Survey Sez?! ... Ford Is A winner For Standing Alone

In Los Angeles last November, Ford showed off the latest Mustang in standard and GT forms. (Click here to see our video interview with one of the designers responsible for the terrific 2010 package, filmed in LA.) In Detroit, we get the first look at the newest GT500. The car will be available in coupe and convertible forms in spring 2009. Caption & Image Credit: AutoPacific

Survey Sez?! ... Ford Is A winner For Standing Alone

If life were a game show and that game show were Family Feud, Ford would be the "go to" answer, if the survey answer concerned itself about the level of respect a consumer would have for any automobile manufacturer.

The credit crisis brought about through the fall-out of the greater sub-prime mortgage loan market collapse that has shown itself over this last full year exposed the whole of the American automobile manufacturing community. General Motors and Chrysler accepted the Bush Administration's offer to utilize a loan of Federal money in order to weather the storm and fight off bankruptcy.

Ford elected not to accept the offer and therefore maintained control over the way the company would manage itself and we all now know what has happened to the other two competitors. General Motors is owned by the Federal Government and the Auto Workers Union and has declared bankruptcy while Chrysler's ownership, through bankruptcy, was transferred to the Auto Workers Union while the balance of the company was sold off to the Italian auto manufacturer, Fiat in order to bring it out of bankruptcy more quickly.

In both cases, American contract law was over-run as the Federal Government declared that the primary investors and Bond holders were to be honored last as opposed to first as it related to the control of the assets of the company ... both companies.

Ford Fiesta Poised for USA Launch in 2010 - The Fiesta has been on sale in Europe since August 2008 and about 117,000 have been sold to date. With the assistance of the EPA, Ford has been able to bring in 145 into the states for testing and evaluation purposes. Caption & Image Credit: AutoPacific

In a recently released survey of consumer attitudes conducted by AutoPacific, Ford has surged ahead by a margin of 3 to 1 ... of both GM and Fiat/Chrysler in the "Not concerned at all" response to the level of confidence about the viability of purchasing or leasing from a specific manufacturer.

In the coveted "likely to buy" category, Ford equaled the attitudes held for the top Japanese manufacturers.

The survey proves that consumers want to purchase from Automobile manufacturers that have their corporate structure firmly planted in Capitalism and not a structure born from another route.

Image Credit: AutoPacific

This excerpted and edited from Vehicle Voice -

Survey Indicates Ford Benefits From Troubles Of Others And Not Taking Bailout
Public Responds Positively to Ford's Actions, but Some Still Have Reservations
Vehicle Voice - June 17, 2009

American consumers' opinions about Ford Motor Company have been positively influenced by the company's decision not to accept government bailout funds, and by the bankruptcy filings of rivals General Motors and Chrysler. Automotive research and analysis firm AutoPacfic conducted an online survey of more than 900 U.S. consumers regarding their purchase intent and opinions of individual car companies. Highlights include:

* Asian and European manufacturers scored highest when the survey asked "How concerned are you about buying/leasing a vehicle from" a particular maker, with an average of 61% "Not concerned at all." Ford scored 48%, far ahead of GM's 15% and Chrysler's 14%.

* Ford matched or scored higher than its Asian and European competitors to the question "How likely are you to buy/lease a new car" from a specific manufacturer:

o Toyota -- 43% Likely/Very Likely

o Ford -- 43% Likely/Very Likely

o Honda -- 41% Likely/Very Likely

o Volkswagen -- 33% Likely/Very Likely

o Hyundai -- 22% Likely/Very Likely

o General Motors -- 15% Likely/Very Likely

o Chrysler -- 7% Likely/Very Likely

* Skepticism was also revealed:

o 39% Agreed/Completely Agreed that Ford Motor company was simply lucky to have "cleaned house" before the economic downturn

o 39% Agreed/Completely Agreed that Ford has yet to prove it won't ask for a bailout in the future

"Ford's restructuring, which started months before the current economic downturn, has clearly helped position it more closely with its Asian and European rivals than its domestic competitors, in terms of public perception," said George Peterson, president of Tustin, CA-based AutoPacific. "Some don't think Ford is out of the woods but, overall, consumers view Ford quite favorably verses their cross-town rivals and on par or better than most imports. All brands will be significantly challenged if the downturn continues into 2010."
Reference Here>>

Ok, so Ford is not out of the woods just yet, but all one has to ask themselves when one is considering the purchase of a new automobile ... Would you buy a car manufactured by a car company that is owned by the Federal Government, and/or a labor union, or would you buy a car from a company run by a management team that grew up creating cars from the ground up that address the needs of the consuming public?

... notes from The EDJE