The Ford Story: Mulally delivers Ford Fusion to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer

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Mulally delivers Ford Fusion to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer

June 11, 2009

^{Ballmer’s 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid is the 1 millionth SYNC-equipped vehicle}

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21 Comments

Edward Pleen
June 16, 2009 at 6:18 am

I will not buy or test drive a Feces On Road Dead vehicle again. It falls apart to much and costs thousands of hard earn dollars to fix your Ford union crap again! Ford hasn't the guts to make it right and lets customers to fix your unsafe crap anyway! All you get at Ford Motor Company are excuses and lies how great their crap is better quality then Honda or Toyota heh, heh! Ford better quality really means more in the repair shop then Honda or Toyota heh, heh! I will not bail out a useless and worthless auto maker that doesn't care about customers falling apart Ford crap vehicles anyway! Thanks CEO Mullaney for my Ford falling union made crap Focus that is suppose to be better quality then Honda or Toyota heh, heh! Senior executives are more concerned about their protective stock options instead of making customers happy to drive a safe Ford vehicle! Reply

Becca McNabb
June 19, 2009 at 9:53 am

I beg to differ, Edward... I have owned a Ford for the past 8 years. I currently own my Ford Freestyle which I purchased in 2004, the first year they were available. We have a large family and my suv gets way better mileage than any other suv I know of...even smaller ones with only 2 rows of seats.
I have had NO issues with my car, other than when my 3 year old managed to ruin my radio. The men at the Ford dealership replaced it for free because I always brought my car for them to service. I am now to 100,000 miles and still no issues. It is the best car I have ever owned. I even get 27-29 mpg on the highway in my 7 passenger vehicle when it is filled with passengers and cargo.
I assume you are another selfish Republican that beats the drum of patriotism until it means taking care of your fellow Americans. Maybe you should consider supporting businesses in America where workers are afforded a quality life, rather than buying the cheapest thing out there made by people that work in alwful conditions for minimal compensation.
God bless America heh, heh! Reply

Gary Smith
September 13, 2009 at 1:59 pm

You could of done without the "selfish Republican comment" Edward is a nitwit, I have bought and drove Fords for 40 years and they are great cars. Ford is a great American company who took no bailouts and made it on their own. They could of done with non-union workers while providing the same great salaries and benefits without lining the pockets of the unions and corrupt politicians. People, like the great people at Ford is what makes our country great, not Liberals and their big government corrupt ideas. Go Ford!! As far as buying American, isn't it the Liberals who keep leaning toward a one world government? Reply

Greg
June 21, 2009 at 1:28 pm

Becca, I hate to break the news to you but most Japanese cars are built in American plants. Buying a Camry or Accord (built in Kentucky and Ohio, respectively) not only costs more (so I'm not sure where you got the 'cheapest thing out there' crack) but also supports American workers. Reply

jjg
June 23, 2009 at 9:23 am

From Canada,

Why reinvent the wheel?

Ford has a successful line of diesel engines sold everywhere in the world except in North America, staring with a 1.4 l TDCi to the 3.0 litre Duratorq TCDi. A proven technology with a 80 years history and a proven trouble free longevity. No manufacturer oh hybrids has been able so far to tell me how it would cost to replace a set of batteries in any given hybrid 5 years from now.

Why not use them in the Ranger, F150 and E series to begin with without jacking up the prices by $6/7,000 (see the Powerstroke premium requirered)? I see how successful the Sprinter is and can't figure out why Ford does not use its marketing muscle to that effect. Same would apply to its line of cars. Reply

Joe York
June 25, 2009 at 4:04 pm

The reason they are doing the sync is to have these things communicate to each other. They will do it like cookies on a computer to get you through traffic faster. Only they have the wrong software company :P Hang on to your britches the world is changing. Reply

Matt Mason
June 30, 2009 at 9:12 am

I have driven Fords for years and HAVE NEVER HAD PROBLEMS>

In 1995 I purchased an Explorer Sport that DID NOT REQUIRE BRAKES UNTILL THOUSAND MILES. I sold that Explorer in 2003 when I purchased an F-150 XLT 4 wheel drive truck. That has performed admirably. NO ISSUES WHATSOEVER.

