The Future of Ford

[Lowell]

How will Ford survive and profit in the disruptive and rapidly transforming mobility arena and move beyond being a “pickup maker with a sports car”?

Ford has recently taken several dramatic steps that question the very essence of what the company is and will become. Some examples…

The acquisition of the Michigan Central Station and the move of its edgy mobility efforts [autonomous, electric, data aggregation, ride-sharing] to Corktown has put an exclamation point on the company’s redirection intent.

On the sharing end, Ford recently acquired scooter-share provider Spin.
https://www.freep.com/story/money/ca...et/1924303002/


On the data end we have this:
https://freep-mi.newsmemory.com/publ...reid=4d6a81156


And today? How about getting into the delivery business as Walmart’s provider?
https://www.freep.com/story/money/ca...ct/1992470002/


What’s your opinion? Do you think this will work or will it lead to loss of focus and scattered distraction, reminiscent of when Ford acquired Volvo and Jaguar? Any Ford employees out there?


Personally, I like it a lot and for the good of all Detroit I hope it works.

[313WX]

A lot of people have said FCA's days are numbered, but I wouldn't be surprised if Ford doesn't survive the next downturn either, depending on the severity.

And I also believe GM will likely be a much smaller player [[becoming a niche company, like HP) than it is today.

[Worldsgreatest]

I also predict Walmart won't survive the next downturn, JPMorgan chase too. I have things to say!

[313WX]

I also predict Walmart won't survive the next downturn, JPMorgan chase too. I have things to say!

Walmart and JPMorgan have stock prices in the single digits and are laying off as many as 70,000 people?

News to me!

[Richard]

How will Ford survive and profit in the disruptive and rapidly transforming mobility arena and move beyond being a “pickup maker with a sports car”?

Ford has recently taken several dramatic steps that question the very essence of what the company is and will become. Some examples…

The acquisition of the Michigan Central Station and the move of its edgy mobility efforts [autonomous, electric, data aggregation, ride-sharing] to Corktown has put an exclamation point on the company’s redirection intent.

On the sharing end, Ford recently acquired scooter-share provider Spin.
https://www.freep.com/story/money/ca...et/1924303002/


On the data end we have this:
https://freep-mi.newsmemory.com/publ...reid=4d6a81156


And today? How about getting into the delivery business as Walmart’s provider?
https://www.freep.com/story/money/ca...ct/1992470002/


What’s your opinion? Do you think this will work or will it lead to loss of focus and scattered distraction, reminiscent of when Ford acquired Volvo and Jaguar? Any Ford employees out there?


Personally, I like it a lot and for the good of all Detroit I hope it works.

I am not a ford employee but I drive a ford built Jaguar,albeit with a GM transmission,Outside of the XKE I think Ford was the best thing that could have ever happened to the marquee,outside of buying a 69 Mach 1 long ago I would never own a Ford.

It does prove that if they really put thier mind to it they can build a superior product.

If we look back GM was into all kinds of things outside the realm of automobiles,I have a 1939 GM Refridgerator that works like the day it was made,with the system never opened.

I think Ford is smart looking into all possibilities,we know and have expirenced the volatiles of the automotive industry.I think it is good for Detroit because it helps diversify and maybe some from the automotive part can transition into better paying or more advanced jobs.

The trickle down with start ups brings a big opportunity.

The downside is technology based stuff has a short shelf life so they need to be ten steps ahead and not step back.

The Finiance part being a big part of thier revenue is a bit scary,it has brought many down,look at what happened to GE.

Great when the economy is doing good but when a sour cycle comes along,can they float the loses? It’s like a bubble right now.

[401don]

Sergio Marchionne stated several years ago that consolidation of automakers was inevitable for survival and he wasn't just speaking of Chrysler at the time. I think the Ford/VW merger rumors make loads of sense. Ford is strong in North America in trucks and suv's, while struggling in the U.S. and globally with cars. VW has always struggled in the U.S. and does far better with cars than trucks and suv's.

[stasu1213]

I feel that Ford will survive the next downturn. Ford had always came up with innovative ideas to stay afloat and compete. Ford had survived the last downturn when GM was bailed out by the government. Buying the old train station was a great idea by Ford and they would be more of a team player and involved in the surrounding neighborhoods unlike GM which is an island unto itself downtown and really doesn't get involved in the mood of the city.

