their norm.

I personally wouldn't care if they go bankrupt. They'll just be in Chapter 11 or 13 or whatever for 7 years, then they'll emerge, IF they change their tune.
They have been pushing back at Americans for over a decade about making cars and trucks that get better fuel mileage and use alternate fuels. Toyota listened to the people. And they are doing Great right now !
I say, give the Billions to Toyota, for a job well done !

We all know that the "big 3" have spent billions in the past decade, Lobbying Congress Against any laws that force Detroit to make more fuel efficient vehicles..

Meanwhile, the Japanese listened, and made all electrics, and the hybrids that we wanted and needed, while other, newer companies are already doing the same as well.
Detroit spent a lot of money making it's own bed, let them lay in it.
And let's let new companies that know the score - replace the old, corrupt ones.

But, if we must bail them out
( I do not want to ),
but I'm sure we will, sigh,
then I agree with archigeek's post below,
Fire the Liars !!, and put people in there that will get our vehicles OFF of Fossil Fuels right NOW.

AND make the dang things affordable as heck for all of us wanting to buy them and save our environment. And Do It NOW ! Right NOW !

Do Not listen to their bull about " we'll make smaller fuel efficient cars " if you give us the money. They had already been forced into that position, and now they want to lie and cheat for the money and say they'll make more fuel efficient cars when they've already been FORCED by the market to do so...

See ? It's just Business as Usual for them, as they fly to Washington in their Lear Jets to beg and lie for a handout.

Let them lay in the bed they made, or, if we must hand them billions, fire the liars and put people in charge that will DO what NEEDS to be DONE RIGHT NOW.

" All we have to decide is what we are going to do with the time we are given ".- Gandalf the Grey

by Bruceslog at 11:37 AM on 02 Dec 2008

Give Us The Fiesta

Ford has one of the most standard fuel efficient cars: The Econetic Fiesta, 68 mpg diesel.

It's small, efficient and has simple technology that would eradicate all sales of hybrids.

http://wordpress.com/tag/transportation-fuel-economy-gree ...

But they can't sell it here in the US.

...if there are self made Purgatories, then we all have to live in them.
--"This Side of Paradise", TOS

by jabailo at 5:54 PM on 02 Dec 2008

Do we or do we not

have leverage now? Leverage that will be gone at a later time.

CONGRESS, IF YOU HAVE LEVERAGE, THEN USE IT!

All U.S. cars and light trucks converted to 100% plug-in hybrid within 5 years, or NO money. Period.

Installments will be made periodically upon meeting several intermediate goals.

They did it in WW I, WW II, and they can do it now.

Where is the fire on this????

by christophersj at 8:12 PM on 02 Dec 2008

The comments of Grist users reflect the opinions of those individuals only, and do not necessarily reflect the viewpoints of Grist, its staff, its board members, their psychotherapists, or their aestheticians. Got it?