The emphasis is now on smaller vehicles - Roaming Times
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The emphasis now on smaller vehicles
"Ford has taken decisive action"
2009 Ford F 150
Photo courtesy of Ford 		 The 2009 Ford F 150 will now go on sale in the fall
Ford switching the emphasis to "smaller cars and crossovers"
 
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DEARBORN, Mich., June 20, 2008 - Ford Motor Company today said it is making further reductions to its North American truck production plan while adding more small cars, crossovers and fuel-efficient powertrains, as the company responds to the continued deterioration in the U.S.business environment and the accelerated shift away from large trucks and SUVs.

"As gasoline prices average more than $4 a gallon and consumers worry about the weak U.S. economy, we see June industry-wide auto sales slowing further and demand for large trucks and SUVs at one of the lowest levels in decades," said Ford President and CEO Alan Mulally.  "Ford has taken decisive action to respond to this accelerating shift in customer demand away from large trucks and SUVs to smaller cars and crossovers, and we will continue to act swiftly moving forward."

Ford now expects U.S. industry volume in 2008 - including medium and heavy vehicles - to be between 14.7 million and 15.2 million units, compared with the previous assumption of 15 million to 15.4 million units.  Accordingly, in the third quarter, Ford now plans to produce 475,000 vehicles, a reduction of 50,000 units from previously announced plans and a decline of 25 percent compared with the 2007 third quarter.  In the fourth quarter, Ford plans to produce 550,000 to 590,000 units, a reduction of 40,000 units from previously announced plans and a decline of 8 to 14 percent compared with the 2007 fourth quarter. 

In parallel, Ford is adjusting the public introduction timing of the new 2009 Ford F-150 by approximately two months due to the industry-wide slowdown in the U.S. truck market and the need to sell down dealer inventory of the current model. The new F-150 now will go on sale in late fall.

"The new 2009 F-150 raises the bar yet again on capability, quality and durability, and we know core truck customers are eagerly awaiting its arrival," said Mark Fields, Ford's President of The Americas.  "Our plan all along has been to introduce the new F-150 after our dealers had a chance to sell down inventory of the existing model, and - with the current slowdown in the marketplace - we decided it was prudent to adjust the start of public sale for the new truck by about two months."
 


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William KWe downsized from a 40' motorcoach to a class B and the fuel consumption is better of course. But engine builders and RV manufacturers still have a long way to go. We need more fuel efficient vehicles, where's the hybrid designs for RVs?
KokopelliWe purchased a used 04 Traillite B+23.5 with a slide it is the most economical RV i ever owned. MPG at 60MPH is 15 it has a chev. 6.0liter
Penny I think we can all see the emphasis changing and I think it's true for RVs too. I think there'll be a surge in sales for small travel trailers. We downsized from a class a to a class b but for young families travel trailers seem ideal. Some of the small ones can take a family easily.
Ron PawlettI understand that ford have got to stop leaking money but i think the f150 is one of their bestselling vehicles and they should not have delayed the new vehicle. Big mistake I know a few who were waiting and chose toyota.
Bob ARVs are improving, but I think most manufacturers really haven't even begun to address the subject. They rely on the engine manufacturer to deal with emmisions of course but they also should be looking more at the materials they use and solar power and energy conservation.
Alan SchneiderI like the way the new F150 will look. The new blue that they are using in the picture looks cool. The grill looks good, the platinum edition grill picture I saw looks ok, the flat black ones are the best ive seen so far, pretty sure they will have more grill options like they do with the current model trucks. The lights look a funny shape. They say the improved chassis leads to better mpg and then later the article says one mpg better. I would have thought they could have done better than that with new technology. I'll probably buy one in the fall. My present 150 is 3 years old now so it works well for me.

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