Mark Fields Makes My Day

[BlueOvalBolt]

Well, we have yet to see the details but Mark Fields made a public announcement at the New York Auto Show that SVT will be a part of Ford's future. The following was from this article about the show.http://www.thecarconnection.com/Auto_News/Car_Shows/New_York_Auto_Show/2006_New_York_Auto_Show_Part_I.S293.A10272.html

Ford plans to beef up its performance portfolio, Mark Fields, the automaker's President of the Americas , told a New York Auto Show audience on Wednesday. Central to the strategy is a renewed emphasis on the SVT line, which had been neglected in recent years. "The plan is to offer one performance car and one truck, going forward," Fields explained, with the pair likely to generate from 5000 to 10,000 annual sales. A version of the Mustang and another SVT makeover of the F-Series pickup will be the latest offerings. Then there'll be "personalized performance," allowing customers to buy from a broad catalog of performance parts and accessories. The third leg of Ford's performance strategy is the Ford Racing unit.

It will be interesting to see just what comes of this and what vehicles this "version" of SVT might bring to market.

Do you think this translates into anything meaningful Greg?

[JW's Silver Ragtop]

The good ....
the economy ...
A very high intrest in performance vehicles (some retro). Got to love those "car crazy" baby boomers.
Other makers are now seeing the interest
With these vehicles you can have your cake and eat it to, performance + dependiability w/ not bad gas millage if you don't put your right foot down.

If Ford doesn't see this .... they started SVT with great insight ... If there is one thing they havn't done a good job at is blowing their own horn ... no pun intented. They led the way with great products. Don't back off now ...

The bad .... The same as GM ... The legacy cost that they now must deal with ... BIG ISSUE ... but shouldn't be a reason to not go full bore w/STV concept. If SVT isn't the right slogan and I believe they need to market it better, then call it ... whatever.

The gas issue .. didn't we learn from the last "gas price" problem ... It was a very ugly time in auto industry and halted a VERY fun time.

Has anyone seen the monkey that supposed to be on my back ... Sorry I just needed to VENT

[BlueOvalBolt]

Seems like something is brewing. Here is another article in Autoweek. http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060417/FREE/60417001/1041

It makes for some warm and fuzzy reading but what will come of it is another thing.

Could they have heard us??????

[347Cobra]

Originally posted by BlueOvalBolt


Do you think this translates into anything meaningful Greg?

I guess time will tell.

[BlueOvalBolt]

Greg posted this on the National site in response to the SVT survival speculation. Probably not what everyone wants hear but warm and fuzzy rhetoric and reality are usually 2 very different things.

I wouldn't go putting too much stock in the recent statements about SVT. It would be wise to wait things out and see first. People at Ford are starting to speak out of turn and there's differing opinions about how factual these statements are. We were told how the last Lightning concept was a "go" and it got axed. We were told right from Hau that the Adrenalin was a sure thing for production. He may have felt that way for sure. But somebody else obviously felt otherwise. So we hear how "SVT isn't going anywhere" but the facts are that the team was disbanded, people were either let go or assigned to other duties at Ford, and the marketing and dealer network training programs were discontinued. What we're seeing now is "damage control" in my honest opinion. We're getting a ton of bad press about what Ford has done with SVT, now we see some "backpedaling" going on. I'll probably get a lashing for these comments but hey- I'm calling it like I see it guys. "Somebody" I spoke with at Ford yesterday said "So they are talking about this truck project, but who is going to work on it??"

The letters "SVT" might "not be going anywhere" but I think the SVT we once knew is truly gone and is not coming back. I hope I am wrong. I would love to be wrong.


But I don't think I am wrong.

[aswatek]

Take a look at what Csaba Csere has to say on page 13 of the June issue of "Car and Driver." The introduction says 'Ford drives its 13-year-old SVT group off a cliff." A very good opinion piece on performance arms of car companies and what a bad move Ford has made. Do you think anyone at Ford reads "Car and Driver?" Do you think anybody at Ford cares?

