Carpundit "Why police don't buy foreign cars?"

Over at the Carpundit's blog, he discusses why police departments don't buy foreign cars, and links to an article at CNN.com. One reason he points to and I agree with is that Government agencies, such as police forces usually buy American products, simply to "buy American." And of course discusses that until recently no foreign manufacturer produced a modle suitable to the job. Size and dependability are major reasons. Others involve cost and ease of repair.
In one sentence the Carpundit, who is a former lawman, wishes for all wheel drive for police cruisers. Here's the answer for many police forces, the 500 from Ford. Large enough, and available with all wheel drive. With the exception of the all wheel drive system, costs for repair and upkeep shouldn't be much more than the old Crown Vics or Caprices.

Piquete Project? Recyclable cars? Is this really new?

I was reading Jalopnik's blog this morning and there was a story with link to the Detroit News, about a new "Secret Plan" at Ford called the Piquete Project. This project is supposed to be a new project to make vehicles recyclable. And imediately I thought of this, the Model U concept from 2003.
This Supercharged Hydrogen powered Internal Combustion egine powered mini SUV, has a reconfigurable interior and fabrics and body panels made of soybeans. I found an older article on the concept here;

Edmunds.com article Model U

But as in my last post, I repeat that eveything old is new again. Soy fabric and body panels? Is the ghost of Henry Ford still walking around Dearborn whispering in someone's ear?

I remember thinking when I saw the Model U in magazines a few years ago, that it wouldn't sell. But being slightly older and infinitely wiser now, I realize that such a vehicle could indeed be marketed. That is if Hydrogen infrastructure existed.

You may scoff at the Soybean based body panels now, but remember the plastic panels on Saturn vehicles? And don't forget the Fiberglass Corvettes. Bill Ford says that the Piquete Project is new and I'm sure it is in a way, but in reality it's revisiting ideas that he and his eccentric great grandfather have been bouncing around over the last 90 years.

Inovation is not new territory for Ford, it's coming back to the company's roots. The company that put the world on wheels could reinvent the entire industry. I know that while others blog and discuss the "Way Forward" it may seem stupid to discuss this, but I'm not a journalist or industry analyst, I'm just a Ford fan. So if you're looking for the latest news on Way Forward, check the following; www.theautoprophet.blogspot.com , www.autoblog.com , www.jalopnik.com their coverage seems the most interesting to me.

Alternative fuel technology nothing new for Ford

I always remember one thing my father told me "There are no more original ideas, everything has been thought of before." And you know what? He was right. Today, we talk about alternative fuels and electric vehicles as if they are new technologies. But in fact, some of the earliest "horseless carriages" were electric and steam driven. Henry Ford from day one concentrated on gas powered automobiles and early on was encouraged by the prompting of Thomas Edison to keep up his pursuit of gas powered automobiles. Edison knew what we know now, that the weight of the batteries and the limited range of electric vehicles would always be and issue.
Recently I have been reading a series of books on the life and times of Henry Ford and his companies. And some things were a major surpise to me. One of those things was the fact that even though Henry Ford was a proponent of the Internal Combustion Engine, even he recognized that Petrolium based fuels would, like the dinosours that they are derived from, cease to exist one day. So as early as 1916 Henry Ford started to research and support the use of corn and potato based alcohol fuesl such as Ethanol.
Now, this hit me like a sack of potatoes when I read it (sorry, I know, terrible pun.) But think about this, in 1916 Henry Ford was proposing Bio Fuels as a replacement for Gasoline!

Now I know old Henry had his faults, his ego and his bigotry among them. But it's undeniable that the man was a visionary, if not the genius he billed himself to be. 90 years ago, Ford Motor Company was looking into some of the same technologies that we are revisiting today. And another indisputable fact is that while there were hundreds of auto manufacturers over the years, Ford was one of the earliest and historically the most sucessful and inovative over the long run.