Why put hard earned American DOLLARS in Foreign country banks. FORD is an AMERICAN COMPANY keeping AMERICAN FAMILIES EMPLOYED.

I am not now or ever have been a labor union fan of any type. We need to look past some of our differences and accept the possibility that nowhere in this country will all people agree on all things. We should agree on this though: Manufacturing in America is the backbone of our economy. American Craftsmen are  the most productive and innovative  on this planet. 

I wish Ford Motor Company the best of Luck and look forward to purchasing a new Mustang soon !!

todd
July 5, 2009 at 9:05 am

I started off with ford. my f150 was the best truck i've ever owned.. Even with the paint peeling off (maco paint job). I then owned a focus after college and then an escape. I decided to switch to foriegn because i was angry that ford kept going cheap inside the car and wouldn't give me a warranty.

The Suzuki I purchased broke repeatedly. I didn't matter that it had a 100k warranty. I switched back to a new ford escape with sync. GREAT car..

Ford keep up the good work. I'd rather buy american and support our country! Sync is great, but I would suggest making the voice menus shorter.. drop the stupid Ding for something .5ms long. I get annoyed with waiting on her voice to end so i can say what I need. Reply

GMN
July 6, 2009 at 9:22 am

I have owned a 96 Ford Thunderbird for 4 years with no issue at all. I just had to change oil. I have owned a used 97 Taurus with no Quality issue for 6 years except expected replacement of parts. I have owned an Escape, a Fusion and now a 08 Focus with no Quality Issue. Ford Quality (long term reliability and initial Quality) is among the best with Toyota and Honda.

More, Ford vehicle Safety is the best and the mileage is among the best as well. For instance, Fusion has now the best mileage per gallon compared to vehicles of the same class (VW Jetta, Toyota Camry, Mits Galant, Dodge Avenger, Chevy Malibu, Pontiac G6, Nissan Altima....). In fact you even have E85 as an option on my 08 Focus which help curve dependency to foreign oil (E85 cost about 50 cents less a gallon).

For those reasons, you get a better value when you buy a Ford vehicle, meaning that overall It will cost you less money to own a Ford (less repair and less cost for gas), you will be safer in case of an accident (which will also help your insurance provider with a lower expense) and you will also have a very good ride. Reply

jim
July 8, 2009 at 12:20 am

any of you people who think ford cars or any american cars are better then imports are on drugs,. a very good friend of mine buys nothing but fords[ yee-haa ] nascar fan. dosen't mind paying for things right after the warrant expires. and i always have to follow him to the ford dealer in my trusty toyota camry to ride him home, only time my camry is in the shop is for oil changes, but yet my friend says he's patriotic. but broke Reply

Scott
July 17, 2009 at 3:54 pm

Ford has made great progress in quality. 6 years ago I would not have bought a ford, but my next car will probably be one. Right now I own a camry that I bought in 2002. I think this version of the camry was the best and the last version. I have had no poblems with it except a light switch in the car and now a recent engine light that comes on and off. I have 140K on it now. I have driven the newer camry and they really suck! If you look at the quality of the car, it shows inside. The type of material they use is not like before and the way it is put together, its like you can see it was made to cut costs. Well toyota paid a hefty price for it. It took a risk and put quality over quantity and thats what they got, a bad car that had a great history of over 15 years. My next car will be a ford. My family had a ford broncho when I was young. I'd like to drive a ford again as I know the quality will be there with Mully's leadership. Reply

Gary
July 22, 2009 at 9:33 am

Beautiful car but it's made in Mexico, I won't buy it. I will buy a Toyota Prius that will be made in the good old USA. Something is wrong with Ford's cost accounting if they can't duplicate what Toyota is doing and build it in the USA. TSPC Reply

