Grim Outlook For Ford

[Not So Fast]

DETROIT (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co. (NYSE:F - news) on Thursday posted a fourth-quarter loss of almost $5.8 billion on declining sales of its profitable trucks and charges for employee buyouts.
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For the full year, Ford lost $12.7 billion, its deepest loss in its 103-year history. The previous record net loss was $7.39 in 1992.
Ford, which is in the early stages of a turnaround plan that includes closing 16 plants and cutting up to 45,000 jobs in North America, recorded a net loss of $3.05 a share during the fourth quarter, compared with a loss of $74 million, or 4 cents a share, a year ago.
The loss from continuing operations was $1.10 cents a share, which was deeper than the average Wall Street analyst expectations of a loss of 94 cents per share as tracked by Reuters Estimates.
NOT GOOD!!!!!!! NSF

[Rexone]

The economy is booming tho. :rolleyes:
As long as it involves trade with China and not manufacturing anything. :mad:

[RitcheyRch]

All of the Big 3 are suffering but think Ford had the biggest loss.

[centerhill condor]

yea, and that is a lotta money even for henry!:sqeyes:

[THOR]

The economy is booming tho. :rolleyes:
As long as it involves trade with China and not manufacturing anything. :mad:
That is the exact reason why I buy American. I can feel good that me buying US goods may just employ one more person and keep them from getting laid off.

[Blown 472]

The economy is booming tho. :rolleyes:
As long as it involves trade with China and not manufacturing anything. :mad:
But rex, outsourcing is good for the country, just look at how much money we will all make.:idea:

[lawbreaker2]

But rex, outsourcing is good for the country, just look at how much money we will all make.:idea:
The only folks that get rich are the pencil pusher, they don't give a hoot about the working man, If they can put 5 cents in his pocket by sending our work over sea's then that ok. I Try and buy American, But we don't make tv any more, but cars and trucks always.

[dirty old man]

thats COMMUNIST China to you

[rivercrazy]

All of the Big 3 are suffering but think Ford had the biggest loss.
There is no Big 3. Chrysler sold out to Benz years ago.......

[dmontzsta]

Toyota and Nissan have stepped it up in the truck market. Ford was the leader and now they are taking alot of the sales and they are not stopping anytime soon, so Ford, chevy and dodge are going to continue to suffer.

[RitcheyRch]

True but still hear news reports refer to them as part of the Big 3 automakers.
There is no Big 3. Chrysler sold out to Benz years ago.......

[UHHH SUCKA]

Its that P.O.S. 6.0 engine is reason why trucks are going down. Just towed mine to a block away from the Chevy dealer, drove into the lot and traded it in on a H.D. Duramax. Didnt know if the truck would make to the dealer or not it was so bad and Ford gave me the run around on warranty. Must be a reason why the new Ford trucks only have 60,000 mile warranty instead of a 100 like they had. Love the new Duramax.

[HEDJUG]

It's all because they make crap cars, that's it. they have been making crap cars for years & the new cars are crap too. Chevy & Dodge suck too. They focus on looks & styling over quality.
Here are my last 7 cars.
The good, all Jap.
06 WRX. 240 AWD HP with a 13.9 1/4. It's ranked #2 in sports car reliability & can run thru just about all weather. 15k in three months & zero problems. This car should last like my Accord.
03 Honda Accord. 147k & never in the shop once. It still had the factory clutch. I got 9500 for a trade on the Subaru.
02 Honda Oddessy. 90k with zero problems. I will keep this car till 150k easy.
The bad, all American
98 Seabring. It barely made 100k Tranny popped & the main was leaking oil. It was in the shop all the time for $300 sensors & gadgets.
94 F150 XLT 351
(Never used to tow stuff)
Two drive shafts, three starters, new exhaust, both wiper motors, one power window motor all before 100k & 10 years. Now it has at least 10 $200 things wrong with it & the tranny is going. It has 110k on it.
94 Dodge Neon.
Blow Head gasket, two trannies, 80k.
93 5.0 GT. To many problems to list.
Oh yeah, I forgot about the F150 going up in flames all by itself in a parking lot. It wasn't running nor were the keys in it. That was 1500 in damage.

[rrrr]

Ford also announced today they are ended their sponsorship agreement with the Champ Car series.

[riverracerx]

Get used to the new Tundra.

[UHHH SUCKA]

It's all because they make crap cars, that's it. they have been making crap cars for years & the new cars are crap too. Chevy & Dodge suck too. They focus on looks & styling over quality.
Here are my last 7 cars.
The good, all Jap.
06 WRX. 240 AWD HP with a 13.9 1/4. It's ranked #2 in sports car reliability & can run thru just about all weather. 15k in three months & zero problems. This car should last like my Accord.
03 Honda Accord. 147k & never in the shop once. It still had the factory clutch. I got 9500 for a trade on the Subaru.
02 Honda Oddessy. 90k with zero problems. I will keep this car till 150k easy.
The bad, all American
98 Seabring. It barely made 100k Tranny popped & the main was leaking oil. It was in the shop all the time for $300 sensors & gadgets.
94 F150 XLT 351
(Never used to tow stuff)
Two drive shafts, three starters, new exhaust, both wiper motors, one power window motor all before 100k & 10 years. Now it has at least 10 $200 things wrong with it & the tranny is going. It has 110k on it.
94 Dodge Neon.
Blow Head gasket, two trannies, 80k.
93 5.0 GT. To many problems to list.
Oh yeah, I forgot about the F150 going up in flames all by itself in a parking lot. It wasn't running nor were the keys in it. That was 1500 in damage.
So what do you use for your tow rig?

