S650 cancelled?

[Bullitt]

I can see this kind of short-sighted stupidity coming from Jim Hackett... like I said in another post, Hackett is not a car guy. He's a bean counter, a pure finance guy. He's not an engineer by training like Alan Mulally was. I think all Hackett knows is the "numbers". The Ford family gave him a clear mission and a single job objective: raise the stock price. As quickly as possible. At any cost. What the Ford family wants, they get (since they own 40% of the voting control of the company).

Mulally was an engineer by training. He was focused on the product, and appreciated that you need to actually invest if you want something to sell. He believed in long-range planning. Look at the good things he did for Boeing. We can thank him for the 550 Mustang.

Hackett isn't interested in the 'future' of Ford, or in anything remotely resembling long-range planning. Why should he be? I'm sure his yearly bonus is based on how much, and how quickly, he can pump up the stock price. It's as much the fault of the hedge funds and other institutional investors who own Ford stock. They don't want to invest for new products in 5 years. They want to cut costs now to have a short-term bump in profits. All they care about is the stock price TODAY. If any money is to be spent, Hackett will probably take the 'savings' from laying off engineers and use it to buy back stock.

That will make hedge funds, and the Ford family, happy with a short-term bump in the stock price. Of course, a few years down the road, with no new products to sell, corporate revenues, and the stock price, will decline. But Hackett will be long gone by then, will have sold off his stock options, and will be very comfortably retired.

I'm sure Hackett would be just as happy to discontinue every Ford product except the F150 truck. Don't hold your breath for anything requiring any kind of investment, like new products or significant improvements, as long as Hackett is CEO.

If the Ford family and these investors want to make a quick buck on stock prices, they can play with their money in the tech sector, or better yet, throw it in cryptocurrencies. Every company wants to be Tesla right now but they’re a house of cards until the Model 3 proves itself. Car companies are about selling cars, not Wall Street.

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[goldengooner]

According to sources who have spoken on the promise of anonymity to The Virtual Driver



well we can all do that, no comeback, typical way the press work
I have a contact at Ford US, who I spoke to when all the Air Bag fun started with the S197, funny enough did send him a email last week, about a different subject to do with a Mustang club in the UK,
I went to a Xmas bash at a place where there was a few Ford US people, and they were raving at how well the Mustang has done in Europe, and with the 18s they feel they can up the price.
I think if the 18 sells as well worldwide as the 15 has, then the S560 will def happen, if It don't sell, well then the above could happen

How is the 18 selling in the USofA ?

:cheers:

 

[jake_zx2]

According to sources who have spoken on the promise of anonymity to The Virtual Driver



well we can all do that, no comeback, typical way the press work
I have a contact at Ford US, who I spoke to when all the Air Bag fun started with the S197, funny enough did send him a email last week, about a different subject to do with a Mustang club in the UK,
I went to a Xmas bash at a place where there was a few Ford US people, and they were raving at how well the Mustang has done in Europe, and with the 18s they feel they can up the price.
I think if the 18 sells as well worldwide as the 15 has, then the S560 will def happen, if It don't sell, well then the above could happen

How is the 18 selling in the USofA ?

:cheers:

Well, "how well it's selling" is likely relative to the sales of prior mustangs, not the slaes of ford's in general. To a bean counter like Hackett, he'll put all sales relative to ford as a company, thus why he's killing off cars and investing in trucks/SUVs/CUVs. Although the Fusion sells remarkably well in the mid-size sedan market, it sells in abysmal numbers compared to the F150 (best selling vehicle in the USofA)

 

[saf1]

So 10,000 engineering jobs cut globally? Can't be US only.

Not sure what industry you work in but it is always US first...Auto manufacturing may get a pass but more often than not it is the US that takes the brunt of the work force reductions. IT, consulting, etc. Heck, IBM has more employees in India and is boasting about it compared to the US.

 

[Epiphany]

I said that once publicly and then a guy posted a link that showed I was wrong, coal generation of power is way down in the US of A not the Number 1 source any more, and non-existent in most of Canada. But lots of power is generated by burning fossil fuels which still adds to the problem.