Another one of Henry Ford's projects was production using Soy based products. He envisioned soy based fabrics and early plastics and experimented for many years and invested heavily in Soy plantations. Love him or hate him, the man was a visionary.

And of course now Bill Ford jr, his great grandson, is trying to bring Ford back into the inovation business with some of those same ideas. Do any of you remember the Model U ? It was a concept vehicle from just a few years ago, and relied on some of these same ideas, of recyclable structure and alternative energy.

Just food for though.

Fiesta time?

Is it time for Ford to reintroduce the Fiesta to the US markte? Hell yes! Originally imported to the US in the late 70's and departing shortly before the arrival of the Escort was introduced, the Sub-Compact Fiesta remained in production overseas and is still sold worldwide, with the exception of the US and Canada.

The Fiesta is available with both Petrol (Gas) and Diesel engines in Europe and acheives 40 mpg or getter fuel economy. Available as either a 3 or 5 door hatch in Europe, it's also sold as a 4 door sedan in other markets (including Mexico) and it's chassis underpins the European Fusion MPV/Wagon and Courier/Bantam light trucks (pickup and panel van.) The Ford EcoSport from Mexico/Latin America is a mini SUV available with all wheel drive, based on Fiesta mechanicals. Some other vehicles based on the same dependable Fiesta platform are the Puma sport coupe (97-03) and the Ka 3 door and Cabrio as well as the Ikon 4 door sedan sold in some markets.

Future plans call for a redesigned Fiesta platform, with development of common chassis elements to be shared with Fiat. So this successful platform has paid off well for Ford on a global scheme, and with new Sub-Compacts due in the US from Honda, Nissan, Toyota and possibly VW (Polo) and various Chinese brands, not to mention Chevy's Aveo ( a rebadged Daewoo) it seems time for Ford to bring this platform here.

Rumors are that a Fiesta and possibly the EcoSport may come to the US by 2009. I'm hoping that's soon enough to catch a piece of this market, and that Ford doesn't just bring the base models, but recognizes that a version of the Euro Fiesta ST could be very competative in the future. I'd buy one with the 150 hp manual and either rollback soft sunroof or a more useful moonroof.

How to compete and how not to, in the sport compact market.

