US domestic automakers, which have generally relied on the sale of large engines and large vehicles, are faced with slumping sales due to increased fuel prices and concerns of more gas price hikes in the near future. Many foreign auto companies, such as Toyota and Nissan, who have been focusing a great deal of their research and development in very small and very fuel efficient models have taken a fair portion of the US market, but Ford Motor Company plans to fight back hard in the 2010 model year.

Like the currently more successful Toyota, Ford has been offering smaller, more “Euro-friendly” models outside of the US market such as the Ford Ka, and Ford has vowed to offer those small vehicles in the US by 2010. Those models that we can expect to hit the US market are the Ford Fiesta, which was a subcompact in the US in the 80s and 90) and Ford Focus, which will receive a significant facelift before then. However, Ford plans to address the most common issue connected to these low cost subcompacts, and that is quality control. Many of the lower priced vehicles in the US market are often associated with low quality, so FMC plans to send a group of quality control experts to Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, to become “Six Sigma Black Belts”. These highly trained quality control gurus will then spend time working in the new assembly plants to help greatly reduce the number of problems with new vehicles.

Ford hopes to see the interest in these small vehicles flourish due to their similarities to the popular sub-compacts available in the US now, but with the added attention to details these vehicles should be considered a more viable alternative to the Japanese built counterparts, which have typically carried the claim of being more reliable. American cars have closed the perceived quality gap between them and foreign competition, and this new Six Sigma Black Belt program could help FMC move to the next level in the sub-compact market, as they have promised to be not only as reliable as the current opponents, but rather they intend to be considered among the most reliable cars in the market.

 

I think we would find US automakers to be very caple of producing high milage if the consumer Will accept it. Jeremy

 

Will emmissions regs allow 80MPG Vehicles? Jeremy

 

They intend to be considered among the most reliable cars in the market...

 

nice thinking from ford

 

If that first post made in 2008 by an administrator was worth the paper it was written on Ford wouldn't have the problems it has today.
They fall far short of backing up their products.
Just reading the posts on this forum reveals many, many problems that those people with good intentions at Ford are paving that road to you know where.
In my opinion, even if Ford didn't produce the highest MPG automobile, They would have a better reputation for reliability and service if they stood behind their products.
Maybe it's the dealers and maybe it's the FoMoCo.

 

They just need to ecoboost the fiesta. That will give the MPG a boost.

 

I think that they are making the quick throw together in order to sell hundreds of cars. I remember back in the day when quality was higher that anything. My 69 GT 500 is still running better than my brand new focus, and my Shelby only has 358,000 miles on it. compared to 1200 miles on my focus.

 

Ford is doing it right though, they are slapping a Turbo on everything and working with DuPont to mass produce carbon fiber components in order to try and shed 750lbs from each of their vehicles. Imagine how much faster and efficient even a Mustang GT would be if it lost 750lbs.

 

the new ford c-max is rated at 47 mpg city, 47 highway, and 47 all around, making it more fuel efficient than the prius. I think if u.s. car buyers are willing to accept that american made cars can be as good as foreign cars, ford will succeed.