Open Letter to Ford Executives

Dear Ford Executives that have been sucking on the backs of the American Consumer for decades:

The problem is not with lack of consumer confidence If that were true, then ALL auto sales would go down proportionately. The problem with your sales figures is that you build crummy cars. We don't want big fuel-guzzling, unsafe, unreliable mechanically , aesthetically pleasing only to an army veteran who loves tanks, and with the ergonomics in comfort seating of a plastic seat in RFK stadium. Did we mention your over inflated prices for any vehicle throughout your fleet . Your commercials are insulting to the intelligence of the American people.

Not only this, exalted Ford executives, your anti-family values have disgusted many potential customers - like us - and your flagrant promotion of the pro-gay, anti-family agenda is not a good business decision. And you dare to blame consumer confidence for your multitudinous woes? Maybe consumers have lost confidence in you!

How is it that the Japanese, who have to spend 60% of their income on basic needs like food and clothing build wonderful, fuel efficient, safe and comfortable vehicles that are, as a matter of fact, much more aesthetically pleasing than the over priced, over sized, uber-hyped rolling products that come off your assembly line. Why can Japanese auto companies produce their vehicles for a much fairer price than your vehicles? How can they make deals with their laborers, and how can they build factories here in your back yard and keep their laborers happy? Maybe you guys are just greedy.

Why can't American Auto Makers respond to the hybrid situation. Why do you keep putting your hybrid motors in your giant carbon footprint monstrosities? Why don't you listen to the American auto buyer, and make a car more like a Corolla or Camry? Because you can't and you won't. Your arrogance won't allow you to do it. Why didn't you plan for energy problems? Why do you keep churning out vehicles that contribute to "global warming?" Your Fusion, despite some improvement in reliability, is still one of the ugliest cars we've seen.

Here are some interesting stats for you to chew on:

Top 5 Most Fuel Efficient American Cars:

1. Ford Escape Hybrid - 36 mpg city / 31 mpg highway
2. Chevy Aveo - 26 mpg city / 35 mpg highway
3. Ford Focus - 26 mpg city / 34 mpg highway
4. Chevy Cobalt - 25 mpg city / 34 mpg highway
5. Ford Fusion - 24 mpg city / 32 mpg highway

Top 5 Most Fuel Efficient Japanese Cars:

1. Honda Insight - 60 mpg city / 66 mpg highway
2. Toyota Prius - 60 mpg city / 51 mpg highway
3. Honda Civic Hybrid - 49 mpg city / 51 highway
4. Toyota Corolla - 32 mpg city / 41 mpg highway
5. Toyota Matrix - 30 mpg city / 36 mpg highway

Here is a little blurb from Car Talk:

Again...Toyota and Honda are making the MOST reliable vehicles....But some vehicles like the Ford Fusion seems to be as reliable as the best cars made. All I can say..."IT'S ABOUT TIME".

Many of us older car-buffs who LOVED American made vehicles and have been greatly disapointed in the past 30 years are very happy to hear this news.

The problem is that a good number of Ford, GM and Chryco vehicles are still VERY UNRELIABLE.

We have lost confidence in Ford. So have a lot of people, apparently. What will YOU do about it?

Here's what you can do to correct your problems:

Take emergency action to save your jobs and the Company now.

1. Cut your prices to competitive levels. That means Toyota pricing *gasp* or something even better - beat their prices.

2. Roll a Camry into your design engineer's workshop and tell them simply this "If you don't beat this design in one year you are fired"

3. Reduce the size of your vehicles. Make them lighter. Make them easier to handle. We don't want the Tank.

4. Consider hybrid technology as a stopgap solution and work toward the completion of plug in electric technology. Then quickly accelerate plug in technology to the Fusion, which is your best hope to save Ford Motors. Do not put your hybrid technology in heavy SUVs and Trucks. It's counterproductive unless you intend to make this technology as an option fleet-wide.

5. Consider a little humility in your customer sales department. Perhaps publicly admitting that you have made design mistakes in the past. Do take polls. Stop listening to your own propaganda. Stop repeating the mistakes of the Edsel, which you are making in the Excursion, and build cars that people need. People need fuel efficient, highly reliable, maintenance free vehicles. They would also like them to be safe and they would like them to be comfortable and fun to drive.

6. Please, Please, PLEASE stop building ugly cars!!!! The crossover phenomenon has created a bastardization between a truck and a car, and it is hideous.

7. Please stop trying to make retro cars that look like a '67 Volvo. You are just not very good at it.

8. Work with labor in good faith to empower the worker. Perhaps stock sharing, or a company worker/ownership plan so that the worker feels an investment in the company. If you do these things that the Japanese have already been doing, you just might survive.

9. Consider firing anybody that says "We just can't do it". You don't have the time or money to tolerate naysayers at any level of management, and your jobs and the integrity of the American Auto industry is on the line.

10. In your dealerships, make sure that you really serve your customers, and that you meet or exceed their expectations. Eventually Customer loyalty will return.

11. Drop the pandering to the special interest groups. You are an American Company, not a political action committee.