It's just been reported there will be no SVT Mustang Cobra until at least 2008. And Colleti's gone.
Everything's going to the European market right now, because there is no money in the U.S.
They just killed the SVT Cobra, Coletti is gone (pushed to 2008, which means next redesign may get SVT treatment) and the SVT lightning (completely dead). We get the old focus, Europe gets the new, and JAG and Astom Martin, Land Rover, and Volvo are rolling out all kinds of new product.
The dollar isn't worth crap, and economic forecasters within the company don't foresee a lot of middle-income spending money for the next 5 years.
Ford of Europe is going well, but Ford was counting on getting the Feds to roll health benefits into the Fed admined retirement plan. GM, too. Something like Railroad Retirement for transportation workers.
It's not gonna' happen now, so investment is not going to come easy for Ford America. Additionally, the dollar cannot buy international commodities such as stell and Aluminum, anymore. The Euro is worth so much more, that investing in European operations make more sense. The Euro buys 50% more commodities than the dollar. And European trade (within Europe), is expanding as a result. Europeans are finding it herder to export to the U.S., because of the dollar differential.
U.S. manufacturers can't get cheap local suppliers of steel, because that industry is gone. There is no steel manufacturing capability in the U.S. anymore. Everyone likes to quote Adam Smith's invisible hand of free-markets, but if you read Adam Smith, he advocated protecting local industries, when other countries make the same product. People listen to slogans, and don't read for themselves anymore. So we're in a mess.
So the U.S market won't be investing in anything more than it has to to keep things going. Earlier in the year, some thought Ford might go under, but Ford is actually in pretty good shape after selling off some of its assets, including Cosworth.
Just some news I thought y'all'd like to know.
If you're waiting on the Cobra, you'll have to make your own.
don’t know but I believe the no SVT Mustang is because Shelby is back on board and the don’t want a SVT and a Shelby mustang, (killing the market)
Dumping the svt focus I heard was because the are working on a 4 wheel drive version and they didn’t want to waste money on R&D for a car that will be obsolete very soon.
Killing the lightning was just a bad move in general don’t know why on earth they did that but there have been rumors that dealerships would no longer be “SVT” certified and SVT was coming to an end, oh well we will have to see…………………..
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So , let me get this straight…..your Honda has 1.6 liters, whereas my bottle of Mountain Dew has 2?
Change…..it’s what is left after taxes.
- Shaken....Not Stirred 2003 Mach I Auto Torch Red - Sold
-1988 Ford Mustang GT Convertible, 331 Trick Flow Stroker with a Tremec 3550....oh yea and a 1.6 liter V-TECH motor to work the convertible top.
- 1966 Inline 6……..the pile of parts car!
don’t know but I believe the no SVT Mustang is because Shelby is back on board and the don’t want a SVT and a Shelby mustang, (killing the market)
Dumping the svt focus I heard was because the are working on a 4 wheel drive version and they didn’t want to waste money on R&D for a car that will be obsolete very soon.
Killing the lightning was just a bad move in general don’t know why on earth they did that but there have been rumors that dealerships would no longer be “SVT” certified and SVT was coming to an end, oh well we will have to see…………………..
Nah, Shelby's got the GT40, and the Shelby GT coming after that production run.
That would be a bad move anyway, Coletti's a LOT younger than Shelby, and he's got a good heart (physically). Shelby is all heart. Losing an asset like Coletti on THAT basis would be VERY wrong.
There is no basis for a AWD focus on the present American platform. The Euro Focus CAN run AWD, as it shares a platform with the AWD Volvo. EuroFord wanted an AWD focus to compete in rally competitions, which it couldn't do on the old platform. We didn't get the Euro Focus because Ford didn't figure they needed to retool for a car that would cost buyers $3,000 - $5000 more to produce, when Hyundai is killing everyone in the small car market based on cost. Ford already has the Volvo and the Mazda 3 already here for upmarket products. The SVT Focus was killed because that was the best they could do with that platform, and it was getting killed by the SRT-4, and the various iterations of the WRX and the EVO. Without the new EuroFocus, they couldn't compete.
The Lightning was killed by the SRT truck, and there was no use in expending the money when the market couldn't bear the increased production costs to beat it with a truck that weighs a ton (figuratively) more, and already HAD huge production costs to beat the Nissan Titan.
Production costs in the US are hurt by two things - the costs or health care and retirement, and the costs of raw materials.
EuroFord has an advantage because of the increasingly better value of the Euro in the world market for raw materials, and there is still production of raw materials in Europe.
The U.S. now imports nearly all of its steel, and has no native industry for the production of steel. that means it costs increasingly more money as the dollar continues to slide against the Euro and the Yen. So it makes more sense to bring the products to market via Volvo and Mazda.
