BEA 4th Quarter GDP 1st Estimate 0.7% Q&A: Why Did GDPNow Rise...

BEA 4th Quarter GDP 1st Estimate 0.7% Q&A: Why Did GDPNow Rise After Durable Goods? When are Construction Revisions Coming? DEARBORN-- Two months after it pulled the plug on the massive Ford Excursion, Ford Motor Co. is trying to find a delicate way of introducing a new super-size SUV without undermining the greener image that Chairman and CEO Bill Ford Jr. is trying to project. Essentially a stretched version of the Ford Expedition, the new SUV goes into production at Ford's Michigan Truck plant in Wayne next summer, according to analysts who track future car and truck products. A longer version of the Lincoln Navigator will also debut next year. Ford's new super-size SUV has been referred to internally as the 'Ford Everest,' a name Ford uses in some markets outside the United States. But that moniker vanished into thin air once Ford's marketing division recognized it would only draw attention to the SUV's size. Ford's new entry will be over 19 feet long, about 15 inches longer than the Expedition, and will boast significantly more cargo room behind its third row of seats, analysts say. Even so, Ford's new SUV poses a significant marketing challenge in an era where SUVs have become symbols of gas-guzzling excess. Earlier this year, Bill Ford redoubled the automaker's commitment to environmental leadership, launching a plan to build 250,000 hybrid vehicles a year by 2010 while simultaneously developing a host of other alternative powertrain options. 'It's a pretty big vehicle that kind of runs counter to their hybrid approach,' said Erich Merkle, a brand analyst with IRN Inc. in Grand Rapids. 'This gives them something to counter the Suburban,' Hall said, adding that environmental responsibility is not the only message Ford needs to convey today. 'They have another message they have to communicate: 'We're in business to stay in business.'?' For a company slashing 30,000 workers and closing 10 plants, is this the best they can come up with? Then again because this is the best they can come up with is precisely one of the reasons they are slashing 30,000 workers and closing 10 plants in the first place. If you are going to play the countering game, why can't you at least come up with a design that someone else has to counter for a change? 'It's hard to wean yourself off of them. There's just too much money on the table,' Langley said. 'They're the crack of the American auto industry.' I guess we will see about that next year in the consumer lead recession when SUV will come to mean 'Simply Unsellable Vehicle'. The funny thing is -- it isn't really funny it's sad -- I feel bad about the decline of our auto industry but the last three cars I've bought were not made by them. They weren't made by any American car company. I hate to say it but we no longer make the best cars and Americans are turning away from them. The Japanese Toyota has been the best-selling car in the United States for several years now. Consumer Reports tested a lot of cars and gave their highest reliability rating to 31 of them. Of those 31 most reliable cars, just two were American. The other 29 were Japanese. Of the cars that were least reliable, 22 were American made. I have an idea for getting American auto makers out of trouble so they don't have to close plants and fire workers: spend less time thinking up clever names and more time making better cars. The content on this site is provided as general information only and should not be taken as investment advice. All site content, including advertisements, shall not be construed as a recommendation to buy or sell any security or financial instrument, or to participate in any particular trading or investment strategy. The ideas expressed on this site are solely the opinions of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the opinions of sponsors or firms affiliated with the author(s). The author may or may not have a position in any company or advertiser referenced above. Any action that you take as a result of information, analysis, or advertisement on this site is ultimately your responsibility. Consult your investment adviser before making any investment decisions.