Right now, this is the sport compact that Ford will be selling in Europe with over 200 hp. The Focus ST, which is Europes equivalent of our Ford Focus SVT (currently not in production, and don't hold your breath.)
And this is the most powerful version of the Focus available from Ford in the US. At 150 hp the Focus ZX4 ST is not a slouch, but not really a superstar. At lest it's available with a manual transmission. And let's not forget that wing, ooh wow. Not exactly warming up my blood. Not just that it's a 4 door sedan, I could get over that. But 150 hp??? Come on. This "sport compact" version can be had for around $19k and blends in well at any mall or high school.
This is the media's new star, the 2006 Honda Civic Si, with 197 hp and priced around $20k. Now I'm going to be kind, 197 hp is adequate, but what about torque? Can you say limp? The Civic Si only makes 148 lb ft of Torque. And you better love to rev up near the limit to make that 197 hp. Cause down low, it's not there. I have to admit I like the exterior styling, but the new interior leaves me wondering why? Why have a huge tach and then in a binacle out of Star Trek, have a digital speedo? We have a new 2005 Civic EX in our driveway, and it's dash is one of it's greater assets. Nice clear gauges, that are backlit in blue, controls laid out well. So why do this to a decent car?
Even Chevy is in the game, with their 205 hp Cobalt SS Supercharged model, selling around $22k. I've driven this and it's a powerful little package, and a good value. If I was in the market for a sport compact coupe, this would be my first and possibly last stop. Even for a guy that doesn't like GM, this is a well done car. I've driven both the SS and the LS in auto and stick shift and the handling is good, brakes are actually great, transmission feel is very good. Why can't Ford do something like this??
The outgoing American champ in the sport compact segment, the Neon SRT4 had 230 hp from a Turbocharged motor and a 6spd manual. These sold, when you could find them for around $24k, and from what I've heard, they're rough but drivable little beasts. But it's too late to get one of these, the Neon is dead to be replaced by the Caliber. The closest you can get to this is a slightly detuned version in the PT Cruiser GT with I believe 205 hp. There will be an R/T version of the Caliber and possibly an SRT4 version. The Caliber's top engine will be a naturally aspirated 178 hp I4. Even the base engine will be a 148 hp 1.8 and next a 158 hp 2.0.
With 300 hp and all wheel drive, the Subaru WRX STI is one of the kings of the segment, but don't expect to buy one for less than $30k. But even the lesser Subaru WRX with 227 hp will cost you close to $28k. Not bargains prices, but still class leading performance.
Matching the Subaru's boy racer looks and with almost 300 hp and all wheel drive, is Mitsubishi's Lancer Evolution VIII. Again not cheap at around $30k, this is a tie for class leader with the subaru. Get em while you can, as Mitsu's future looks shaky.
Now, the Mini Cooper in base trim is a bargain at around $18k ( actually closer to $22k on dealer lots, only because they are ordered loaded), but with only 160 hp going to the front wheels it's not the fastest of the group. But for a few grand (about $4k) more you can get the JCW package, including a supercharger and various handling pieces. This like the Mustang and Beetle is another Retro wagon, but unlike the Beetle this one's interesting and not just a rebodied Golf.
The Scion Tc at $18k and with 160 hp is a bargain when you consider that for that price you need to order no options. Standard are the wheels (17's) Moonroof, stereo, A/C and power windows and such. Now when you go into the dealer it's easy to get suckered into another $4k in accessories, but the basic car is available for $18k. There is even a TRD supercharger available, so like the Mini Cooper JCW it can achieve better power.
And what about the loyal Blue Oval fan? Well, he's screwed. Here is the Roush Focus, with it's body kit, big brakes and 18" wheels, but what do you get in the way of power? The same 150 hp available in the Factory ZX4 ST. That's right, it's a pimped out ZX3 with a price tag of $26k.
But wait, there's always the Saleen N2O Focus right?? It's advertised on Saleen's website as being a factory 250 hp!! Wrong!!!!!!! It's the same 150 hp ZX3 with an almost completely installed 100 hp nitrous system. I say almost installed, because they do everything, install and wire the system, including arming switch. Mount the empty cylinder in your hatch. Everything, almost everything. And for an amazingly low price of $26k. Wow what could be cooler? I want to sing up now, where can I get one?

Hold on there buckaroo, don't jump too fast. You see, if you fill the tank of nitrous and install that last little hose to make the system functional, you void your warranty !!! And Steve Saleen and his boys won't lift a finger to help you. Now I don't just mean your warranty from Saleen, I mean your warranty from Ford! And not just on the engine, but transmission and everything else!

So while GM and Chrysler take this segment seriously, Ford just pretends it doesn't exist and allows aftermarket tuners to pedal this crap at selected Ford dealers. I recently was at a local dealer test driving a Fusion and they had several Roush product on hand including a Mustang GT for $47,000!!! And what did you get for that kind of premium? A body kit, big wheels and brakes, some handling goodies and oh yeah the stock 300 hp GT engine.

What fool would piss away the money on this? The salesman told me, they sell well. I can't figure why. I mean next year you can get a Mustang SVT GT500 for about $45K, right? Oh no, that's right the dealers will charge premiums for them and generally fuck around.

So here's a question for you, if you had $25,000 and wanted to buy a sporty compact car, which one of these would you buy? Would you spend the entire budget at the dealer or keep some of it for aftermarket speed goodies? Could a tuner plaque on the car make you spend the extra $8,000 ?

If it was my money, the Chevy would be in the driveway, with the factory leather, moonroof and 6 CD stereo and with what's left over I'd go to the TireRack and buy an extra set of tires for autocrossing.

Jack Roush and Steve Saleen should hang their heads in shame for putting their names on this crap. Saleen in particular should have to apologize to each person who bought the N2O and lost their warranty.

