Comments on: Bill Ford Tells CNNMoney How We Avoided Bankruptcy

By: Scott Monty

Scott Monty — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 16:51:16 +0000

Dear Mr. Jones,

First of all, THANK YOU for your service to our country. As you know, Ford is proud of our men & women in the Armed Forces and we greatly appreciate what you do and have done.

Currently, we have a $500 discount available to all active military personnel. While we don’t offer a discount to veterans, I can tell you that through the Ford Motor Company Fund & Community Services we have been supporting U.S. veterans through the Disabled American Veterans for the last 88 years, including the donation of funds and vehicles that transport them to medical appointments.

We’d be happy to take your suggestion and look at the feasibility of what you’re recommending. Of course, it’s important to note that Ford is not just an American company, but a global company. We have many communities around the world to consider as we develop such programs.

Scott Monty
Global Digital Communications
Ford Motor Company

By: HJONES53

HJONES53 — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 15:09:39 +0000

This is a suggestion: from a retired employee. If possible why not show that ford is all about being an American car co. and advertise that for every combatant returning or active from the military (V.F.W.)they will get A-plan pricing plus an additional discount of (to be determined by Ford )
Thank You
Harold R. Jones 1344

By: Tom K

Tom K — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 09:00:09 +0000

I’m all for workers getting a “fair shake” but when unions can bankrupt companies and force consumers to pay twice what an item is really worth then I say it’s time to start with a clean slate. There’s no reason I can’t buy a new Ford for 10K other than the workers still on the lines are getting $40+/hr. to put tires and wheels on.

By: Scott Monty

Scott Monty — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 14:29:46 +0000

Pierce, we do in fact have a fleet of 30 hydrogen cars in extended testing that have logged almost a million miles. They have surpassed our expectations for performance and we’ve even used a pair of hydrogen-powered Ford Edges in the last James Bond film “Quantum of Solace.” The biggest hurdle though, is refueling stations. At this point, there’s no robust infrastructure in place to support convenient and ubiquitous locations to recharge these fuel cells. We’re actively working on that as well. Scott Monty | Global Digital Communications | Ford Motor Company

By: Jacob Cook

Jacob Cook — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 05:07:37 +0000

My family has been a Ford family since the early 1900s. Ford has always been a good car and will continue to be. The only big mistake is when they took the Crown Victoria off the market. They could have worked on the fuel economy and also kept it going strong. My grandmother has a 1989 Ford LTD Crown Victoria with around 500,000 miles on it and it is still in good condition. It always got her where she was going. So whats the deal Ford why can’t you keep a good family car on the road instead of trying to make a car that is so European or Foreign appealing. This is America. You all seem to have forgotten what Henry Ford had in mind.

By: Brian Wolfe

Brian Wolfe — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 18:18:58 +0000

Mike:
Thanks for your question. Our involvement in motorsports is an important part of the marketing mix at Ford, and we take that responsibility seriously in terms of making sure we bring back ROI (Return On Investment) for the company. We don’t do this as a hobby. We do it to help the company sell cars and trucks, and improve consumers’ perception of our company and its products.

As for the investment in the new FR9 Engine, first and foremost is the fact that we have been required by NASCAR to comply to new rules that determine architecture of engines used in the series; so we needed to develop the FR9 to remain in competition. Secondly, we are phasing in the new engine to ensure we use up all the current stock and not waste or scrap any good stock of the current engine. As a matter of fact, we are the last of the four manufacturers in the sport to come out with a design compliant to the new NASCAR rules. Also, although the specific parts will not carry over to our production engines, the processes we’ve used to develop the new engine are common with that which we use to improve our production engine programs and although you may think the NASCAR engine technology is “old”, it is in fact very high tech and the materials and processes used are state-of-the-art.

Brian Wolfe | North America Motorsports | Ford Motor Company

By: John Wesson

John Wesson — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 16:58:13 +0000

I”ve been a Ford guy for quite a while. I have one of the limited production 2000 ZX2 S/R models with 41K miles and i am looking forward to future offerings.

Ford could do more parts bin engineering to compete with the limited production high end models (Civic Si, Sentra SE-R, Scion tC, etc.) offered by the competetion. Why not build a Focus with the 175 HP 2.5 Duratec plus upgraded suspension and brakes ? Make the 180 HP EcoBoost engine available in the Fiesta. How about a RWD version of the 355HP EcoBoost V6 in the Mustang ? All these could be dine for a fraction of the cost of SVT programs.

The parts are there, the cababilities are there, i’m not sure why Ford doesn’t offer more performance versions. it would get more people in the showrooms, even if they bought the mainstream models, build more credibility and separate Ford from the “other 2″ which are sinking “lika a rock”.

By: Kevin Rogers

Kevin Rogers — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 04:32:55 +0000

I’m not gay, but if your mind is that little that you can’t see past your insecurities. Then it looks as though you will be missing a very well thought out and american built vehicle in your future. I’m sure that this not the real reason why you won’t buy a Ford but this seems to be an easy excuse. As for Henry Ford he wasn’t to keen on having minorities employed building his vehicles either. Does that offend you also? Does the Company need to go back to grass roots and do things the way they did it “in the good ole days”. Think not, we are a progressive nation moving forward. Not evertyhing is agreeable but one thing is true. “Money is Money” and Ford Motor is in position where they can not leave any demographic group out. Survival in America is going to be harder and harder for any company, including what it is or where it is you work. We must learn to support all of AMERICAN companies and FORD MOTOR COMPANY is number one on my list for automobiles.

By: Danielle

Danielle — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 19:57:08 +0000

It’s hard to say we need to “keep up” with two bankrupt companies. And if you read Challenger-Camaro-Mustang reviews the Mustang stills blows the slow and heavy Challenger out of the water and keeps up well with the Camaro. The GT I was in was gorgeous, strong, and didn’t shake or quiver even past 140.

Also, 2014 the Stang turns 50, there WILL be something coming…that we probably could never imagine!

By: Gideon Jones

Gideon Jones — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 15:32:10 +0000

Hooray for Ford for not taking Obama’s ensnaring Bail Out Money written with counterfeit checks payable by unborn generations. Henry Ford in 1903 had a
Model -T that ran on permanent Magnet power with no external power or fuel required. He called them Cow Magnets. That technology is available today and should once again power Ford cars. Check the German Prendev Motor and the
Australian Cyclone motor. Ford could lead the way with fuel-less cars. Do IT.