truth about domestics

And people say the domestics don’t build cars people want to buy!  Kelly Blue Book, a third-party car value rating company, has compiled a list of the Top 10 Family haulers of 2010.  The list includes some big names, but the shock to me is that the domestics had a whopping 6 cars make the list!  The list is as follows:

• Chevrolet Suburban
• Chevrolet Traverse
• Chevrolet Equinox
• Ford Flex
• Ford Taurus
• Ford Fusion hybrid
• Honda Odyssey
• Honda Accord Crosstour
• Subaru Outback
• Hyundai Elantra Touring

The domestics had home runs in this list with vehicles ranging from a 9 passenger SUV to crossovers to hybrids to sedans.  Looks like the domestics can do it all.  For more details on these great vehicles, head on over to KBB.com.

According to an article in The Detroit News, some Lincoln dealers are a bit upset about how long the Lincoln transformation is taking.  They are also upset about the fact that an MKS costs $10,000 more than its sibling D-car, the Ford Taurus.  Many dealers complain that the cross shopping isn’t happening between Lincoln and Audi/Mercedes/BMW/Lexus, but instead people are cross shopping Lincoln with Ford.  I for one am glad that vehicles like the MKS/Taurus and MKT/Flex have different top hats completely, but I think the other vehicles in Lincoln’s lineup need to follow suit.  The 2011 Ford Edge and MKX didn’t go far enough in my book to separate the two models from each other.  Customers want to feel like they got a car that is more special than a fancy Ford since they paid a good deal more for it.  For the full story, head on over to The Detroit News.

(Image source: Lincoln)

The Chicago Assembly plant current builds the new Ford Taurus and Lincoln MKS sedans, and employs around 1,400 people.  Ford’s Chicago Heights stamping plant current employs around 750 people.  Why am I telling you all of this?  Simply to point out the impact of Ford’s announcement that they will be adding 1,200 more jobs to the area to build the all-new next generation Explorer.  The new Explorer is expected to be based off a unibody car platfrom and should be on sale late this year.  The styling should be based off the Explorer America concept you see above.

In addition to the new jobs, Ford is investing hundreds of millions of dollars in the area to make improvements to its plants to handle the new vehicle.  For more details, head on over to Chicago Business.

(Image source: Ford)

Ford has had mild success with the newest vehicle to wear the Taurus nameplate.  The new model offers much nicer features than even cars above its price range, but it also has a higher price tag to go along with it.  Now word has come out that dealers are low on the SEL and SHO models, meaning Ford has had to change its production mix.  A similar issue has popped up on the F-150 Double Cab.  This however means that cars are still selling at a fairly rapid clip.  For more details, head on over to Autoblog.

(Image source: Ford)

Ford Motor Company has a lot to be proud of this year.  The automaker was the only one of the Domestic three to avoid bankruptcy and they passed on the government bailout.  The 2010 Ford Fusion won Motor Trend’s car of the year, and now it appears they have something else to celebrate.  According to the results of the ALG January/February 2010 Residual Value Forecast, the average residual value of a Ford, Lincoln or Mercury vehicle is up an average of $1,310 versus the same period in 2009!  That’s the biggest jump amongst any automaker in the industry!

Ford has passed Toyota for best in initial quality, and the Fusion hybrid surpassed the Camry hybrid by 8 mpg in the city.  Now they have another award to add to their portfolio; the Fusion is worth $687 MORE than the Camry after 36 months!  The Flex also knocked the Toyota Highlander hard, being worth $1,800 more than the Toyota in three years!

The Ford Taurus and Super Duty trucks won the Kelly Blue Book Best Residual Value awards for their segments.  Ford also posted the highest customer consideration, even besting Toyota for the first time since the survey started in 2002.  For more details, head on over to Autoblog.

(Image source: Ford)

The 2010 Ford Taurus was named the International Car of the Year at the LA Auto Show and for good reason.  The car features a fresh new exterior, bold interior layout, as well as an exciting powertrain option in the 3.5L EcoBoost V6.  For more details, head on over to Autoblog.

(Image source: Ford)

There is simply no other way to describe it.  Ford is getting serious about its car business, as you can clearly see after the success of the Ford Fusion and Fusion hybrid, and the all new Taurus.  Now Ford is turning its attention to its smaller cars, namely the Fiesta and the Focus.  Well, according to marketing exec, Jim Farley, Ford could bring somewhere around 10 versions of the Focus to the United States.  The versions range from the base sedan to a coupe, three- and five-door hatches, wagons and small crossovers!  The new Focus is set to debut in Detroit this January so stay tuned for the latest.  For now, head on over to Car and Driver.

(Image source: Ford)

The 2010 Ford Taurus has won several awards already.  It was named Esquire magazine’s car of the year.  Now it has been named the Official Car of the Consumer Electronics Show.  I am not really surprised by this announcement.  I mean, Alan Mulally, Ford’s CEO, was named as the keynote speaker for this years CES.  Not to mention the Taurus is packed with tons of technology that you just can’t find in other cars, let alone at the price the Taurus is available at.  For more details, head on over to The Car Connection blog.

(Image source: Ford)

The 2010 Ford Taurus and its performance sibling, the SHO, have been getting rave reviews ever since the car was unveiled a few months back.  Now that it’s hitting the road, the good news continues to pour in.  MSN Autos recently had the chance to drive a SHO and their reaction was positive all around.  They liked the power, performance, fuel efficency and technology that the car had to offer for such a reasonable price compared to the luxury crowd that you would have to look to to find a comparable package.  For the full story, please follow the link to MSN.

(Image source: Ford)

 Edmunds Inside Line has decided to pit the 2010 Ford Taurus SHO against the 2009 Infinity G37 sedan.  To get right down to it, the Infinity won the test based on 0-60, quarter mile, skid pad and braking performance.  Right where most people really decide a 5 passenger sedan purchase…riiight.  The SHO features more power, AWD, which was not on the Infinity in this test, heated AND cooled front seats (plus heated rear seats,) 20 inch wheels to the 17′s on the G37, plus many other features not even available on the Infinity.  Then they go on to say about the lack of the $995 Performance Package available on the SHO,

“It would’ve been nice had Ford included all these performance features on its “premium performance sedan,” especially one headed for a track test.”

Yea it would have been nice if Ford had given them a SHO with the Performance Package for this test, but it wasn’t available yet.  So Inside Line decides to knock Ford for not having a new optional package ready in time for their test?  Maybe they should have waited a few more weeks for the package to become available and then run their test.

They state that the two cars have a wheelbase that’s within 1 inch of each other, and then complain about how heavy the Taurus is compared to the Infinity.  Maybe it has something to do with the Taurus being almost 7 inches wider, 16 inches longer, having nearly 4 inches more rear seat leg room, 2 inches more shoulder room front and rear, and the extra 6.6 cubic feet of cargo volume, accessible not with a pass-through like on the Infinity, but seat backs that fold down nearly flat.  Yea, those are numbers no one cares about when they buy a 5 passenger sedan.  Customers who buy these cars still care about a fun ride, but they also want something that’s practical.  If you want a sports car, get a Mustang/370Z.  Alright, enough of this garbage, my hair is turning white fast enough as it is…