Transit or Econoline, which would be the best competitor for the increasingly popular Dodge/Mercedes/Freightliner Sprinter?

Ford is bringing out a redesigned Transit commercial van for Europe and the rest of the world. And I again think that it should be brought to the US to compete with DCX's Sprinter van.
The Econoline has been a workhorse for decades and has little change in the last 22 years.
For several years I had an Econoline E350 as my company vehicle and it served it's purpose well, but was a pig as far as economy. I'm not a lover of vans in general, prefering pickups for my personal use, but over the years have driven many Ford, Chevy and even Dodge vans. The Fords were always my favorites for simple reasons related to design. The doors were easier to get in and out and with more of a hood, less of the eninge protruded into the cab. The dashboard was usually better and handling and braking were marginally better. But even with the straight six engines, all of the US vans were pigs at the pumps.

So is it any wonder that the new Sprinter from Dodge/Freightliner (and in Europe Mercedes Benz) with it's more fuel efficient 5 cyl Diesel is becoming increasingly more poplular in fleets, like the local utilities and shippping companies? Not just fleet sales, but near me I'm noticing more Sprinters in the hands of small contractors, such as HVAC and plumbers. With all the roof height and wheelbase options, the Sprinter is just as if not more configuralbe than the Econoline and is even incroaching on the RV market.

Now Ford needs either a redesigned Econoline with a more fuel efficient powertrain, or maybe they need to bring the Transit here. The Transit, is available in either front or rear wheel drive with more versions than the Sprinter. Roof, wheelbase, powertrain and drive options make the Transit one of the most flexible commercial chassis in the world.

Would you buy a Hyundai or Kia pickup?

The segment that domestic manufacturers in general and Ford specifically has been able to dominate in has always been trucks. The Ford F series truck being the best selling vehcle in the world and best selling truck in the US for 26 years. Even the Ranger, which is getting overshadowed by many competitors was the best selling "compact" truck for 17 years.
But in the article from Forbes, linked at AutoBlog, Hyundai/Kia is questioning whether they should enter the truck market as a way to grow.

Now I know that Japanese trucks are highly regarded and the Korean brands have seen an amazing rise in quality and value in compact and midsize sedan markets, but would anyone want to buy a pickup from Korea? Even if it's a "transplant" model, designed and built in the US, it would have to be a clean sheet design, as Koreans don't have domestic pickup models.

Would they enter the "compact" segment or try to jump in to the lucrative "full size" market.
Toyota and Nissan have both been trying to crack that nut as of late, but with combined sales according to the articel of just over 420,000, it looks like truck buyers are among the last to display real brand loyalty. And neither Toyota or Nissan have a Diesel option on their "full size" truck, like the domestic lines do.

Luckily the new (as of 2004) F-150 is a much improved and very competative model that Ford recognizes as their sales leader. So it's unlikely that they will let it slip, like the Ranger, into obscurity.

But if the Koreans were to attack the "full size" truck market, could the "big 3" fight them and the Japanese onslaught without bleeding money?

Inspried by Brian's post, here are some of my past rides, including non Ford

Brian of RaceDriven.com is a member of the Autobloggers blog as I am, and he posted an interesting question, that prompted a little stroll down memory lane. He wanted to know what everyone's First car was and then the favorite of all the cars they owned.

Well, my first car was a 1967 Ford Fairlane wagon that my parents gave me, but I didn't have my license before that car went away. So the first car that was mine, bought and paid for was a 78 Chevy. But my first brand new car was a 1988 Ford Festiva like the one pictured here.

