Bill Ford Eats a Big S**t Sandwich..........

I'm not going to pick on Ford too much today - I actually liked what I heard. Bill Ford sucked it up, said that they've been doing a sub-par job for far too long, and that in the long term, they likely won't be the 2nd largest automaker anymore. While cutting 25,000 jobs in the next 6 years definitely hurts, continuing to run the same way would have killed Ford eventually. Both Ford and GM are bloated conglomerates, with too many levels of management, and too much duplication of products. Did you ever notice on the GM Employee Discount commercials, that everyone was a manager? Too many chiefs, and not enough indians. I like Ford's commitment to hybrid and alternative fuel vehicles, and I like the way the new Fusion looks - but I hold back for one reason. Until Ford can show that they can build a 3.0 V6 that doesn't blow head gaskets, I'll wait. Perception is reality, and Ford is viewed as crap, compared to Japanese makers. I don't like to stick this in people's faces, but I drive a 98 Toyota Camry. It has 130k miles on it, it doesn't burn or leak oil, I've never had to replace a broken part on it, and it still gets 33 MPG on the highway. If Ford has truly made Quality Job 1, instead of using it as an advertising slogan, then they will come back. If the UAW works with them, they can become leaner , meaner, and most importantly - profitable. That buffalo chip that Bill Ford ate today wasn't too tasty, but hopefully, it will get sweeter.