Alan

[JW's Silver Ragtop]

Hey Chris ... Just wondering where you get your info .... not questioning it ... Just wondering so I might read it.

Thanks

[aswatek]

Last night, "Hot Rod TV" devoted the entire show to Chrysler's SRT program. The SRT guys interviewed sounded like John Colleti from a few years ago. Of course they have vehicles across their product line: Hemi Jeeps, Viper trucks, 426 Dodge Chargers, etc. I was a Mopar guy back in the sixties...

Alan

[BlueOvalBolt]

Originally posted by JW's Silver Ragtop
Hey Chris ... Just wondering where you get your info .... not questioning it ... Just wondering so I might read it.

Thanks

It's not easy! I usually have to arrange a series of late night meetings in back alley's, deserted parking garages or through secret drop boxes with the kind of people you don't want to know John. It's dirty dangerous work but if that is what it takes to keep my SVT brothers and sisters informed, so be it. :cool:


OK, maybe not. :rolleyes:

Mostly, I surf Ford oriented sites like MMA, NLOC, F150online, Blue Oval News, SVTOA National, StangNet, etc., etc. Someone usually has already posted 99% of what I post somewhere out there. I am sometimes lucky enough to get some inside info from a Ford employee but can't post most of what I am told through that source although that source often confirms information I may have to post. No real system, just lucky most of the time.

[BlueOvalBolt]

Originally posted by aswatek
Last night, "Hot Rod TV" devoted the entire show to Chrysler's SRT program. The SRT guys interviewed sounded like John Colleti from a few years ago. Of course they have vehicles across their product line: Hemi Jeeps, Viper trucks, 426 Dodge Chargers, etc. I was a Mopar guy back in the sixties...

Alan

I have to say that they are doing a heck of job with that program. I think they have taken the SVT concept one step further. Having an SRT "package" that you can throw on just about any vehicle in the stable is brilliant. And these are not just decal jobs. Having a wide range of vehicle types - a compact (Neon), an SUV (Jeep), a station wagon (Magnum), a specialty sports car (Crossfire), a 4 door sedan (Charger) and a pick up truck (Ram) - that all can easily do low to mid 13's and some into the 12's right out of the box is a wonderful thing.

But I still don't think I could ever buy one. :p

[monsterpost]

Originally posted by BlueOvalBolt
I have to say that they are doing a heck of job with that program. I think they have taken the SVT concept one step further. Having an SRT "package" that you can throw on just about any vehicle in the stable is brilliant. And these are not just decal jobs. Having a wide range of vehicle types - a compact (Neon), an SUV (Jeep), a station wagon (Magnum), a specialty sports car (Crossfire), a 4 door sedan (Charger) and a pick up truck (Ram) - that all can easily do low to mid 13's and some into the 12's right out of the box is a wonderful thing.

But I still don't think I could ever buy one. :p

The dark side isn't that bad in fact its pretty darn good:D Not going to give up my L thou.

[aswatek]

But, wouldn't it be nice just to walk into a showroom and order a new SVT product without having to wait for years, sign up for a lottery, and pay thousands or even tens of thousands over MSRP.

Alan

[jerrymjr]

I have to agree. SRT stuff seems to come off just as exclusive as SVT stuff did. I can go to ANY dealer and work out a deal on an SRT product too. I drove 2 hours to get a dealer that liked my trade in enough....back in 1996.

I suppose the death of SVT adds some more exclusitivity to the ones out there already. maybe.....

:(

[gessvt]

I'm going to "hide and watch" as these first GT500s are sold. I'm predicting that most will be sold for way over retail on ebay by greedy non-SVT dealers.

Anybody remember Merkur? The DeTomaso Pantera? Potent specialty vehicles schlepped by salesmen used to selling Grand Marquis and Town Cars.

Cadillac can be successful with its V series, Chrysler-Dodge can have SRT, BMW can have M, Benz can have AMG, even Saturn can have their Redline Ions and Vues, yet Ford is messing around with its own established niche product line with a rabid following and a well-qualified SVT dealer network.

Sad, really.