[Baja Big Dog]

Its that P.O.S. 6.0 engine is reason why trucks are going down. Just towed mine to a block away from the Chevy dealer, drove into the lot and traded it in on a H.D. Duramax. Didnt know if the truck would make to the dealer or not it was so bad and Ford gave me the run around on warranty. Must be a reason why the new Ford trucks only have 60,000 mile warranty instead of a 100 like they had. Love the new Duramax.
Your the answer to all of Fords problems!!! Ill bet your pride wont let you post about the DuraJap takiing a shit and leaving high and dry!!!!
I wouldnt call our broker and buy G.M. stock at this moment, my crystal ball says they will show the same numbers real soon.:idea:

[SHOTKALLIN]

Toyota and Nissan have stepped it up in the truck market. Ford was the leader and now they are taking alot of the sales and they are not stopping anytime soon, so Ford, chevy and dodge are going to continue to suffer.
So then why doesn't Ford go back to the drawing board? Its a compettitive market out there. I buy American but everyone doesn't have the same loyalty. Ford Needs to step up or get out of the auto industry.:D

[rivercrazy]

The big two are drowning in expenses associated with Union benefits and Pension obligations. This makes investing in top notch products difficult, especially in Ford's case.
GM has substantial liquidity at the moment and stand a better chance surviving. They either design and engineer competitive products, or they will suffer Ford's fate too....

[Concept1]

DETROIT (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co. (NYSE:F - news) on Thursday posted a fourth-quarter loss of almost $5.8 billion on declining sales of its profitable trucks and charges for employee buyouts.
ADVERTISEMENT
For the full year, Ford lost $12.7 billion, its deepest loss in its 103-year history. The previous record net loss was $7.39 in 1992.
Ford, which is in the early stages of a turnaround plan that includes closing 16 plants and cutting up to 45,000 jobs in North America, recorded a net loss of $3.05 a share during the fourth quarter, compared with a loss of $74 million, or 4 cents a share, a year ago.
The loss from continuing operations was $1.10 cents a share, which was deeper than the average Wall Street analyst expectations of a loss of 94 cents per share as tracked by Reuters Estimates.
NOT GOOD!!!!!!! NSF
I think its funny that a comany like that can post such a huge loss. Im sure all the top multi-millionare execs still collected their pay without a problem, they should lay off some of those guys and pay the workers better.

[HEDJUG]

So what do you use for your tow rig?
The marina handles that work for me.They plop the boat from the slip to winter storage. Boats should be in the water, not on trailers.

[THOR]

It's all because they make crap cars, that's it. they have been making crap cars for years & the new cars are crap too. Chevy & Dodge suck too. They focus on looks & styling over quality.
Here are my last 7 cars.
The good, all Jap.
06 WRX. 240 AWD HP with a 13.9 1/4. It's ranked #2 in sports car reliability & can run thru just about all weather. 15k in three months & zero problems. This car should last like my Accord.
03 Honda Accord. 147k & never in the shop once. It still had the factory clutch. I got 9500 for a trade on the Subaru.
02 Honda Oddessy. 90k with zero problems. I will keep this car till 150k easy.
The bad, all American
98 Seabring. It barely made 100k Tranny popped & the main was leaking oil. It was in the shop all the time for $300 sensors & gadgets.
94 F150 XLT 351
(Never used to tow stuff)
Two drive shafts, three starters, new exhaust, both wiper motors, one power window motor all before 100k & 10 years. Now it has at least 10 $200 things wrong with it & the tranny is going. It has 110k on it.
94 Dodge Neon.
Blow Head gasket, two trannies, 80k.
93 5.0 GT. To many problems to list.
Oh yeah, I forgot about the F150 going up in flames all by itself in a parking lot. It wasn't running nor were the keys in it. That was 1500 in damage.
Some folks enjoy taking pride in American stuff and some dont.

[SB]

Ford and GM both have labor cost problems. The older expensive workers are being bought out, the newer workers actually cost less.
Bankruptcy is an option for both companies to get out of their old liabilities. The problem for Ford is that most of the Ford family money is tied up in the company, so a bankruptcy would ruin them.
The govt. should encourage them to collaborate on R&D. The govt. could also agree to take on some health care costs.