I had a collection of 70's cars mostly Ford including a Granada and a Versailes.
For a year I had an ex-police car in the fleet, a 1977 Plymouth Fury.
The 78 Monza was similar to this one.
For a couple of months in the mid 90's I had my only Japanese car, a Honda Accord. Never do that again.
My first truck was a Chevy. This beat up stepside was purchased at auction for $400 and sold 18 months later for the same price. Have to admit it was a lot of fun.
The only new car that I ever bought that wasn't a Ford. My 1994 Chevy S-10 SS. This was a lot of fun.
I had a 92 Crown Vic like this one. Actually I wish I stil had that. I know the guy I sold it to and he and his wife love it.
Now this one was at the same time one of the best and worst cars I've ever owned. A 93 Taurus SHOmatic. Fast and fun to drive, but with more problems than it was worth. I didn't even have the nerve to sell it, instead I donated it to charity with a list of all the problems in the glove box.

Just a quick stroll through the past. My parents weren't thrilled with my car collecting, at one time I had 5 cars and lived at home with Mom and Dad. I miss that feeling, you know walking out and trying to figure out what to drive today. I had my Mustang and the S-10 SS at the same time, as well as some of the 70's beaters. And as much as I hate white cars I had 3 at one time, just cause they were bargains. And I have 2 brothers who had cars and my parents each had a car, so for a brief while it looked like a used car lot around our house.

Only the pictures of the Chevy trucks are actually my vehicles, all others taken from Google image search. The shame is that I was too busy enjoying driving many of these vehicles to actually take pictures of them. Don't get me wrong, I have over 50 pictures of my Mustang, but not of many of the other cars. I'm not much of a photographer either, so they probably would have come out poorly anyway.

Maybe if Ford ignores them, the AFA will just fade away

This is the Rev Don Wildmon (on the right) the head of the AFA.
This is what's got his knickers in a twist.

No real surprise, the AFA has written Ford a letter saying that they have the support of 44 other groups and are upset at Ford's reversal on the gay ads. I checked the list of groups on the AFA website, and as I suspected many of them are AFA regional groups, and all of them are Conservative Christian jerkoffs.

Ford's best response to this situation is to not respond. That worked for many of the others that were boycotted by AFA including Disney and Proctor & Gamble.

Hey on a side note, if you haven't seen the new show on NBC that has the AFA up in arms, check it out. I wasn't even going to watch the Book of Daniel, but once I found the AFA was upset I had to tune in. It's a good show, nothing outrageous at all. NBC Fridays at 10 pm, check your local listings.

I learned my lesson last time, no comments allowed on this post.

Stephen sees the world past a bug splashed windshield, in a new blog

Stephen is a co-conspirator of Dorri's over at If It's Got an Engine and has taken the plunge into the blogsphere. Good luck to Stephen, he's just getting started, but will surely become a daily read for me. Stephen's passion seems to be for Opels GM's German marque, imported through Buick dealers in the 60's and 70's. Look forward to tales of scraped knuckles, searches for hard to get parts and road trips from coast to coast.

Jalopnik points to article on Reflex possibly being new Puma in Europe!

Above is the Ford Puma, below the new Ford Reflex concept.

I read over at Jalopnik, that UK magazine is speculating that the new Ford Reflex concept could be pointing to the styling of the new Fiesta based sporty coupe for Europe, the Puma! The Fiesta is due for a redesign in 2008. Now I know it's front wheel drive, but you know what? I still want one.

Ford slipping to 3rd place behind Chrysler/Jeep ?

Bob of CarsCarsCars! and 4DriversOnly fame, wrote a piece the other day, saying that Chrysler/Jeep was getting ready to overtake Ford for the second place in the "Big Three."

Funny how these things work, Ford who at one time had 75% of the market share (in the 1903-1925 period) has been doing everything to maintain it's current 17% (?) and it's coveted 2nd place spot. In Magee's book FORD TOUGH he mentions that in 2001 Ford was poised to overtake GM for 1st place with nearly 25% of the market.

As a Ford fanatic, I'm not overly concerned about this issue, knowing that Ford has had it's ups and downs in the past and can and will come out of this tough time a stronger more profitable and hopefully more interesting company with better product. From everything I've read in Magee's book and in magazine articles over the last few years, it looks like Bill Ford may be the man to carry the company through it.

