Ford Taurus Reborn In Five Hundred

The Ford Motor Co. plans to announce that its slow-selling Five Hundred sedan will be using the name Taurus. According to company sources who asked not be named, the announcement is not definitive yet.
Upon its introduction in 1985, the Ford Taurus redefined the American car. The sedan was a milestone not only for Ford design, but for the automotive industry in americas too. Ford sold about 7.5 million Taurus during his 20 years of production. The sedan was also the most sold car in the United States between 1992 and 1996. However, lost its bestseller standing when Toyota Camry entered the scene in 1997.
Throughout his life, the Ford Taurus has established a fanbase of their own. It may not have to grill various Volvo Taurus but what it takes to be loved by fans. However, his colourful existence in the industry was stabbed when Ford scrapping than last year. The sad end came after 21-year term that included a 5-year stretch as the best-selling car in America.
Some fans wonder if the revival of the name you rekindle the same old magic. Analysts say they resurrect the Taurus is a smart move by Ford for the remainder of his mark, but the name alone is unlikely to promote a revival of sales. " The starting point is the product ", said Michelle Krebs, an editor for Edmunds AutoObserver, an online automotive industry magazine.
The naming strategy Ford has been criticized in previous years. He has renamed the Windstar minivan Freest however renamed has not worked for the vehicle. With his trademark Lincoln, Ford entertained the use of alpha-numeric. In addition, the escort was also renamed the Focus. Now, the automaker intends to revive the name of Taurus in the Ford Five Hundred.
Alan Mulally, the CEO of Ford, said the company& 39;s scheme to make all their cars names begin with the letter F was a bad move, Ford made as new cars easily forgettable. Moreover, it intends to reactivate some known and respected Ford for the name of its new model line, the Taurus is one of them. When lifted his face Ford Five Hundred is launched in late 2007, was renamed the Taurus.
Many enthusiasts say that Mulally had a strong interest in the name of Taurus so it is no surprise that he is what the name back. " Five Hundred " clearly did not work, said Sean McAlinden, chief economist at the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor. " There is not much Mulally can do in a short time. This is something you can do. "
Officials who spoke on condition of anonymity also said the Taurus & 39; twin, the Mercury Montego, probably will be renamed Sable, after the old Taurus counterpart. Ford spokesman Jim Cain refused to confirm or deny the name change. " There is a tremendous amount of interest in the Taurus since Alan Mulally expressed interest in the brand, " Cain said.
It can recall that Mulally has publicly questioned the decision to halt production of Taurus in place the reactivation of its appeal with design changes. The Taurus came along when Ford was losing billions of dollars in the 1980& 39;s. Then CEO Philip Caldwell ordered Ford designers to get a model that would save the company. This is where the Taurus revolutionized entered into existence.
According some analysts brand name has great value. Some are also saying that the impact of that name in sales of vehicles depends on how people remember the brand. " Taurus for once the current trend-setting design ", Krebs added. " But that name is flawed. It really depends on you having a good memory of the first Taurus or do you remember the latest versions? "
Some dealers have rejoiced when they heard the possible return of Taurus. " The Taurus is a great brand, " Pete DeLongchamps, vice president of manufacturer relations for Houston-based chain distributors Group 1 Automotive Inc., said last Tuesday. " It had a great history. We were surprised at the decision to stop doing them ".



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Checking Your Car s Tire Pressure

His vehicle tires should have just the right amount of pressure. This may not seem to be a great thing, however, remember that your tires are of great importance when it comes to his car to car performance.
According experts, his car tires should have the right amount of pressure because these serve as middle ground between you, your car, and the road. If you have underinflated or overinflated tires, which would be experiencing too many rattles and shakes while driving his way through various types of roads. In addition, the tires are not inflated properly give you a ride over bumpy. They also tend to wear off quickly compared with the tyres inflated that just about right.
Another fact is that when tires are underinflated or overinflated, that really make use of his car until much gas. Compared to have a car with tires inflated just right, your car uses only the quantity of gas. Even saves a lot in their hard-earned dollar for which you would not have to spend more on the very high price fuel.
To check their tyres & 39; pressure, make sure you do when your tires have already cooled . Note that the tyres inflated to get hotter when the air inside expands. So, you must first remove the cap from the valve at the rim that is checking. To press and a tire width hard on the valve and take a look at the reading given. You know if you& 39;ve installed correctly indicator if you hear the sound of escaping air.
Then, notes that if the tire needs more pressure to fill it. On the other hand, if your car has had only too much pressure, and then release the air. You know that the right and recommended air pressure of the tires of his car owner manual.
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GM, Ford s Negative PR Take A Hit