You make money 4 ways by doing this.
1) you can buy more product.
2) You have the raw materials processing capability because there is native production.
3) The profits you make in Euros and Yen are worth more than the profits you make in dollars.
4) health care and retirement are subsidized by European and Japanese governments, so those costs don't figure into the equation.
Lots of wood to chop from these words, but in all honesty i think it is maybe a bit premature to say that the Cobra wont appear until 2008, my bet is late 2006 early 2007 even with Colleti out of the picture.
One thing is for sure, most new American Ford models are BORING, except for the Mustang. There are nicer rides being developed for the European market, the Focus, Mondeo are very appealing.
The Five Hundred has to be the most boring of all Ford models..what was Ford thinking??? I'll buy a Crown Vic over a 500 any day.
In "moms" segment Ford North America had something good going with the Windstar, but instead of going with a nice redesign, they just changed a few stuff and renamed it "freestar", maybe "cheapstar" should have been more appropiate.
The truck segment is still in good health, the F series is selling ok, but the competition from Asia has the US automakers worried, i forsee that they will rule that segment in less than 10 years.
Anyway...the news about the Cobra are surely a sign of trouble times, but thank god the Mustang has a great aftermarket.
Welcome back....ks.. .and here we go..... Where do you get this from.....
KScoyote??????????????????????????????? The SVT COBRA or SVT program... is far from dead. SVT Lightning is on hold.
This is a link to an auto week article ...announcing Colleti's retirement at the end of the year. And the naming of Hau Thai-tang (05 project engineer) as the new SVT overseer....and says the SVT cobra will be out in 2006.....With many more Svt projects to follow.
This link is to a news article..not a mustang site....I would have cut and pasted the article...but I didn't know which was more acceptable to the mods.
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BLACK on BLACK 05 Premium GT
Magnaflow catted X pipe -- Magnaflow catbacks
There he goes on another spew of half truths, bias and some flat misinformation as usual.
Although the US economy is growing at a faster rate than is the European economy, finally Europe is in a spurt of growth BECAUSE it is finally facing the reality that the US type of capatolism does indeed work!
The largest impact on the steel industry is that China is buying all the scrap steel in the US creating a shortage here. That, and the tariffs on steel AND the fact that our environmental polices make upgrading current steel factories too expensive to be profitible combine with labor problems to make the industry in the US not competitive. Yes, there is concern over health care and retirement, but those are not the driving forces that has the steel coming from overseas.
All this is a blip in the economics of the world and as usual the US will indeed come out on top.
Now, some of this will indeed inpact what is bought in the US, but the Cobra like so many speciality autos will be shelved because of the lack of profits when doing so. They will save it for the time the '05 Mustang becomes common place and then needs a boost. The '05 has been such a success why even talk about the Cobra? It would add not a thing to the excitement of the new Mustang.
I don’t believe the Ford is calling it quits just becase Dodge it trying to cut into the Market that Ford created. And here is why…………
2005 Dodge Truck Ram SRT-10
$45,000 - $50,000 9 mpg city / 15 mpg hwy
0-60 mph 5.2 sec.
0-80 mph 8.4 sec.
Standing ¼ mile 13.8 sec. @106 mph
2004 Ford Truck SVT F-150 Lightning
$33,035 - $33,035 13 mpg city / 16 mpg hwy
don’t have the specs on hand but the Dodge is faster but as MM&FF has proved take a stock lightning put $1,000 in it and run 12 and you are still over 10k cheaper!
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So , let me get this straight…..your Honda has 1.6 liters, whereas my bottle of Mountain Dew has 2?
Change…..it’s what is left after taxes.
- Shaken....Not Stirred 2003 Mach I Auto Torch Red - Sold
-1988 Ford Mustang GT Convertible, 331 Trick Flow Stroker with a Tremec 3550....oh yea and a 1.6 liter V-TECH motor to work the convertible top.
- 1966 Inline 6……..the pile of parts car!
Welcome back....ks.. .and here we go..... Where do you get this from.....
KScoyote??????????????????????????????? The SVT COBRA or SVT program... is far from dead. SVT Lightning is on hold.
This is a link to an auto week article ...announcing Colleti's retirement at the end of the year. And the naming of Hau Thai-tang (05 project engineer) as the new SVT overseer....and says the SVT cobra will be out in 2006.....With many more Svt projects to follow.
This link is to a news article..not a mustang site....I would have cut and pasted the article...but I didn't know which was more acceptable to the mods.
we'll see. My sources say otherwise.
mosty of the links to sources are now down. It was in Blue Oval news. I'll see it pops up elsewhere.
Insider news sez it's on hiatus. Hau ThaiTang is not a member of the team. and the Ford Performance Group has been disbanded.