Click on over to Bob's article and check out both of his blogs, at the links on the left.

Blogging slow, doing summer reading in January

Who says "print is dead?" Not in my house. I've been slow posting this week, not because it's a slow news week, obviously others are posting non stop about the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. But I've been catching up on my reading. I received several books for Christmas and have been trying to read them, when the cats aren't. I don't really think they care what I'm reading, just as long as one hand is free for scratching behind their ears.
I had mentioned one book in an earlier post, but figured I'd list them here if anyone was interested in learning more about Ford (Motor Company)

The creation of the Ford empire, Henry and Edsel by Richard Bak
WHEELS for the WORLD by Douglas Brinkley
FORD TOUGH, Bill Ford and the battle to rebuild America's automaker by David Magee

I've finished the Bak book and am half way through the Magee, and hope to start the Brinkley book Friday. So posting may be slow, but hopefully these books will inspire me to wax philosophically about Ford and the auto industry in general. Now that the Detroit show is open to the public, there won't be much news from there, but if you want to know all there is to know, check out www.mphonline.com and www.autoblog.com , if you want your own copies of these and other books about Ford (or anything else) click the title link to Amazon.com

Truck of the Year, clear proof that the Automotive Press are out of touch and in Japan's pocket

A glaring example of how out of touch the Automotive Press is with reality and how deep they are in Japan's pocket is the anouncement that Honda's Ridgeline won the "Truck" of the Year.
First the Honda is hardly a "Truck" and second are it's disapointing sales. The Automotive Press seem to be stunned that these overpriced trucklets are not flying off the dealer lots.
I've checked the Ridgeline out up close and it's an amazing vehicle, but it's not a truck. And the term "sticker shock" is mild, in the case of the Ridgeline it's more like sticker rape.

Of the three vehicle up for the Truck of the Year, the Explorer should have been the hands down winner. A basically ground up new vehicle, the only old aspect is the styling, which makes many people think this is just a freshened vehicle. Never mind the new chassis, addressing many issues with the old version.

I was watching Autoline Detroit recently and John McElroy and his guest were discussing the "Truck of the Year" candidates and voting. 49 journalist, including McElroy voted and announced at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit the winner. No surprise, here it's Honda, who coincidentally won "Car of the Year" for the new Civic.

The Ridgeline is not a TRUCK and worshiping at the altar of everything Honda is not being a journalist, it's more like you're a member of Honda's marketing team. I wonder if these guys are just afraid of loosing advertising dollars or they really believe that the Ridgline is a truck.

It's becoming such a joke with the Automotive Press these days, you expect either Honda or BMW to win any comparision test and no matter how improved an American vehicle is you will hear how it should be more like Honda or Lexus.

Here's a question for readers; "Do you actually believe comparions tests in Car magazines such as Car and Driver, Road&Track, MotorTrend or AutoWeek? Or do you believe like I do, that they sold their souls to Japan years ago?"

And for those that think I'm so into Ford that I can't be objective, check this earlier post I did comparing "Compact Trucks" ; http://myforddreams.blogspot.com/2005/10/what-would-i-buy-if-i-needed-to.html#113085147837423916

Mike points to one I missed the GR1

Mike commented on my post about the Reflex and the styling cues common to several new Ford and Partner cars, that I missed one obviuos influecne. The Ford Shelby GR1 concept. This supercar was developed around the same time as the GT and you can clearly see Mike is correct.
The proportions are different, but there are common themes among this car and the others.
If you squashed this a little, you'd swear that this could be the Reflex's dad or big brother.
And the common scisor door theme too.
And the narrow rear end looks similar. Hell that window looks just like the reflex.

Now this is the only way you'll own one. This is the only way I get to own a lot of my favorite cars. I know, how sad a 40 year old man that collects Hot Wheels.

But Mike was right, you can clearly see a commonality of design among all of these cars. And I for one think it's a great look for all of them. I'd love to see something the size of the Reflex as a new Ford Capri. Who knows, in Europe you could in a few years that is.