Negative PR affects the perceptions of consumers and this fact is supported by several studies. This fact also made General Motors Corporation s and the Ford Motor Company s reputation among the worst in corporate America.
Two of the world s most admired American companies are now enduring the worst aftermath of negative PR. Both automakers have plummeted sales in 2006. The decline is attributed to the negative publicity about plant closures, job cuts and financial problems.
How bad was the fall? Among the 60 best known American companies in the 8th annual Wall Street Journal/Harris Interactive Poll, GM ranked 57th, down from 38th spot that it used to occupy back in 2005. Ford, on the other hand, dropped to 55th spot from the previous 37th. GM and Ford dropped the most number of rungs of any companies included in the poll.
"It s all about negative PR. It comes down to job losses, layoffs, plant closings, declining market share," said Scott Upham, a senior vice president at Harris Interactive who previously worked in purchasing for Ford. "They certainly have a lot of work to do to improve their overall brand image."
Reputation issues are a major concern as automakers enforce their restructuring plans and improve their current lineups. GM s 2007 lineup is now greener. The automaker includes a new hybrid system, a fuel-saving V-6 and 14 models or about 400,000 total vehicles that can run on E85 ethanol. The Chevrolet Express and the GMC Savana vans are the newest ethanol-capable vehicles. So far, the automaker has about 2 million ethanol-capable vehicles on the road.
In an interview, GM Chairman and CEO, Rick Wagoner, said he thinks GM s strategy of having several hybrid options is a good one and will make up for the fact that GM has trailed Toyota and other rivals in bringing hybrids to market. GM has been steadily losing U.S. market share to Asian rivals. GM expanded its vehicles with six-speed automatic transmissions. The technology is being added to the Saturn Aura sedan, the Saturn Outlook sport utility vehicle, the Pontiac G6 and the Cadillac STS and SRX.
Ford also expanded its range of safety, handling and entertainment features for its 2007 lineup. Ford, Lincoln and Mercury presented a wide array of new and updated models to offer a boost in customer demand for distinctive design, fuel-efficiency and safety. This expansion also called for tuning the vehicles for maximum performance. Some of the models use Active Brakes Direct to produce a high-performance street machine.
"Too often in the past, our philosophy was to move the metal -- to build the vehicles that we had the capacity to build and then price them -- often discounting them -- to get the customer to bite," said Mark Fields, Ford Motor Company Executive Vice President and President of the Americas. "We didn t look far enough beyond the horizon, tracking the trends, knowing our customers, and seeing the day when they might want something else. I m proud to tell you, that s the Ford of the past -- not the Ford of today."
Last month, GM introduced a concept plug-in electric hybrid called Volt. Ford also unveiled a plug-in fuel cell vehicle, the Hy-series hybrid Edge. The introductions are made to reclaim prominence in the field.
The reputation issues are a major concern as the companies restructure their operations and improve vehicle quality and design. Both companies have talked recently about trying to close a "perception gap" that keeps some consumers from considering Detroit-made vehicles.
GM and Ford have lost more than $25 billion since 2006, while cutting more than 55,000 hourly jobs and thousands of salaried jobs. GM intends to close 9 plants by 2008, while Ford is in the process of shuttering 14 factories by 2012.
GM s accounting is the subject of an SEC probe. In addition, GM spokesman Tom Wilkinson acknowledged that the automaker has received "a lot of mixed publicity." And that "it takes time to close the gap between perception and reality."



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American Classic Cars I Have Owned

