Ford

Tired of all the negativity surrounding the auto industry these days, Consumer Guide went out in search of positive news. In this, the first of three exclusive executive interviews, we talked with Mark Fields, Ford's President of the Americas.

Fields told us why we shouldn't be worrying about the automaker's future. We asked Mark for three reasons the public should feel good about Ford. Our comments follow.

Reason One: Surprise

The 2009 Ford Flex's boxy styling may surprise consumers familiar with curvier crossover SUVs.

Mark Fields: I'm talking about surprise in a good way. We have some of the best product in the company's history launching this year--with good things still to come. Most significantly, we expect customers to be surprised by the (Ford) Flex, the (Lincoln) MKS, and the new (Ford) F-150 pickup.

As we rebuild our lineup with an emphasis on fuel-efficient cars and away from large trucks and SUVs, we intend to make the consumer aware that we are all about product. We will no longer be content to be good enough, but will be leaders in every segment.

Expect to see us tap our global portfolio for outstanding vehicles that are now especially appropriate for the North American market. Our plan is to bring in six new products from Ford's European operations. These are world-class vehicles that we expect to be among the best for fuel economy.

CG Says: A little "surprise" would go a long way at Ford right now. Of the three surprises mentioned by Fields, two show serious promise.

The new-for-2009 Lincoln MKS premium large sedan has proven unexceptional in design and performance. Though laden with high-tech options, its styling is best described as derivative while the driving experience is best suited to traditional, comfort-oriented shoppers. MKS does fill a gaping hole in the Lincoln lineup however, which has been without a viable large sedan for too long.

Truly surprising is the Ford Flex. Wrapped in a boldly styled exterior, Flex is a nice handling, impressively space-efficient people mover that looks like nothing else on the road. The defiantly boxy Flex has the unenviable task of wooing customers away from GM's recently introduced large crossovers, including the new Chevrolet Traverse, but seems ready for the fight.

Also surprising is Consumer Guide's first look at the redesigned-for-2009 Ford F-150. Though we have yet to drive it, we came away impressed by the new truck's stylish cabin, laden with impressively rich materials and apparent attention to fit and finish--elements the current-generation F-150 is lacking. With fewer buyers chasing the same number of available pickup models, qualities like a genuinely upscale cabin will help this truck stand out.

Not mentioned by Fields, but also surprising, is spy photography of the still-undercover 2010 Ford Taurus. A large family sedan, the current Taurus began life as the Five Hundred in 2005 and was given the Taurus name for 2008. A spacious, great-handling car, the Five Hundred/Taurus (and the similar Mercury Montego/Sable) never caught on with buyers; hampered mostly by dull, anonymous styling. If the spy photography is any indication, the new rakishly rendered car should have little trouble making its way onto the shopping lists of current Chrysler 300 and Toyota Avalon owners.

Reason Two: Quality

Mark Fields: Our quality now matches Honda. As a team we are driving discipline throughout the design and manufacturing processes. This isn't something new, but it is something that's paying off now. According to J.D. Power's 2008 Initial Quality Study, our product increased in quality at a faster rate than the industry. Now we've set aggressive new quality targets for cars we'll launch in 2010.

CG Says: A quick review of J.D. Power's 2008 Initial Quality Study (IQS) finds Honda bested the Ford brand by a scant 2 problems per 100 cars (110 to 112), a statistical dead heat, while Mercury actually bested Honda by two points.

Also of interest is Ford's performance in the 2008 U.S. Global Quality Research System (GQRS) report, a measure of quality over the first three years of vehicle ownership. Per the study, the top four non-luxury brands are, in order, Toyota, Mercury, Honda, and Ford.

Consumer Guide's take is that the overall quality gap, from top to bottom, has closed significantly over the last decade, and brands long held as quality leaders (especially Honda and Toyota) no longer clearly dominate the field--though certainly make fine benchmarks.

Ford's burden is to make the public aware of recent measured quality gains. The Honda/Toyota quality paradigm would be a challenge in good times, but is a monumental task when competing with gloomy business news and planned ad messaging is preempted by fire-sale price-and-rebate-oriented advertising campaigns.

Reason Three: Innovation

The 2009 Lincoln MKS will be the first vehicle to use Ford's new EcoBoost engine technology.

Mark Fields: Ford has a history of product innovation, and we're investing now in powertrains for vehicles that are both efficient and fun to drive. We're launching two new hybrid sedans this year, the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan. Our Ford Escape Hybrid offers best in class fuel economy. We've dramatically increased the number of our vehicles available with our fuel-saving 6-speed automatic transmission. Next year the MKS will become the first vehicle available with EcoBoost technology. For us, EcoBoost is a great taste that's less filling.

Note: Ford is using the EcoBoost moniker to brand the combination of direct-injection fuel delivery with low-boost turbocharging to emulate the power and feel of a larger engine. Ford claims that EcoBoost engines will use 20 percent less fuel than a non-turbocharged engine producing the same power, while creating 15 percent fewer harmful emissions.

Consumer Guide: Despite the progress Ford has made in the area of fuel economy, the media seems stuck on viewing the company as a purveyor of fuel guzzlers. In a September 15, 2008, Business Week article on the European-market Ford Fiesta ECOnetic, author David Kiley refers to the company as, "known widely for building lumbering gas hogs." Would you say that Ford's reputation trails reality, and if so, how much of a problem is this?

Mark Fields: It's a huge problem, but I see it as an opportunity to change perceptions. For us this is more of a challenge than building great product, we already do that.

Consumer Guide: There is a necessary duality to Ford's nature. Ford wants buyers to know it builds efficient cars, but it also needs them to know its trucks are tough and powerful. From a marketing perspective, how hard is it to reconcile the two camps?

Mark Fields: Not hard at all. From our trucks we leverage our reputation for function and capability. There really isn't much crossover in our marketing.

CG Says: For too long, innovation has been lacking in Ford's powertrain offerings. To date, Ford's domestic brands are yet to offer an engine with direct injection or cylinder deactivation, and much of its product line until recently has made do with dated 4-speed automatic transmissions.

That's changing quickly, however. The product of a partnership with General Motors, Ford's new front-drive application 6-speed automatic transmission is quickly finding its way into production vehicles. Found in the Ford Edge, Flex, and Fusion among others, the new transmission is both smooth in operation and notably responsive.

More exciting is the potential widespread use of Ford's EcoBoost technology. Due during the 2009 model year, EcoBoost versions of the 3.5-liter V6 will first appear in the Ford Flex and Lincoln MKS. Expected to serve the same role as an optional V8, the optional EcoBoost V6 engines will list for a reported $700, produce a rumored 340 horsepower, and use little more fuel than the base engine in these vehicles. While EcoBoost V6 engines are slated to take the place of optional V8 power plants, EcoBoost 4-cylinder engines are being readied to replace thirstier optional V6s in smaller models.

Ford is also working on a dual-clutch automatic transmission that is more efficient in the transfer of power than a conventional automatic. By themselves, direct injection, turbocharging, and 6-speed automatic transmissions are not especially innovative, nor is Ford pioneering the use of these technologies. What is innovative is combining these once-exotic elements into a single, affordable, fuel-saving option and making it available for non-luxury applications.

It would be ironic if one of the first companies to wedge a V8 into a midsize SUV would later make the same V8 obsolete. Assuming all goes well, Ford may do just that.