The Ford of the future

We here at Up To Speed don’t carry grudges (well, OK, maybe we're still a leeetle bit cheesed about that 1978 AMC Concord), so please, don’t accuse us of picking on Ford.

But we couldn’t help noticing a curious juxtaposition of news releases that landed in the UTS inbox almost simultaneously this morning.

One was from Chrysler — yes, that Chrysler — announcing what appear to be legitimate plans to be the first major automaker to deliver an electric vehicle to dealer showrooms. The second was from Ford, touting a conga line of Model Ts through the streets of Detroit this Saturday, “celebrating the centennial anniversary of the ‘car that put the world on wheels.’ ”

Coming on the heels of the Chrysler news, as well as the unveiling last week of GM’s hotly anticipated Volt plug-in electric car, the bulletin from Ford seemed a bit, well, dated.

Not that we have anything against history. The Model T was a revolutionary car, and Ford is right to mark its centennial. But these days, it’s all about the mpg — or, more precisely, mpg claims — and on that front at least, Ford seems to be losing the PR battle.

J.D. Power released a study today that looks at what bloggers are saying about the various automakers and their “green” strategies. To put it bluntly, Ford gets talked about a lot in the blog-o-verse (a good thing) but receives a lower percentage of positive commentary than most of its rivals (a bad thing).

The irony is that Ford actually has some positive developments to tout in the fuel economy sweepstakes. Early next year, hybrid versions of the Fusion and its Mercury-badged twin, the Milan, will appear in showrooms. Ford says the midsized sedans, which will make their in-the-metal debut at the L.A. Auto Show in November, will get better mileage than the Toyota Camry hybrid. If achieved, that will certainly look good in the magazine ads.

Ford is also introducing its turbocharged V-6 EcoBoost engines next year, which the company says improve fuel economy by 20% and lower CO2 emissions by 15%.

“GM has gotten a ton of publicity about the Volt,” Ford spokesman Mark Schirmer conceded. “But that’s years away and a low-volume car. We’re pursing solutions today that consumers can really reach into.”

Even though the Volt isn’t due out until late 2010 at the earliest, GM has been promoting the car like it was trying to get the last of the '08s off the lots to make room for next year’s models.

If nothing else, that strategy is paying off among bloggers. Indeed, J.D. Power recorded a higher instance of positive commentary for GM than for Toyota, despite the Japanese automaker’s “I Got My MPG” ad campaign boast.

According to the J.D. Power study, “All of the effort that GM has made to market its hybrid vehicles and future powertrains — such as the electric technology that will be featured in the Volt — appears to be resonating with consumers.”

Ford, in short, literally lacks a buzz machine: a car that runs on natural gas or electricity or stale Oreos or whatever and generates the sort of “Welcome to the future!” headlines that every automaker craves today.

By the way, the Model T, Ford says, got between 13 and 21 mpg.

-- Martin Zimmerman

Photo: 1917 Model T

Credit: Ford Motor Co.

Comments

[Scott Monty]

Thank you for taking the time to note what seems to be less attention to our current successes in innovation. Sure, we're proud of the heritage of the Model T - it formed the basis for so many transformative changes in the auto industry as well as day-to-day life of Americans everywhere. It also embodied a very clear and important philosophy of innovating affordable technology for the masses. And that innovation at Ford continues to this day.

For example:
-- We're offering options in better fuel efficiency in cars that consumers can buy *right now* - take a look at mileage figures for the Focus which offers highway fuel economy of up to 35 mpg - better than the smaller 2008 Honda Fit and 2009 Nissan Versa S, the Fusion, the Escape Hybrid and improved numbers for the Ford Escape and F 150 models. http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=28819

-- We will soon be introducing EcoBoost engine technology which allows us to downsize and boost..offering the performance of a larger displacement engine with the fuel economy of a smaller displacement engine. Think about the performance of a V-8 with the fuel economy of a V-6. And at a price consumers will be able to afford....meaning their payback will come sooner. EcoBoost will both result in higher fuel economy and fewer CO2 emissions. More about it at http://ford.digitalsnippets.com/2008/01/05/ecoboost-technologies/

-- Ford was the first U.S. automaker to offer a hybrid in our Ford Escape, which is now the leader among all four-cylinder compact SUVs http://ford.digitalsnippets.com/technology/#ford-escapemercury-mariner-fuel-economy-leaders

-- We fully recognize there is no single, silver bullet solution that will provide all the answers. That's why we continue to aggressively develop alternative fuel technologies, including plug in hybrids. We already have a few Ford Escape plug in hybrids being tested on the roads in southern California as part of our partnership with Southern California Edison.

-- We're using sustainable products in our manufacturing techniques, including using soybeans to make seat cushions and hemp fiber in the seat covers. This reduces the amount of plastics needed in a vehicle, which means not only is the manufacturing process more environmentally-friendly, but the materials biodegrade more quickly, reducing the vehicle's long-term carbon footprint significantly. You can see the video at http://www.fordvehicles.com/forddriveone/green/?TopicID=2

We recognize that developing the technology is only one piece of the puzzle - there are a great many other issues that still need to be sorted out including how customers would use them, how they interconnect with the grid, what would the infrastructure look like across the country and will they provide real value. New technology still needs to be affordable if it is to be widely available and if it is to make a real difference in finding solutions to energy security and climate change.

For a truly comprehensive look at our sustainability plan which includes a very clear technology path, spend some time with our sustainability report at www.ford.com/go/sustainability

We're actively working on our perception in the digital media; we recognize that the blogosphere is an important part of the marketing and communications mix - and that more individuals are getting their information online from people they identify with, whether they're bloggers, discussion forum participants, or product reviewers. Expect to see our growth in this area in the near future - we recognize the need to innovate here as well.

If you have any questions, please feel free to get in touch.

Scott Monty
Ford Motor Company
Global Digital Communications

[Scott Monty]

One correction: we are experimenting with hemp fibers; we do not currently use it in our vehicles.

[Rusty Vermonter]

All the techo improvements in automobiles will not have any impact if ordinary people can't afford them. The cars must be sold in the price range that people can buy them. Cars costing $35,000 will sit in showrooms.

GM and Chysler need to do better.

Toyota has the right idea- keep the price of a car withing reach of the consumer.

Then, of course, is the practicality of these all-electrics if you drive them on long trips, then need to wait 12 hrs for the recharge. Its impractical. Ordinary gas fill-ups take 10 minutes, not hours.