[Lowell]

Ford has a quiet strength on the ownership side. While a publicly-traded company the Ford family controls around 40% of the votes which, in essence, is 51% control. It is firmly in the hands of Bill Ford, even more than Tesla is in Musk's [19%] hands, but with no flash and glitz.

That makes Ford very agile and able to fend off share-holder impatience and buy out threats. Ford can take the long view.

So I see the question being "Do you trust Bill Ford?" Is he wise/smart enough to carry this off?

[Smirnoff]

"Auto 2.0" & "mobility" & da-Lions.....no?

NYTimes: In a conference call, analysts pressed Mr. Hackett to talk about initiatives to improve profitability, but he declined to discuss them in detail, except to say they are “up and running.”

[abraham]

I feel like anytime something is doing well folks say its a bubble now. I'm not into ford so dont really care how they do. I do know if they paid me enough money I would look into it and figure it out. I did own a 78 t bird once my first car. Just not a fan of the design they have. One thing would be to make new cars not copies of old ones. Same problem the movie industry seems to be having. If all you can do is come up with a revised edition of an old car.... well.... Plus quality helps. While its not a ford the big 3 all seem similar. I own a vette and a suburban. Both flagship models for chevy. I got a little plastic door with a simple plastic knob in the back of the burban for a storage area. Nice plastic dash in the vette, cheap rims. Give me a solid plastic door or a metal one and something with a nice latching system. You can just pull the door open with minimal effort. Quality leather dash and get rid of all the cheap plastic and just over all low quality stuff. OK you got me started. I'm done. The answer is build a better product. If I put out something shitty I dont expect to do well overall.

[drjeff]

I feel like anytime something is doing well folks say its a bubble now. I'm not into ford so dont really care how they do. I do know if they paid me enough money I would look into it and figure it out. I did own a 78 t bird once my first car. Just not a fan of the design they have. One thing would be to make new cars not copies of old ones. Same problem the movie industry seems to be having. If all you can do is come up with a revised edition of an old car.... well.... Plus quality helps. While its not a ford the big 3 all seem similar. I own a vette and a suburban. Both flagship models for chevy. I got a little plastic door with a simple plastic knob in the back of the burban for a storage area. Nice plastic dash in the vette, cheap rims. Give me a solid plastic door or a metal one and something with a nice latching system. You can just pull the door open with minimal effort. Quality leather dash and get rid of all the cheap plastic and just over all low quality stuff. OK you got me started. I'm done. The answer is build a better product. If I put out something shitty I dont expect to do well overall.

Do you think cars from other manufacturers aren't tubs of plastic? have you every been in a Toyota or Honda? The other factor is that cars have to be as light as possible to make them more fuel efficient.

[Smirnoff]

Buying the old train station was a great idea by Ford

Really, how will that idea have a positive impact on their stock price & Wall-street?

[Honky Tonk]

I feel like anytime something is doing well folks say its a bubble now. I'm not into ford so dont really care how they do. I do know if they paid me enough money I would look into it and figure it out. I did own a 78 t bird once my first car. Just not a fan of the design they have. One thing would be to make new cars not copies of old ones. Same problem the movie industry seems to be having. If all you can do is come up with a revised edition of an old car.... well.... Plus quality helps. While its not a ford the big 3 all seem similar. I own a vette and a suburban. Both flagship models for chevy. I got a little plastic door with a simple plastic knob in the back of the burban for a storage area. Nice plastic dash in the vette, cheap rims. Give me a solid plastic door or a metal one and something with a nice latching system. You can just pull the door open with minimal effort. Quality leather dash and get rid of all the cheap plastic and just over all low quality stuff. OK you got me started. I'm done. The answer is build a better product. If I put out something shitty I dont expect to do well overall.

Look for a Chrysler Cordoba. They had fine Corinthian leather.

[Gistok]

At the dawn of the new Millennium... Ford posted this commercial about its' products in an epic commercial seen at the same moment in every country around the world that sold Ford. Sadly, it's no longer the same company...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNOEYuh8wP8&t=22s

[Richard]

They are starting the driverless vehicle testing in a few markets with Miami being one of them.

