For all who love and hate Ford Motor Company (F150, auto, hybrid)

[iColt1]

in the 1800-early 1900's Ford dominated the automotive industry GM and Chrysler tried to compete with Ford (they didn't stand a chance)
It all started with Henry Ford and his Model T.
in Today's Society Ford Motor Company is the only American auto company that is finiacially stable. Chrysler already filed for bankrupty and GM soon follow.

[johnfrisco]

Well I was surprised to hear that Ford sold more vehicles than Toyota in the US for the month of April

[AlfredB1979]

Dominate, per se?

I doubt that as there are so many more options now, thanks to the information age (researching vehicles on the intraweb) and the fact that you can ship...a bunch of cars across the world on a freighter ship.

I will give Ford credit (I am harsh even though I love my 2003 F150 XL Sport SuperCab), having a fresh view of things with a former Boeing CEO (Alan Mullaly) can't hurt.

[drjones96]

The pre-WWII/Post-Model T Ford cars/trucks were really great (and make excellent streetrods I might add...but they have to have a late model chevy powerplant ). I'd have to say there aren't too many made since then that I'm terribly fond of. The Fastback Mustangs of the later half of the '60's comes to mind...but not anything else really.

However due to their financial position they stand a much better chance of emmerging from this current situation of being the most technically capable manufacturer in the US. GM and Chrysler are in backpedal mode....Ford is standing firm and marching down the same path they were on. I'm in 'wait & see' mode.

[rosecitywanderer]

Ford has always been my #1 American car company. My friend has a Focus and he drives the living daylights out of it. The thing is bulletproof.

I really like the way the new Fusion looks and I'm stoked about the return of the Taurus SHO. Ford's future looks very bright indeed. Not that much can be said about GM whose stocks hit a low today that they have not seen since the Great Depression.

[rjl78]

Ford makes some really good products. Think of the F series pickup. I have a 98 F150 that I have been running the snot of it. The engine is powerful, gets pretty good mileage and the body is solid without squeaks and rattles. Not bad for an 11 year old pickup.

I had a chevrolet pickup for 5 years and was happy to get rid of it. The GMs I have owned I was not really impressed with. The half dozen Ford Pickups and Mercury Sable I have owned all held up well and were more reliable than the GMs and Dodges I have owned.

[mustang84]

Originally Posted by iColt1

in the 1800-early 1900's Ford dominated the automotive industry GM and Chrysler tried to compete with Ford (they didn't stand a chance)
It all started with Henry Ford and his Model T.
in Today's Society Ford Motor Company is the only American auto company that is finiacially stable. Chrysler already filed for bankrupty and GM soon follow.

Just FYI, but Ford Motor Company wasn't formed until 1903 and wasn't a big seller right off the bat (Oldsmobile, Buick, Stanley Steamer, Detroit Electric, etc had most of the market). Ford dominated from about 1908-1925, when GM started surpassing them because Ford was slow to update the Model T and offer it in colors other than black.

Personally, I think Ford will move into the #1 American automaker position relatively soon and it looks like a good possibility that they will also become the number one automaker in the world considering they outsold Toyota last month. Ford should see massive gains when the new Taurus, Fiesta, and Focus launch over the next year. The new Mustang and Fusion are out receiving praise from the press, and the Fusion Hybrid is blowing past the Camry Hybrid in fuel efficiency. With Ford tying Toyota and Honda for quality and Ford being the leader in safety, it's only a matter of time before outdated public perception of them turns around.

[AlfredB1979]

Originally Posted by mustang84

With Ford tying Toyota and Honda for quality and Ford being the leader in safety, it's only a matter of time before outdated public perception of them turns around.

I hope Ford doesn't stay satisfied with the press clippings.

Otherwise, we'll be heading right back to the 70s really soon thanks to Honda and Toyota sfalling back to earth over the last several years.

[mustang84]

Originally Posted by AlfredB1979

I hope Ford doesn't stay satisfied with the press clippings.

Otherwise, we'll be heading right back to the 70s really soon thanks to Honda and Toyota sfalling back to earth over the last several years.

Really, I don't think Honda has declined that much in quality. They have stayed fairly consistent (with the exception of a few more recalls the last few years than they usually have), but Ford has managed to boost its quality significantly thanks to closer inspection and delaying launches until quality issues are resolved.

Toyota, on the other hand, grew far too fast and spread its engineering resources too thin, which is why you are having Tundras with tailgates that warp under only 300 lbs, Scion tC's with sunroofs that shatter at certain speeds, and Prius's with dangerous self-acceleration issues that Toyota refuses to acknowledge. Frankly, Toyota has been very cocky the last few years concerning their quality and growth. Their massive decline in sales and $7.7 billion loss in profit this year should be a wake up call for them.

[iColt1]

Originally Posted by mustang84

Just FYI, but Ford Motor Company wasn't formed until 1903 and wasn't a big seller right off the bat (Oldsmobile, Buick, Stanley Steamer, Detroit Electric, etc had most of the market). Ford dominated from about 1908-1925, when GM started surpassing them because Ford was slow to update the Model T and offer it in colors other than black.

Personally, I think Ford will move into the #1 American automaker position relatively soon and it looks like a good possibility that they will also become the number one automaker in the world considering they outsold Toyota last month. Ford should see massive gains when the new Taurus, Fiesta, and Focus launch over the next year. The new Mustang and Fusion are out receiving praise from the press, and the Fusion Hybrid is blowing past the Camry Hybrid in fuel efficiency. With Ford tying Toyota and Honda for quality and Ford being the leader in safety, it's only a matter of time before outdated public perception of them turns around.

um FYI i was off it was formed in June of 1906