It's A Girl My Lord In A Flat-Bed Ford...

Is the famous Glenn Frey co-wrote line from "Take It Easy," that was largely the work of Jackson Browne. This entry is not about the Eagles or Jackson Browne, let alone music. It deals with the subject of Ford Motor Company, hope you enjoy it.

Many people make the ignorant mistake to include Ford in the bail out that happened in 2008. The fact of the matter is Ford never went bankrupt or had to have a government hand out.

Henry Ford revolutionized the automotive landscape with his assembly lines, and "Model T."

I have always liked Ford Motor Company, and yes I do have a bias.

You see after WWII my Military Medal Grandfather got employment in Windsor with Ford, and moved up in the ranks eventually running the plant in Oakville.

The company fascinates me though and this is what this post is about.

I own a Ford vehicle for the record.

It was introduced as the replacement to the Ford Bronco.

Today Ford has a huge crossover SUV line-up which is rather disappointing, especially with the Bronco's successor moving from an SUV to a Crossover SUV.

Prior to 2011, the Explorer was not the spawn of Suburbia, the taking the kids to soccer or getting ice cream. I see so many of the newer Explorers with those obnoxious white stickers on the back window, depicting a zany family with the skate boarding kid, dog, mom, dad, et cetera...

Ford had in its crossover line-up already: the Escape, Edge, and Flex. One would think that the higher ups at Ford Motor Company would realize: "Hey we already have enough crossover SUVs."

The Escape used to look half decent, the remodeling that took place in 2012, makes it look too much like a disposable piece of junk like a KIA or Hyundai.

Back on the subject of an SUV versus a Crossover SUV, to me it alienates the people that buy your vehicles or are looking into buying a vehicle that is a straight up SUV. If a person wants a Ford SUV they will either buy a used one which doesn't provide profit for Ford or they are forced into buying a Expedition which has a higher price tag or will get a legendary F-150 Truck. That's of course if the customer is only loyal to Ford products. If they want to take their business elsewhere they'd likely stop at a Chrysler dealership and check out the Jeep line ups, if they want a midsize SUV that is.

Another bone to pick is the names of SUVs and Crossover SUVs. What is the obsession with the letter E? Escape, Explorer, Edge, Expedition. Two were enough when Ford rolled out the Explorer and Expedition years ago.

"Ecoboost" is technology Ford loves to showcase. How it almost gets the same amount of mileage that a Diesel vehicle would. The fact of the matter is Ford is completely out of the North American market on Diesel vehicles. Unless of course you're splurging on a Ford Super Duty truck, you're shit out of luck.

Diesel engines last a long time, the fuel is cheaper, you can convert your vehicle to run on fryer oil, and have the option of using biodiesel. There just isn't an realistic alternative to petro (say that in a British way). That's the problem. Maybe there isn't a big enough demand for it but, I doubt that. As Chrysler, General Motors, Volkswagen, BMW, Mercedes, and Mazda now offer diesel option vehicles.

Ford actually revealed a concept Bronco a few years back in 2004, that would have run on a 2.0 liter diesel engine. The truck was a marvelous engineering design. In my humble opinion, the Bronco could directly compete with the Jeep Wrangler. It gave off a rugged look with a homage to the 1960s Ford Bronco and its round headlights. It definitely would lure back the population that bought Broncos and like a retro vibe. Similar to what Ford did with the Mustang in 2005 with much success. Chrysler and General Motors would both follow suit in bringing back the retro muscle car vibe.

Another area Ford is behind in is the high end sports car field. General Motors has the Corvette, and Chrysler has the Viper.

Ford Motor Company did have the beautiful Ford GT up until 2006. When I discovered this vehicle back in 2003. The vehicle is basically a modern Ford GT40, that won Le Mans races in 1966 - 1969. This high end racing vehicle of course was produced after Ferrari botched being sold to Ford Motor Company.

Might I suggest they bring that automobile back or refurbish the 2004 concept of the Ford Shelby Cobra.

To conclude, this is my first foray into automobile writing hoped you enjoyed it. It would be rather interesting if Ford finally pumps out a diesel SUV like the Bronco concept, and if they make a high end sports car that isn't just a souped-up Mustang. I am sure they will get back into the higher end sports car market. If not one can always buy a Aston Martin, as Ford still owns part of it, approximately 15%.

All pictures are courtesy of Wikipedia and the photographers on the pages I found them, vague I know. I didn't take them.