In the "ticking time bomb" category: I have to wonder how many SUVs and large pickups are currently leased and what's going to happen when those leases expire and nobody wants to buy those monsters with $5/gallon gas? I've never leased, who's left holding the bag?

Good for Ford. Maybe one american auto company will survive.
Now if they could only match Toyota's quality numbers, we might have something here.

The comparison with 1973 is stark.

About 9 months and the entire product line looks like parsimonious Europe. Save for the polluting pig EU sardonically named, "clean" diesels.

Those will have to wait for more spread of T2B5 components, and actually acceptable emissions levels.

If the present fuel price anomaly lasts for a few more months, both GM and Ford are immeasureably helped.

The products needed worldwide, are reduced in number and unified. Larger volumes and fewer platforms can only go to the bottom line.

With lessened need for a distinct product profile for the North American market, (and Australia too), can only help to multiply the effect of the same sized engineering talent over fewer models and platforms.

That would indicate an opportunity for more refined and better cars, overall.

The sub A class micro-cars like the Ka are not likely to be much more than a passing fancy. Mercedes has lost bundles on them in Europe. I agree that whatever is lost in sales, could be readily re-achieved if the Smart is really successful.

Besides these kind of compromises seeking mileage, are not needed for long if at all. When a family sedan can achieve essentially zero gasoline consumption in a few years,(the Volt, Flextreme etc) or other similar PHEVs, who needs a Ka or Smart?

Fiesta made in Mexico: As long as the growing chaos and violence doesn't interfere with this, the economics are attractive.

Third crew on Escape/Mariner line: More hybrids available, assuming battery supplies are adequate.

Fusion/Milan/MKZ hybrid sedan: If they compare favorably with the Camry, and they can produce in quantity, they could be high volume vehicles (in the Camry/Civic range).

Correction to above:
Analysts were saying a couple years ago that the world could not support *20* major car companies, and that shakeout and consolidation were inevitable.

Finally, some smart moves by Ford. However, MORE HYBRIDS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ford has tried this trick many times already.
Who here remembers the original North-American Escort and Fiesta, aka the "World Cars," or the Ford Contour? How about Merkur?

I wish them more success this time, however I wouldn't bet on it.

A couple of things:

1) It is very clear that Ford's North American product line will look pretty much like its European product line by 2012--with the likely exception of the European-market Mondeo and North American-market Fusion (but both models sharing the same platform).

2) This pretty much confirms Ford will sell the second-generation Ka in the USA.

By the way, the Ka will be far more successful than the SMART ForTwo, since it's more "conventional" design attracts more buyers than the quirky design of the ForTwo.

In short, both Ford and GM should consider themselves extremely lucky they can fall back on their well-regarded European product line to rebuild their companies for the foreseeable future.

I'm interested to see what happens with the Mustang. They've always sold a lot of those in certain parts of the country, and I'd like to see a hybrid version in place of the vanilla V6 they have now. If people are just buying the car because they like it, they could at least stop polluting so much.

America needs to stay FOCUSED, AWARE and EDUCATED.

History reminds us that every time oil prices peak and the North American market/consumers start to discuss alternative energy sources, the oil exporting countries start to trim down their prices. History also tells us that the oil exporting nations have been very successful in the past and in fact, we have lost our enthusiasm and dropped many of our alternative energy initiatives after oil prices are reduced.

WE need to stay focused this time.

1) Al Gore and his energy initiative is on course.
2) T. Boone Pickens and his wind power initiative is on course.
3) The BG Automotive Group mass production electric vehicle program is on
course along with their solar charging stations.
4) Richard Branson from the UK is on course.
5) The Gas Reduction Act of 2008 might not be the most environmentally sound
solution, but yet it shows that Congress has finally realized that we have an
energy crisis (again), and a real threat to our national security.

The continued dependence on foreign oil is a threat to our long term democratic values. We must become an energy independent nation, and with this, some sacrifices will have to be made by the American consumer.

Be aware!!
We are exporting approximately USD $700 Billion dollars per year of U.S. currency. The majority of this money is being transferred to the Trillion dollar “sovereign wealth funds”. This is USD $700 Billion not being spent on America’s educational system, health care and security.

The “sovereign wealth funds” are directly buying major interests (large blocks of stock) in U.S. companies, including most of the major banks. Also, billions of dollars of “sovereign wealth fund” money is being invested in our hedge funds, private equity firms, and the investment banking industry. A few of these firms are directly and indirectly investing large sums of money into our “gas combustion” automobile industry. Do we want our auto industry in the direct or indirect control of the firms that are supplying us oil? This is an interesting topic for an investigative reporter.

There are automotive consulting companies in Michigan (heart of our auto industry), lobbying States and our Federal Government, NOT to subsidize the Electric Vehicle industry. The latter seems to be contradictory to what the American public would like to see from our automobile industry. After the billions (excess of $20 billion) the automotive companies have lost in the past 6 months producing gas combustion vehicles, you would think they too would change course. Changing course is not adding 2-4 miles per gallon w/Hybrids. Drastic measures in our auto industry must take place and NOW!

Do not let the temporary reduction in oil prices push us off course….AGAIN.

Read, Read, Read- Stay on top of the issues. Let’s not be fooled again.

STAY FOCUSED, AWARE and EDUCATED!

Sounding every day more like Jacques Nasser's Ford 2000 plan. A few years before his time I suspect and then he was replaced by HF2 to what effect other than wasting a few years before the hard work REALLY had to be done by drafting in Mullaly.

Hmm, wasted years at the Blue Oval I think...

R.

Indeed, one of the commentors is "right on", keep reading, keep on top of your leaders. We need to keep moving toward an economy that rewards investment in sustainable; whatever type is choosen.

Why can't we produce legislation like Germany with energy mandates, rewarding investment in PV/wind? The answer is,....we can, and we must if we're going to survive and then once again thrive as a United States.

Our planet deserves the "Carbon Break" that has been taughted and proven by the world's top scientists. NO CEO or top official will ever agree if "their" business were to tentatively lose money. We have no chioce now. None.

We change our Carbon footprint in this century or we die as a species within three or four more centuries.

Build electric cars, integrate current PV technologies into modular home and garage power stations for individuals that can power 2-5 kW of sustainable energy for homes and cars to recharge; problems quickly abate. This decreases CO2 by 30%.

Concurrently, keep the "Leeds" building moving forward with modern SIP's and ICF construction utilizing BiPV - thereby moving to 'net energy homes'. Not that hard to do actually.

Commercial buildings will utilized proper glass orientation with BiPV and other new technologies that create net energy buildings; they create 40-50% of our Carbon Dioxide.

End of problems. End of wars over oil, end of the major nonsense. Life will always have challenges, but we need to challenge ourselves as a species now beyond energy concerns; the time to push is NOW :)

All the Best,..

The reason why we don't have Germany's answer is simply because it doesn't work. And Germany has admitted it. And has decided to adopt our course of action.

Nukes that were being phased out, now aren't any longer. New nuclear plants are on the drawing boards.

ind that would save all the problems has been revealed to have grid stability issues, really massive grid stability issues. The same grids stability issue biting T Boone Pickens in the arse. And the reason for his advertising campaign to have your dollars, save his arse.

Taxing everyone for Carbon only leads in practice to more bigger coal plants, and politicking and campaign bribes to ignore (expanded) existing coal plants. Wonderful examples of Cap-and-Trade in action; when the politicians can print indulgences.