[Goodtime$]

Im with THOR on this one, nothing beats an american car. Although I have been looking at a Lexus for a commuter, family discount.
the UAW is killing ford and GM who have pensions and retirement incentives for thier workers, toyota and honda do not. I know this, my uncle works for toyota corporation.
Ford is in a hard situation, although they are raising a lot of capital mortgaging thier assets, ie factories etc. High Fuel costs and shitty commuter cars have killed them, their margins are soley in F150s and bigger SUVs.
The hard decision is the new Toyota trucks and cars and made in America by american workers with no pensions, but they are working. While Fords are partly made in America/ Mexico but the money stays in the US for Ford Corp. While Toyota cash goes back to japan.

[STV_Keith]

The good, all Jap.
The bad, all American
I'm no Frod proponent, but it looks like all your Jap vehicles are manuals and you are complaining of problems with all of the American automatics. Gotta compare apples to apples.
No problems with my 6-speed manual Dodge Ram at 100k and 500+rwhp daily driver.

[rivercrazy]

Ford and GM both have labor cost problems. The older expensive workers are being bought out, the newer workers actually cost less.
Bankruptcy is an option for both companies to get out of their old liabilities. The problem for Ford is that most of the Ford family money is tied up in the company, so a bankruptcy would ruin them.
The govt. should encourage them to collaborate on R&D. The govt. could also agree to take on some health care costs.
As a taxpayer, It wouldn't be my vote to bailout Ford or their Union contracts. The best reason for Ford to file BK is to bust the Union, not to screw the creditors.

[centerhill condor]

the UAW is killing ford and GM who have pensions and retirement incentives for thier workers, toyota and honda do not. I know this, my uncle works for toyota corporation.
Ford is in a hard situation, although they are raising a lot of capital mortgaging thier assets, ie factories etc. High Fuel costs and shitty commuter cars have killed them, their margins are soley in F150s and bigger SUVs.
The hard decision is the new Toyota trucks and cars and made in America by american workers with no pensions, but they are working. While Fords are partly made in America/ Mexico but the money stays in the US for Ford Corp.
Lee Iococa wrote about it in his first autobiography. The management is to blame for overpaying and overproviding benefits to the workers...Just as my 7th grade math teacher Dudley Wrench said, "these guys are pricing themselves out of a job". Only took about 30 years to run the company into the toilet...
My Fords; 89, 94, and 99 GT conv. and '04 tbird have all been very good cars. Can't comment on cars I haven't owned. Ford way overpriced the cars people want like the Tbird and the hot mustangs...really, $20k over sticker and wonder why people aren't "loyal"..maybe they get a better deal at an asian dominatrix?:)

[spectras only]

So what do you use for your tow rig?
Ditto .
I have an 03 Navigator , that tows my 8000* boat/trailer ,and fits in my garage without cutting a hole in the door :D . The Tundra or Titan 4 door , wouldn't fit in a standard [ 19' ] length garage .The Honda Ridgeline has a pathetic 5000* tow capacity .

[lucky]

just think when the in house financing starts to ripple - since the economy is soooooo wonderful , and Gas is soooooooooooo cheap - and job pay is sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ooooooooooooooooooooooooooo competitive with our economy ( Out side of la metro of course) :D hell you will probably be able to scrap a new car out for more than it will be worth _ I would like Everyone to say HELLO to 1977 again :):jawdrop: my prediction we will be in an import market ( fuel squezers ) again , Americans have never been all that savy with that market ! Grab your ass and Hold on :)

[ViB]

The economy is booming tho. :rolleyes:
As long as it involves trade with China and not manufacturing anything. :mad:
one of the best quotes I've seen in a long time:
"China should just buy Wal-Mart, after all, Wal-Mart is nothing but a distribution system for Chinese goods."

[Flyinbowtie]

My father was a staunch union man; a blue-collar member of the I.A.M. for over 30 years. When the Longshoremen in the Port of Long Beach went on strike in the early seventies, my father's union went out in support of them.
We lived on what was in the freezer for 97 days. Strike bennies were a joke.
I learned later that he even went up to Frazier Park and poached a deer to feed us, his family.
But he had insurance in those days, and I remember my dad saying at more than one conversation around a dinner table, "even if you don't work for a union, your job is based on the prevailing union wage for your job."
And, "A union is only as good and dedicated as the people who elect the officers, and the officers they elect."
Strong union man, believed in the process, etc.
He had a heart attack in '77 after working 3 consecutive 18 hour shifts and had to retire due to the disability.
His union disability pension wasn't even enough to pay the power bill.
I'll never forget how betrayed he felt.
When he died, my mother got $100.00, and a notice his pension had died with him, along with her medical coverage.
Ford and GM are going to have to find a way to compete with the offshore manufacturers who are here with plants because of a talented work force, relatively low cost for land, and no union-style bennies.
It all sounds real good for the big two to hire younger non-union folks with decent pay but no medical insurance, but you can bet that the doctor bills are gonna get paid, even if the taxpayers foot the bill.
The runaway medical cost train under control, this is the foundation of the problem, imho. If Toyota and Walmart and Nissan and whomever ain't payin' the freight in bennies to employees, somebody is.
In too many instances, somebody is us. The politician or company that figures out how to solve this problem and actually rams the solution through is gonna be a major figure in the history books written about this century.