Ford and GM were looking to build on success this year. They put their best foot forward with some great product. Ford won the North American car AND truck of the year award with the Fusion Hybrid and the Transit Connect. The General is making a quick comeback with the awesome Camaro and its compact hopeful the Cruze. Chrysler was obviously struggling to show anything new and promising. A Lancia rebadged as a Chrysler was about the only thing new. Chrysler may be marketing the Fiat 500 for 2011 which would put them in a good position in the compact segment.
The North American Auto Show starts this week, January 11th, to the industry and over 5000 giddy automotive journalists hoping for some big surprises. The public show opens the following week.
This video is one of the more interesting and in-depth I have seen in quite some while. This contest consists of criteria that is not platform dependent. The Motor Trend staff were to judge the vehicles on six key criteria: advancement in design, engineering excellence, performance of intended purpose, efficiency, safety, value. The testing was done at the Hyundai Kia proving grounds in California City, California. It is a 4300 acre facility with 10 different road courses for a total of 72 miles. The commentary on this was very interesting and appeared to be pretty impartial.
Ford is really making strides in engineering and refinement. Because of the success of the Focus Hybrid, GM will really have to come out strong in 2011 with the Chevy Volt. They only have one chance to really get things perfect. Ford has left them with no breathing room to make any mistakes in the presentation of the Volt. Ford has really hit the pavement running with this refined car.
What makes this interesting is that Ford is the only US based manufacturer with two in the top ten. Ford has topped the best selling truck list for 28 years in a row. That is an amazing accomplishment. Another interesting factoid is that the Big-Three all have light-duty pickup trucks as their top-sellers. Let’s face it, Americans love their trucks. When they buy trucks, it is from the Big-Three because that is what they make the best. Honda was the winner for having the most vehicles in the list. It will be interesting to see the list for 2010. Will Ford ramp up a notch with the release of the new Taurus? Will GM make a showing in the list with a car? Will Chrysler even be on the list? As long as Dodge keeps making trucks, I think so. Fiat might pull it off with a rebadged model…maybe. I am surprised that Volkswagen didn’t make a showing in this list. A final observation from this list is that most all of the vehicles in this list are manufactured in the US. That should make us all feel a little better about the job situation. Let us all hope this trend continues for many years in the future.
Remember all those reports in the past about Ford vehicles bursting into flames while parked in America’s garages? Several million vehicles were recalled then. The recent Toyota/Lexus 3.8 million vehicle recall for floor mats interfering with the accelerator pedal pales in comparison. Now, Ford has to deal with the ongoing saga of the ‘electrical switch on the cruise control’ causing sparks and fires.
Ford is recalling 1.1 million Ford Windstar minivans, with the model years 1995 through 2003, which could have the problem. The automaker also is recalling 3.4 million additional vehicles that have the switch, including Ford Excursions, Explorers and Rangers of various model years, going back as far as 1992.
Ford states that “While the data show the majority of the vehicles being recalled do not pose a significant safety risk, we are recalling the vehicles to reassure customers and eliminate any future concerns," Ford said in a statement.
This news comes at a time when Ford has built some good sales momentum…and no government bailout to do it. Plus, they just released a phenomenal new Taurus for the new 2010 model year that is taking the country by storm.
Will this have a lasting effect on new sales? Maybe. If the mainstream media keeps this story alive and well it just might take its toll. However, you saw how quickly the Toyota recall of the floor mat issue went away. Hopefully, this Ford recall will dissipate from our memory just as quickly…well, until the next debacle, at least.