Carl Milton
July 29, 2009 at 6:16 am

Ladies and Gentlemen, you all have the right intentions. You want to stay true to America, keep people in jobs, etc. I actually sell cars (AMERICAN CARS) to the US Military stationed outside of the US. We can only sell American cars, but here's the catch. You could say a Toyota/Honda/whatever is American because it is built in the US where some Fords aren't. OK, HOWEVER(!!!) for a car to be classed as American (as per Congress) it has to have at least 75% American part content. Meaning the parts used to build the car have to come from the US. The ONLY vehicles that fit this requirement are FORD, Chrysler and GM.
It doesn't matter where they are built, it's what they are made of that counts, and that's American. Reply

Jim
August 8, 2009 at 8:01 pm

2003 F250 6 liter diesel. Best built truck on the planet, bar none.
I feel sorry for anyone buying anything else! 26 plus miles per gallon on the road, no problems in 80,000 miles, still have 20,000 to go on engine warranty. I would do it again in a minute!
BTW My second car is 100% Electric! Reply

John
August 12, 2009 at 10:35 pm

If you are so comitted to "GREEN" wht can't I buy a truck that I can put BIODIESEL in. As far as I know VW, Audi, Mercedes and BMW you can burn B-100 in but Ford trucks I can only burn B-10. What is the problem. I have a 2005 F350 and will be trading in soon but I would like to buy something that I can burn AMERICAN MADE FUEL that will support AMERICAN FARMERS and LOCAL ECONOMY. Please explain. I look forward to hearing your politicaly correct answer. JOHN..... Reply

Brian Rathsburg, Super Duty Manager
August 13, 2009 at 3:23 pm

Thanks for your comment, John. As you probably know, there is no set standard for the quality of high-grade biodiesels, which makes it difficult for a manufacturer to allow these fuels to be used and still support the factory warranty. We are well aware of the situation on Super Duty. You'll have to wait for future announcements for any new develoments on this.

Brian Rathsburg
Ford Super Duty Marketing Manager
Ford Motor Company Reply

Brian Rathsburg
August 13, 2009 at 3:42 pm

Thanks for your comment, John. As you probably know, there is no set standard for the quality of high-grade biodiesels, which makes it difficult for a manufacturer to allow these fuels to be used and still support the factory warranty. We are well aware of the situation on Super Duty. You’ll have to wait for future announcements for any new develoments on this.

Brian Rathsburg
Ford Super Duty Marketing Manager
Ford Motor Company Reply

Gregory
August 15, 2009 at 1:42 pm

Is Ford planning to build an electric car. How about a Volt type vehicle, but with a ford small diesel as the generator.

I would really like to see an all electric. Looks like the Nissan Leaf will be the first real one since Tesla is a bit pricey. Reply

Scott Monty
August 17, 2009 at 6:58 pm

Hi Gregory, Yes, we have a full electrification program. This includes a battery electric vehicle (BEV), plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), and continued leadership in gas hybrid technology. You can check out our full electrification plan at: http://ford.digitalsnippets.com/electrification/ Scott Monty Global Digital Communications Ford Motor Company Reply

Bob
September 14, 2009 at 3:45 pm

Way to go with discontinuing natural gas cars when the United States is trying become less dependent on foreign oil. Then in the same breath starting natural gas cars in Europe. Your company was just mandated to come up with cleaner burning engines and you stop producing the cleanest one you make. Good thinking. Then you turn around and make parts that $3,600 for the used natural gas cars. Thanks for helping America out Ford Motor Co. Excellent management. Reply

Carrie Majeske
September 16, 2009 at 1:44 pm

Hi Bob - Ford studies show that the best use of Natural Gas is in power (electricity) generation. To be less dependent on foreign oil, Ford plans on a combination of more efficient gas engines, biofuels and hybrid, plug-in and battery electric vehicles. Lack of CNG fueling infrastructure in the US makes CNG a difficult business case right now. We do have US products with CNG-ready engines for conversion by aftermarket upfitters. In Europe there is a small market and they make a profit. And CNG costs, infrastructure, etc. is monitored ongoing to see if things are changing. Carrie Majeske Ford Motor Company Reply

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