Kudos and congratulations to Ford Motor Company for posting 3rd quarter profits of $997 million dollars. In this tumultuous time of our country’s economy, and the shredded auto industry, this announcement is a bright light on the brand.
Surprised about this profit? Hardly. Happiness and relief from investors and from industry leaders, yes; but not surprise. A year ago when talks were developing about government bailouts for the Big 3, Ford quickly took the stance that they would be opting out from this offer. The company has a few CPA's and forecasters on the payroll, I presume, and, was not going to be tempted. Simply put, they didn’t need to. They were able to see that break-even point was within reach, and stayed away from the low hanging fruit.
Good for Ford for staying the course.
While two-thirds of the Big 3 took the bankruptcy route, Ford maintained a favorable perception with consumers. And, most notably, it had products to back it up. The Focus and the new Taurus and simply very, very good cars. Never sexy, Ford offers a great value proposition with a stronger line-up of autos than showcased in years.
Here is to Ford's future and leading its competition down a similar road to recovery.
Drive Your Bargain,
Anne Fleming, Car Buying Advocate
www.twitter.com/womendrivers
