Malibu... ITS ON! 2010 Ford Taurus SPIED

[Night Wolf]

Originally Posted by MauiV

Z Plan is the same as A plan. A is for current employees and Z for retirees. X is A/Z +4%.

Plan pricing isnt really percentage set (cept on Rovers which was 11%). The more expensive the vehicle, the more profit that is built in, the more you get off. I got over $6k off my LS and over $5k off my F150 Supercrew Lariet. The more optioned out the vehicle is the more you get off because of the mark up. Not much mark up in a Focus, thus not much off.

Thats really cool to know, thanks So I'd basically be paying 4% over employee pricing, I guess not too bad.

Yeah, I was looking at a mid-level Focus, it was around $20k and with the X plan it took it down to $18k.... I don't mean looking at one to buy, just when I found out about that, I thought it was cool.

I wonder if its on pre-owned cars as well? I dunno how it works for me too if its something I need to do thru Ford or any dealer etc... really never looked into it.

Hey NightWolf... ever think Lincoln could go back to its roots and call its large car the Continental again? Maybe even offer it with suicide doors? 4-door convertible, anyone? Those old boats kicked ass. If Ford kills the Panther platform around the time GM brings out a RWD full-size, GM might win back the fleet sales. They should call the low-end models Caprice Classics. Every cop and cabby in the world would want one, they were the best cars you could get for that job. Think about it... Caprices for Police departments, Taxis, rental firms, etc. (with of course the ability to order one for yourself if you wanted it) and Impalas for the masses! Cripes I hope GM gives us a decent RWD car again... I'm so sick of Wrong-wheel drive...

I dunno, I don't like all this alphabet soup now.... Lincoln should bring back the Continental and Mark names, and keep Town Car as well. Heck same with Cadillac, DeVille, Seville and Eldorado were all known and respected names.... ah well, we've been over this so much.

Rumor is though, Town Car name will die off with the Panther chassis. Dated? Yes. But it's still hard to beat a Panther for what it is, and what it offers.

I think the new Charger is going to be the new wide-spread police car, I see it already... but.... I think departments will start phasing out the Vic's and getting Chargers instead when it is time to reorder.

[AMGoff]

I was gonna say... as soon as I saw that picture I immediately thought it was the current Mondeo.

I wonder if Ford finally realizes that they need to bring their European models over here ASAP. They've been saying for the longest time that they're too expensive to import. Well... HELLO? Why the hell can't you just build the same damn thing over here? The biggest problem Ford has been facing in NA is themselves... a little bit of common sense goes a long way.

If they build this car over here and build it right, I honestly believe this will trigger a renaissance for Ford... much like GM is going through now... all it takes is a few good models - Just look at the CTS, Malibu, Enclave, Aura, etc...

[C&C]

Screw that Tauras, I want to see the new Malibu; GM, tried and true, since birth. Please make it be good/great.

[gary88]

Am I the only one who thinks this design is just kind of, "meh"? It doesn't really stand out to me that much.

Though I do agree Ford NEEDS to bring their sweet European cars over here.

[I~LUV~Caddys8792]

Ford rocks in Europe and Australia. It's funny how they ignored their home market for so long..

[AlBundy]

Since they dumped Jaguar, Lincoln should get some more attention. A Mark IX would be cool.

[caddycruiser]

Originally Posted by gary88

Am I the only one who thinks this design is just kind of, "meh"? It doesn't really stand out to me that much.

Though I do agree Ford NEEDS to bring their sweet European cars over here.

Nope, I do too. Like I said, it's nothing standout, just a well proportioned and apparently nicely detailed design--but something that "should have been" for a mainstream car. Doesn't, at least in one pic, blow much of anything out of the water, but has that clean attractiveness without being bold that tends to be universally accepted.

As for the Euro cars...Ford has talked about this at great length before, and a lot is just the financials of it--at least if you were to just certify and boat them over (al-la Pontiac GTO/G8, etc.). What they're trying to do, or at least are still working on, is making development global so there isn't necessarily 2 hugely different designs, one in America and one elsewhere--but rather the same basic thing, developed as a team effort. Still has yet to be done, but we'll see.

[MauiV]

Originally Posted by I~LUV~Caddys8792

Ford rocks in Europe and Australia. It's funny how they ignored their home market for so long..

I have heard this since the Cosworth was tearing up the British Isles. Problem is no one is gonna pay $30,000 for an Escort in the States.

The Firestone debacle has DESTROYED Ford over the past decade.

Another problem IMO is engine design and exterior design. I have liked their interior MUCH better than the GM Rubbermaid and the ugly Chrysler models. They ditch the LS for a the MKZ? HORRIBLE.

When the Ford Edge has a MUCH better design than the higher priced sibling MKX there is a problem.

With the Interceptor it looks like Ford may be serious about coming back to the table with the big boys but I doubt it ever sees production.

[AMGoff]

Originally Posted by MauiV

I have heard this since the Cosworth was tearing up the British Isles. Problem is no one is gonna pay $30,000 for an Escort in the States.

The Firestone debacle has DESTROYED Ford over the past decade.

Another problem IMO is engine design and exterior design. I have liked their interior MUCH better than the GM Rubbermaid and the ugly Chrysler models. They ditch the LS for a the MKZ? HORRIBLE.

When the Ford Edge has a MUCH better design than the higher priced sibling MKX there is a problem.

With the Interceptor it looks like Ford may be serious about coming back to the table with the big boys but I doubt it ever sees production.

Wait... ok... no.. wait... yeah, I'm still having trouble following all that. I suppose one at a time then...

Why would someone be paying $30K for an Escort in the states? The big excuse was always that it would be too expensive to import the Euro models... well, why the 'eff do they need to import them? Just retool things and build them here... and then export those to Europe and make some damn money for a change.

Bottom line is that I think Ford is finally waking up a little bit and realizes that drastic (possibly expensive) changes or very much needed... because none of it will matter one bit if there's no company at all.

[I~LUV~Caddys8792]

I'm still confused as to why Ford initially spent so much time, money and effort on the foreign markets while practically starving their home market of anything even resembling fun.