We recently wrote a little piece on who owns who but we didn't go into any detail. As in, "when was the subsidiary purchased?" or "is the "merger of equals" (har!) working?" Well, someone has detailed one acquisition for us (and thank goodness, too -- I mean, research? fact checking?). How is it in Volvoland now that Ford is the overall owner?
According to The Detroit News the Ford/Volvo combo is hard to beat. Volvo is making the best cars they ever made, Volvo is contributing a profit to its parent company's bottom line and even Ford-badged Fords are going to be better (thanks to superb safety engineers at Volvo).
One might wonder, then, what is going on at Jaguar and Land Rover? Neither Ford subsidiary is currently making a profit. But we would argue that it's a business problem not a vehicle problem. Like Volvo, Jaguar and Land Rover are both making the best rides they've ever made (okay, I am not a big fan of the Jaguar X-TYPE and Land Rover Freelander) and both have much better reputations than just a few years ago (before being gobbled up by Ford). So, what is it? How about: these subsidiaries need to market their cars better in order to sell more. Not everyone wants a Lexus. If Volvo can turn a profit, there is no reason these two British companies can't either.
What a small, four-door wagon should look like: 2004 Volvo V50.
Cars is good! But what you thinks about HUMMERS? DO you know that in 1979 the Army was looking for a new High Mobility Multi-Purpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV). AM General competed in the development of a vehicle to meet the standards of the military. The prototype HUMVEE was created. After 50,000 miles of extensive, repetitive testing, it was decided that the HUMVEE was the best vehicle for the job. In 1983 the U.S. Army awarded a $1.2 billion contract to AM General for 55,000 HUMVEES. Production began on a vehicle dubbed the HUMMER M998. In 1992 a civilian model was introduced.
Posted by: Limousine | Wednesday, May 16, 2007 at 12:07 PM
Why are Jaguars so bad...here's why...What has happened to Jaguar since FORD bought them. They have become the most dishonest car company on the planet. In my case my father bought the car and one of the incentives was what the Jaguar salesman explained as the "Piece of Mind" program. that program allows for the car to be turned in should the lessor or purchasor pass away. Unfortunately may dad passed away last May and we attempted to turn in the car. They outright said NO! The piece of mind plan was really the "Piece of Crap" plan. They said that since the title of the car included his company's name on it, the piece of mind plan was nulled. Since we had no choice, we agreed to jeep the car and a Jaguar Credit debt manager agreed to waive the late fees if the payments were brought current. Well the payments were brought current but the statements kept carrying the late fees. I called them today to inquire...and to my dismay they claim that the debt manager did not note the arrangement of waiving the debt. NOT TRUE and more lies. This has got to be the most dishonest and treacherous car company in the world. The cars are inferior and the service is even worst. Those issues do not even compare to the level of dishonesty and outright lies in order to sell and collect money. Beware if you are thinking of buying a Jaguar. They will lie, cheat and do whatever they can to get you into the contract. Thereafter you are nothing more than another sucker!!! Stay away from Jags....
Posted by: cutters | Thursday, May 13, 2004 at 11:36 PM