I gotta admit they jumped in deep there,if it works, it will say a lot.

The passengers stay in the back seat.

[softailrider]

Look for a Chrysler Cordoba. They had fine Corinthian leather.

I actually had one, I think it had a 400 or a 440 motor. It leaked oil from the moment I drove it off the lot and that problem was never able to be corrected. Other than that it really wasn’t that bad of a car.

[Smirnoff]

Freep today: Barclays Global Automotive Conference in New York

Jon Gabrielsen, an independent market economist who advises manufacturers and suppliers, listened to the speech and said, "Rarely have I heard so many tired old buzz words that told us so little.”

“Investors came into the conference desperate for details of Ford’s restructuring plans and all they got was a best practices fundamentals lecture," Gabrielsen said. "I hope they also got a T-shirt.”

[313WX]

Freep today: Barclays Global Automotive Conference in New York

Jon Gabrielsen, an independent market economist who advises manufacturers and suppliers, listened to the speech and said, "Rarely have I heard so many tired old buzz words that told us so little.”

“Investors came into the conference desperate for details of Ford’s restructuring plans and all they got was a best practices fundamentals lecture," Gabrielsen said. "I hope they also got a T-shirt.”

Definitely not good.

[Lowell]

I read about those assessments of the Barclays conference too. The Ford spokesperson Joe Hinrichs, Ford executive vice president and president of global operations, had to unenviable task of answering questions about Corktown plans that are still in their inception and radical in a nature that is difficult for the average investor to understand.

Since much of it is also secret at the competition level he had issue evasive answers and reveal little. Such as:

He said the train station acquisition, announced in June, is about “looking to the future” and where the next generation of workers want to work.

“It's not only a good use of capital but it's the right thing to do,” Hinrichs said. “We're already seeing a lot of people wanting to be in the Corktown area. For a lot of reasons, it makes sense for the future of Ford - attracting and keeping talent.”
https://freep-mi.newsmemory.com/publ...reid=0c7d9cb48

[GPCharles]

Remember, stock analysts aren't omnipotent.

I remember in the mid to late 1980s when the stock analysts told Kmart CEO Ben Fauber that there was no growth left in the discount store business and that Kmart should expand into subsidiaries. Kmart got into everything [[Builder's Square, Designer Depot, Pace, Borders, Waldenbooks, etc.) and none of them are in existence today, dragging the entire company down. However, Walmart and Target did pretty well staying the course with discount stores.

[Bham1982]

I'm sick of my Ford stock trading at garbage levels, and don't believe in this "turnaround" at all. There are no specifics, it's all gobbledygook. The MCS plan makes no sense on any level if you take off your Detroit booster hat, and the supposed "mobility company" has nothing to show for it, yet.

They need a car guy/gal running Ford. Enough with the theatrics and "we're a tech/mobility firm" baloney.

[Smirnoff]

It appears some are not buying into the excessive single option portfolio and/or strategy;

"the current Explorer SUV has 139 side mirror options, those will be reduced to about 25 mirror options in the future without impacting overall quality"......

[Jimaz]

"the current Explorer SUV has 139 side mirror options, those will be reduced to about 25 mirror options in the future without impacting overall quality"......

I keep reading that side mirrors will be replaced by cameras. That one seems inevitable. Do camera mirrors reverse left & right like a glass mirror? I haven't tried them yet.

Here's an article on those weird Japanese fender mirrors: Fender mirrors.

[Worldsgreatest]

MCS makes perfect sense, young ambitious educated people aren't exactly excited to work in an office park in Dearborn.

Only reason people criticize it is that it's attached to Detroit [[oh no!), meanwhile the same thing is happening in every other city.

[Worldsgreatest]

Walmart and JPMorgan have stock prices in the single digits and are laying off as many as 70,000 people?

News to me!

You... you realize Ford's stock price was less than seventy cents in the 80's right? Maybe the company is just a ghost now since they should have dissolved decades ago.

Ford is firing their entire company workforce? This is news to me! Surely they should have announced their company shut down no?