Fossil fuels were responsible for about 65% of the nation's electric power generation in 2016. Some 30% was coal.

https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.php?id=427&t=3

 

[tsunami]

Last of a Noble Breed...

I guess I will try to minimize the mileage on my convertible. If Ford kills off the Mustang...my machine will be worth quite a bit in the future.

 

[MUSThavaSTANG]

.If the Ford family and these investors want to make a quick buck on stock prices, they can play with their money in the tech sector, or better yet, throw it in cryptocurrencies. Every company wants to be Tesla right now but they’re a house of cards until the Model 3 proves itself. Car companies are about selling cars, not Wall Street.

Why is the Bullit in your avatar a right hand drive?
Reflected in the mirror is a right hand drive Mustang.

 

[Stam616]

I’m not sure about this. I know people at Ford and that’s not anything that I’ve heard of. I’ll take it with a grain of salt until we get more corroborating evidence and someone goes on the record.

 

[Trackaholic]

Hopefully the higher-ups at Ford understand the need to invest in product now in order to have something to sell in 5 years.

Regarding EV’s, keep in mind that power use is not constant throughout the day. The grid might be near capacity in the middle of a hot summer day, but electricity use is greatly reduced during the night, which is when a car could be charged.

I agree that hybrid power in a sports car is tough from a weight and packaging standpoint, but it is great in a family car. I just bought a hybrid minivan and it is great so far. Minimal impact to the functionality, but a great increase in fuel economy and silent electrical running for 30+ miles on a full charge. If you go on a road trip you still have the ease of our existing gas infrastructure. I really like the hybrid van, and I think that type of vehicle is great from a consumer perspective. The big trick is packaging the batteries and electric motors without ruining cargo space.

I was never a big fan of the hybrids, but after driving the Fusion energi when my GT350 was getting the oil line recall performed, I became a believer. The only downside on that particular car is the lack of cargo space, but I think the concept is excellent.

-T

 

[Semi]

Let me guage my care factor. 2021 mustang, barely if paid off. Careometer = 1

 

[Fatguy]

Not buying it. FAKE NEWS!

He did the same thing at Steelecase. Laid off thousands of people then sold off the property for a quick buck. They are currently building condos on Steelecases former property in Toronto.

 

[djdstang]

Not buying it. FAKE NEWS!

Has to be.

 

[Twin Turbo]

Just to be clear......even if S650 is dead, that doesn't mean the death of the Mustang. It just means that whatever was planned for the '21MY Mustang has changed significantly.

I'll still be happy with an updated '21MY S550.2

 

[thehunterooo]

Seems like a shaky source at best like the 2019 Camaro numbers that are only posted here and no where else on the internet. If there was a delay/cancellation there would be more news I would think. I expected the S550 to last more than six years though considering how great the sales have been the first three years. Will be interesting to see is the 18 sales keep the normal expected pace. Ford is not worried about a couple of bench racers online to have the need to update the car every year like people want.

 

[PortalMaker]

...The big trick is packaging the batteries and electric motors without ruining cargo space.

I was never a big fan of the hybrids, but after driving the Fusion energi when my GT350 was getting the oil line recall performed, I became a believer. The only downside on that particular car is the lack of cargo space, but I think the concept is excellent.

-T

Agreed. I had leased a Fusion Energi as my daily work commuter. I loved the gas mileage I received. Only real gripe was the amount of trunk space the battery killed. If they (Ford and other plug-in manufacturers) can figure out how to downsize and improve the batteries, I'd consider another one for lease.

Just to be clear......even if S650 is dead, that doesn't mean the death of the Mustang. It just means that whatever was planned for the '21MY Mustang has changed significantly.

I'll still be happy with an updated '21MY S550.2

That was my thinking too. If there's any truth to the article, my take away is that any aforementioned plans/news regarding the S650 are being axed, not the Mustang itself. I imagine it possibly means a longer shelf life for the S550. :shrug:

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