Things are worse for Ford than I thought - Chrysler might be ready to replace the Blue Oval in the number two spot:
According to the Detroit Free Press, Jeep’s success after a five-year downturn has prompted the smallest of the (once) Big Three to dramatically increase production while Ford continues to shrink. Under such conditions, Chrysler production will rise to 3.7 million units while Ford shrinks to 3.7 million.
Read the whole story here.
(Hat tip to Autoblog.)
Actually, I believe that Toyota replaced Ford as the #2 automaker in 2004. Chrysler would knock them down to #4.
Toyota surpassed Ford in 2004 in global sales, not domestic.
I'm not trying to slight Toyota here, however. They set their sights on supplanting GM as the #1 global automaker by 2010, and they seemed poised to do so by this year or next. Kudos to them.
Umm. Let's not forget either that it's Daimler-Chrysler. I doubt that 3.7 M number is the Chrysler labels only. And are we only talking passenger vehicles? D-C also owns Freightliner heavy trucks, America-LaFrance (the baddest fire trucks made), and Sterling trucks, formerly Ford's own heavy truck division. I've got to think though that the 3.7M number includes at least the Benz label.
Try being in Australia where our local branch of Ford are highly profitable on the business front, but are struggling fiscally because Ford america drains off all the profits to pay for health insurance bill stemming from the US' policy on universal health care (or lack thereof).
Detroit's a great city, 'tis a shame.
By the way you have an excellent looking blog!
