Mmmm...Blue Kool-Aid

I just read something that really disturbed me. Jim Farley, who came from Toyota to head up Ford's marketing, has apparently been fully assimilated into Ford's groupthink atmosphere. He stated with utmost confidence that Ford will be able to sell 100,000 Flexes per year. Should that happen (without $10,000 on the hood of each one) I'll obligingly pick my tastiest hat to devour.

This weird-looking weiner dog of a vehicle will appeal to some, but will permanently settle into niche-land as soon as all the me-firsts are done grabbing it up to apply faux-wood contact paper to the sides. And since Farley told the press that this is Ford's production goal for the vehicle, it looks like Ford is either going to have to scramble to rearrange the production that fills that factory, or cut a deal with Chrysler to share the lots where they were holding all their unsold Commanders. 

Further along in the little snippet from Automotive News he mentions "the natural traffic historically generated by Ford's Explorer and Expedition SUVs." Ford basically killed off those two models with their recent do-nothing redesigns, meaning those trucks are going to draw in about as many interested buyers as a new Isuzu.

Probably the worst part of all this is that all this talk sounds so familiar. Whenever people at the agency would talk about why a Ford launch was going to go so well, they'd harp on old successes. The Explorer was gonna sell like hotcakes, because Ford was a powerhouse in the SUV market and people trust the Explorer name. The new F-150 will go gangbusters, cause no one can challenge Ford on trucks. Sorry, Ford, but you can't keep expecting the same customers to keep coming back to you. You've gotta keep up with the latest trends in the industry--especially when it comes to styling--and not trust that everyone's going to fall for an overgrown station wagon because it's got the same badge as the former king of SUVs. 

Jim, you're better that this. Don't just repeat what the brand managers and agency tell you. Come back to reality. We miss you.

Pot Luck

In case you don't live in the great state of Michigan, you can get a better idea of how ridiculous our pothole situation is with this Autoblog post. I'd lament the fact that I didn't know about the contest so I could enter my "favorite" potholes, but these put mine to shame. 

Diesels!!!

Check out this video in which writers at the Times Online pit a Toyota Prius against a diesel-powered BMW 520d. Now go buy a diesel.

Pimp My Credit!

I couldn't NOT post this:

The Bell Tolls for Mercury

While Autoblog fairly recently posted that Ford is not ready to give up on Mercury, it seems the rumors of the brand's survival have been greatly exaggerated. In the very same post, AB laments the lack of future product headed to the showrooms of Ford's ugly stepchild brand. The truth is that Ford is likely just paying Mercury lip service to keep the dealers happy--no one wants to see the bottom fall out suddenly for Mercury stores before Ford can execute an exit strategy--while quietly phasing out all semblance of a product plan. 

I have it on pretty good authority that this phase-out will be complete after the 2011 or 2012 model year. 

It might have made sense for Ford to take my advice regarding the brand, and bring over Euro products as Saturn is doing. But this didn't work for Merkur, so Ford can be forgiven for declining this course of action. The fact is that even VW is planing to create a unique lineup to serve the lower-cost US market, and that's a brand that has spent years building its German-engineered rep. 

Saturn is still a grand experiment, and clearly by the time we find out whether it works, Mercury will be dead and buried. For now, let's just have a moment of silence for what might have been.

Stupid People --> Traffic

Well, there it is, folks. The traffic jam shockwave theory finally put to the test. The real cause of traffic jams is stupid people, AKA bad drivers. This is readily apparent when driving in and around the LA area. But maybe now we can finally start weeding these people off the road.

The Gauntlet

My car has 18" wheels wrapped in low-profile tires. Consequently potholes are not my friend. Take a look at the road I have to traverse to get to 7 Mile from my apartment. This is Silver Spring Rd. in Northville, a city which should be ashamed of itself. The road has gotten progressively worse over the winter, to the point where it is nearly impassible for a car like mine without using the other side of the road. 

There are many factors cited for the state of Michigan's inability to attract and retain citizens, which has contributed to its economic stagnation. For auto enthusiasts, though, it has to be the awful state of the roads in this area that makes this such an unattractive place to live...ironic considering the industry which singlehandedly supports most of the state economy. Come on, Michigan, let's get our act together...especially you, Northville.