You'll also notice the studies Ford is commissioning to justify the SVT Group. Not a good sign.
KS......I did not see any news reports about SVT in your link...I did a search on that page for Ford SVT...and it found nothing but old articles praising the lightning......
Lightning is on HOLD.....because the resourses were spread thin with so many different projects. This does not mean death to the program.
Hau Thai-Tang ....WAS..named as OVERSEER of the team.
Of course Ford commisioned studies.....money is not something to be wasted...so they always try to find out whether projects are worth their expense. But just because a study or a commission is started ..it surely doesn't mean they are throwing dirt on SVT's grave.
Did you read the NEWS article in my link?
Auto week is a national publication magazine...conducting an interview with Phil Martens ,Ford product cheif.
Your link was to an internet BLOG and we all know how accurate they always are.
__________________
BLACK on BLACK 05 Premium GT
Magnaflow catted X pipe -- Magnaflow catbacks
KS......I did not see any news reports about SVT in your link...I did a search on that page for Ford SVT...and it found nothing but old articles praising the lightning......
Lightning is on HOLD.....because the resourses were spread thin with so many different projects. This does not mean death to the program.
Hau Thai-Tang ....WAS..named as OVERSEER of the team.
Of course Ford commisioned studies.....money is not something to be wasted...so they always try to find out whether projects are worth their expense. But just because a study or a commission is started ..it surely doesn't mean they are throwing dirt on SVT's grave.
Did you read the NEWS article in my link?
Auto week is a national publication magazine...conducting an interview with Phil Martens ,Ford product cheif.
Your link was to an internet BLOG and we all know how accurate they always are.
KS......I did not see any news reports about SVT in your link...I did a search on that page for Ford SVT...and it found nothing but old articles praising the lightning......
Lightning is on HOLD.....because the resourses were spread thin with so many different projects. This does not mean death to the program.
Hau Thai-Tang ....WAS..named as OVERSEER of the team.
Of course Ford commisioned studies.....money is not something to be wasted...so they always try to find out whether projects are worth their expense. But just because a study or a commission is started ..it surely doesn't mean they are throwing dirt on SVT's grave.
Did you read the NEWS article in my link?
Auto week is a national publication magazine...conducting an interview with Phil Martens ,Ford product cheif.
Your link was to an internet BLOG and we all know how accurate they always are.
Actually, it was a frame from a search, you can tell from the netscape domain. that wasn't the article I wanted to post. That article's disappeared it was from the print version of Autoweek, but it seems to have been replaced by another article. I haven't been able to find the original link - it just goes to a 404 (It's in my history, so I know it existed, once). but here's some other links.
There he goes on another spew of half truths, bias and some flat misinformation as usual.
Although the US economy is growing at a faster rate than is the European economy, finally Europe is in a spurt of growth BECAUSE it is finally facing the reality that the US type of capatolism does indeed work!
The largest impact on the steel industry is that China is buying all the scrap steel in the US creating a shortage here. That, and the tariffs on steel AND the fact that our environmental polices make upgrading current steel factories too expensive to be profitible combine with labor problems to make the industry in the US not competitive. Yes, there is concern over health care and retirement, but those are not the driving forces that has the steel coming from overseas.
All this is a blip in the economics of the world and as usual the US will indeed come out on top.
Now, some of this will indeed inpact what is bought in the US, but the Cobra like so many speciality autos will be shelved because of the lack of profits when doing so. They will save it for the time the '05 Mustang becomes common place and then needs a boost. The '05 has been such a success why even talk about the Cobra? It would add not a thing to the excitement of the new Mustang.
It's not good enough to get me out of mine, the only way I'm taking the trade-in hit is if I can get an IRS.
It's not environmental concerns that drove U.S. steel out of production.
China is BUYING steel. The U.S. used to PRODUCE steel. China is being fueled by WalMart and other companies moving production there.
What tariffs are you talking about? We (belatedly) began charging tariffs on IMPORTED steel, once it was proven other governments were illegally dumping steel at less than cost in the U.S. market. Other Governments are SUBSIDIZING steel.
Dude, you obviously know nothing about economics or trade. Europe and Japan are rebounding because the U.S. is shrinking with trade and budget deficits.
It is from 12-12-04...All about colleti's retirement ..honoring his achievements and explaining what is going on with SVT's future...... FOR REAL.
It is from the Detroit news auto insider....
KS......This is up to date proof that SVT lives and will continue.
What you are offering is out of date speculation and early leaked misinformation.
__________________
BLACK on BLACK 05 Premium GT
Magnaflow catted X pipe -- Magnaflow catbacks
No SVT Mustang until the rebody/ Coletti's gone. 
.and here we go..... Where do you get this from.....