Some of the Detroit Iron manufactured after WWII until about 1980 can be considered Rolling Art. Several Companies like Packard, Hudson and Studebaker ceased building cars for one reason or another during the early part of this span, but they and the traditional big 3, Ford, GM and Chrysler did turn out some masterpieces.
As a kid just old enough to think about getting a drivers license, I would sit in my tree house and fantasize about the latest crop of finned behemoths pictured in the car magazines of the time. After careful consideration I would rank them according to style and features that I could really relate to and desired to possess. Always decisions. Should I have twin rear antennas and dual spotlights or would one of each do. Wire wheels were really neat as were the two and three tone paint jobs. I ended up choosing the most streamlined and elegant looking as my favorites always deferring to clean rather than clutter. I wasn t one for fuzzy dice hanging from the rear view mirror, instead preferring power windows and air conditioning. Of course I always opted for the biggest V8 option and always dual exhaust both for easy engine breathing and the sound.
The late 1940 s and early 50s saw the transition from stodgy, subdued and functional to a more sleek and powerful motif which, year after year during the 1950 s, became a size, power and chrome enhancement race.
While some models went overboard with various excesses making their designs overburdened or clumsy, others managed to integrate fins, masses of chrome and color schemes that were a delight. All the manufacturers had their winners and losers but American cars of the period were all individually identifiable and definitely distinct and could roll down a super highway without a care.
The straight 6 and 8 motors of earlier periods soon gave way in the more deluxe models to V8 s, which couldn t pull stumps like the old high torque low rpm straight eights, but could more lithely move a couple of tons of iron, glass and plastic down the road. By the mid 1950 s all American cars had settled on 12 volt electrical systems, 14 or 15 inch wheels, wrap around windshields, and with the V8 motor now the entrenched favorite.
It was a time in American history when each new car year was greeted with excitement and anticipation as each model sought to capture the limelight with its own distinct identity. Priorities were simple if not naive. Dazzle the customer with great expanses of sheet metal and chrome, brilliant colors and lots of buttons to push. Although mundane items like seat belts were introduced as selling features from time to time, the consumer wanted none of that as it didn t add any value as a status symbol.
Slowly technological improvements did advance along with convenience and power options. Radial tires were a big plus adding smoothness, safety and longevity replacing thumping, rapid tread wear and numerous flats. Disc brakes were a definite safety advantage replacing the inferior drum and shoe method that could fade in emergency situations. Automatic transmissions became the option of choice and then ultimately became standard equipment. And of course, radios evolved.
In the mid fifties, signal seek or wonderbar AM radios were introduced, followed soon thereafter by the transistor models which allowed for instant on instead of waiting for the tubes to warm up. In the sixties, FM radio appeared, and at first offered ad and DJ free programming. That of course didn t last long once the bandwidth became entrenched. By the seventies there were 8 track tape players which in fairly short order gave way to cassettes.
1959 marked the pinnacle of the auto as jet sporting gigantic rear fins, the ultimate appearing on the 1959 Cadillac with the 1959-60 Chrysler and DeSoto not far behind. In another year the DeSoto would disappear from showrooms and go the way of the Packard, Hudson and Nash. A sobriety of sorts gripped automakers after the fin and chrome extravaganza passed. Some really classy designs were introduced in the early sixties like the 1960 Pontiac, 1961 Buick, 1962 Cadillac and classic 1964 Ford.
Chrysler Corporation would, from time to time, introduce industry leading stratagems. Their Hemi (hemispherical head) Motor during the fifties was pure muscle and reliability as was their Torqueflight transmission. They introduced the Forward Look in the later fifties which lead styling trends for awhile. Then again in 1965 they offered some really sturdy and classy cars that towards the end of that decade lead to the innovative fuselage cars. These were large sleek machines with an air frame sculptured look that I found quite attractive. Unfortunately Chrysler quality control started slipping badly during this period and didn t recover for many years.
By the late seventies things started going downhill in Detroit. Automakers, paying little attention to quality control and mechanical efficiencies found themselves mandated by legislation to clean up their act, literally. As a result, all manner of schemes were employed to reduce engine emissions, most, in the early days, a maze of vacuum lines and fuel injection designs that were cumbersome and mostly ill conceived, leading to a myriad of problems and customer dissatisfaction.
It wasn t long thereafter that the Japanese stepped in to fill the void and things have never returned to the days of American auto manufacturing preeminence.
Granted American cars eventually improved dramatically but market share by then was fragmented. I personally lost interest in Detroit around the mid eighties although some really nice cars have been produced since. Now, I am afraid, because of the fickle nature of Americans, demanding SUV s and consuming a hugely disproportional amount of the worlds resources, the twin failings of overindulgence and lack of foresight in the face of world realignment, has pushed MoTown automakers to the brink of insolvency.
The 1950s through the seventies saw the apex and beginning of decline of the American auto as a distinct form of rolling art. A combination of art deco and modern gave way to downsizing and competition from abroad. Complacent management also failed to embrace, in a timely fashion, new concepts of quality control, preferring to market their vehicles through planned obsolescence.
No doubt, some of the greatest American masterpieces in rolling art were created during the 1920s and 30s, however, the height of Auto Americana, where form and function took on whole new dimensions of vim and verve, the 1950s, seems to have marked the peak of empire as well as its most distinctive product.



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