Seriously, in the grand scheme of all that Ford is doing right (in comparison to the rest of the U.S. carmakers) why can’t they simply bring over the good cars they already make. No, not just the über-rare Focus RS, but the rest of the Foci over in Europe are cars that people might actually want to drive and would give them a nice jump on the future CAFE standards.
In what appears to be another example of The General thinking not much further along than what’s for lunch that day, GM announced plans to chop the brands down to four.
Sure. It’s a pretty obvious move and a good one. Not sure why they wouldn’t cut to two. But four is a good start.
But here’s the Soup of the Day moment: The four they’re keeping: Chevorlet, Cadillac, GMC and Buick.
I didn’t stutter. Buick.
Don’t get me wrong, i think it’s sweet that GM wants to keep the single remaining Buick devotee in cars for the remaining days she has on the planet. Especially since she turfed her last Regal.
But Buick? Really? Were GM execs worried that all 4,429 members of Buick Forum would be upset and start an online protest? If so, apparently it’s unlikely they’d do so during daylight hours. Actually, I have to say I was shocked to find an online Buick community. I expected there to be only a few pen pals. But even Pen Pals have gone online it seems.
Everyone needs a friend.
And it seems like The General is worried about not having any. I thought General Motors pulled up short when they only let Oldsmobile go in 2000. They should have kept going then. Why not pack up Buick at the same time? A twofer. Get that Band-Aid off in one, hard, sudden pull. But they checked up. One couldn’t possibly alienate close friends like Michelle. Not when they keep you informed on the latest celebrity gossip.
Instead The General went back to picking around the edges.
Something interesting could have come of the integration of Opel vehicles into the Saturn line up. But instead they’re going to keep Buick afloat. It’s like building a raft out of cinder blocks. As far as I can tell: Anyone who owns a Buick now and plans to purchase a new Buick probably has one remaining purchase left.
The way the GM executives really think through the long term health of the company—it’s inspired.
Danica. Danica. I’m having a real hard time figuring out how I’m suppose to react to this. Well. . . not that hard.
I have to remind myself. that she’s about three apples high. But still those are impressive legs for someone who’s so. . . Fun Sized.
But still. . . the reaction. I mean I wonder if this is a distraction tactic for her fellow IRL racers? A nearly naked cash grab to pay her traffic fines? I wonder who she’s paid by to do it. Certainly IRL could use the traffic given the struggles they’ve had over the years.
As much as we have ragged on the Big 3 in our conversations, it seems wrong that the first post on the auto industry is positive. This weekend, I was telling my wife that it appeared that Ford has a real chance to come through the current crisis not only alive, but thriving. Not only have the ys aid they won’t need bailout money, but they seem to be steadily but surely overhauling their line-up and building up their reputation for quality, technology and making cars the public wants. My wife really likes the Ford Fusion. The hybrid version might be on her shopping list, even though it would be an under-budget purchase. Then, I read this.
Ford really gets it. For the first time in maybe 50 years, they really get it.
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