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Ford Is Going Further--But Has It Gone Far Enough?

By Joel Feder
Joel Feder Joel Feder
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With most of its 20 cars, crossovers and trucks new in the past five years, Ford Motor Company thinks it's a completely different car company than the one you may have bought from--or skipped over--the last time you purchased a new vehicle.

It's been hammering that point home in a series of "Drive One" commercials, highlighting all the new vehicles it's rolled out since it shuffled off its non-core brands and refocused its business around the Ford brand and its near-luxury Lincoln lineup--vehicles like the 2013 Ford Escape, TheCarConnection's Best Car To Buy 2012 Focus, and the company's first subcompact sold in the U.S. in a generation, the Fiesta.

It's also already promoting its new 2013 Fusion sedan and C-Max hatchback, the first plug-in hybrids it will offer for sale in the U.S.

While it still depends on tried-and-true best-sellers like the F-150 pickups to stay solidly in the black, Ford wants the world to know, or to find out for the first time, that its new lineup and its new features--from fuel-saving technology to class-leading infotainment systems--have made it essentially a new car company. It's dubbing the ad just launched on YouTube under the simple title, "Go Further," and it's launched a Go Further website to show off its latest vehicles as centerpieces of its changed lineup.


What's your take? Has today's Ford gone further, or is it still not going far enough to win over the new-car shoppers of tomorrow? Tell us what you think in the comments below.


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Comments (9)

  1. Mr. Nuts avatar Mr. Nuts Posted: 5/1/2012 11:44am PDT

    The best American manufacturer hands down. Not strong internationally, though -- and its stock is getting hammered. Too dependent on a bad European market. Not deep enough in China. Non-existent in Japan and Korea -- which are closed markets, of course, something our Federal government should address by hammering every Japanese and Korean import with tariffs -- but bribes to Congress preclude that from happening.

    They're in the best position in terms of design and fuel efficiency. However, their prices are high -- and American consumers are inherently cheap. That said, they have margin to play with -- so they can lure people in with incentives if need be.

    A good long term stock to buy as Fusion and Escape profits will be substantial
     
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  2. fb_1224815454 avatar Jim Glass Posted: 5/2/2012 4:46pm PDT

    Aside from the small error, I agree with your comments. Without question, Ford is building some the most interesting cars on the market today. The designs are just outstanding, but as others point out there are some misses, too. The lack of the dual clutch transmission for the Focus ST will make it a super niche player for the autox fans and kids but not so much for the average enthusiast. I recently went from a Cayman S to a small lux SUV and really wanted an Edge with the Ecoboost 4, but you can't get it with AWD so I wound up with an Audi Q5 2.0T. I love Fords though since my 1st, a ’57 Fairlane hardtop with a Thunderbird Special engine. But, they need to move faster. The new Fusion, Escape, ST needs to be out now. Fiesta ST, too.
     
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  3. fb_694361624 avatar Scott Monty Posted: 5/1/2012 8:24pm PDT

    Joel - I just wanted to clarify one small point. If you listen to the voice over again, it says "Right now, there are over 20 brands of cars being sold in America." That's brands as in automakers, not 20 Ford models.

    You'll find that as this campaign continues to evolve, we'll be talking about ways we go further as a company that go beyond just our vehicle design and engineering. Stay tuned.

    Scott Monty
    Global Digital Communications
    Ford Motor Company
     
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  4. bo miller avatar bo miller Posted: 5/2/2012 10:58am PDT

    Hello,
    I notice Ford has abandoned the mid size pickup segment. I own a 2007 sportrac and looking for a replacement and there is none. Ford's gonna loose a lot of customers to Toyota Tacoma if its not careful. Why not improve the sportrac or offer an F 100, would be nice.
     
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  5. garyowen avatar garyowen Posted: 5/2/2012 11:35am PDT

    Ford needs to offer 100,000 mile 10 year warranties on the engine & drive train like the Koreans. That's a big negative for me. I'm surprised Honda isn't on board with that, esp. with their quality. One more thing: why is it taking so long for driver & passenger knee airbags to be more widely adopted? The Focus will only have driver-side knee airbags and not till the 2013 model! And why no diesels in the passenger line?
     
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  6. USAFANG67 avatar Matt Mann Posted: 5/2/2012 11:38am PDT

    "20 brands of cars being sold in America"

    If you ask an Environmentalist they would say that's too many because more cars equal more Global Warming, congested highways, more wear and tear on our already crowded roads, more traffic accidents etc..
    I think the automobile industry is in a no win situation because even if they make a Zero Emissions Vehicle the Environmentalist would still find fault with automobiles in general.
    As to is FoMoCo still not going far enough to win over the new-car shoppers of tomorrow? Well hey I'd love to buy the wife the new 2013 Ford Escape to replace her 2004 Honda Accord and a 2013 Ford Mustang GT to replace my 2006 Frontier but our budget say NO WAY:-(
     
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  7. Papa Rotzi avatar Drew Wills Posted: 5/2/2012 11:55am PDT

    Ford in on my Radar for the first time in over a decade. My BMW is going off warranty in 6 months, and I'm not sure I want to "manage" the maintenance costs going forward. The new Fusion, and possibly the new Escape look credible and will earn a strong look on my part. The Focus ST would have been, but no dual clutch auto (my left knee is not happy with manuals anymore). My neighbor loves his new Focus Titanium (replacing a totaled 540i Wagon with the insurance settlement). GM seems to be hit or miss (especially with the styling as of late) and Chrysler is making solid strides, but their reliability remains a big question mark with me (several bad experiences in the past). In all I'd say Ford "gets it".
     
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  8. fb_1068548198 avatar Rich Beach Posted: 5/2/2012 12:32pm PDT

    I looked at the Ford Edge in 2009, while it was ok I was not overly impressed. My wife and I decided to go with the larger GMC Acadia and have not regretted our decision. I will say the new Fords look great, but I have not been in the market for a new car since 2009. Maybe in a couple of years we'll consider Ford again.

    I have have always been a loyal GM buyer (both parents worked at Saginaw Steering Gear/Delphi) I drove a Cavalier ran for 200K miles, Grand Prix sold at 200K miles. In another Pontiac from down under with the G8 GT. No major trouble with any of them.

    We'll see how the newer Edge holds up and even the Fusions hold up...if they maintain high quality standards maybe I'll be behind the wheel of an Oval again.
     
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  9. batty avatar batty Posted: 5/2/2012 1:27pm PDT

    Go Further?-- without a doubt- the only company that can manage costs, new product roll out, keep UAW happy and still deliver world class cars and trucks. They have done a far better job of keeping profits here in USA than others. Go Ford- or Go home !
     
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