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http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/c...sborne.htm

Quote:Bill Osborne has been President and CEO of Ford of Canada since November 2005, an 14-month tenure that, at first glance, makes him look like the new kid on the block. But Osborne's been around Ford for much longer than that: he joined the company in 1990 and has worked in a variety of positions.

These days, though, his purview includes overseeing Ford's 13,000 corporate employees working out of a national headquarters, three regional offices, two branch offices, five vehicle assembly and engine plants, two parts distribution centres and affiliates like Ford Credit, as well as Premier Automotive Group brands Jaguar, Volvo and Land Rover.

 
Considering that Canada is Ford's fourth-largest market worldwide, it's safe to say Osborne has a lot on his plate, but he graciously took a few minutes to talk to us at the recent Detroit auto show about his company: where Ford is now, and where the automaker plans to be in the future.

There's little doubt that the F-series pickup line is Ford's most recognizable product, and has been the company's best-selling vehicle for many years. The full-size pickup market is also perhaps the one segment where Ford has consistently dominated the market in terms of sales and quality, but that dominance is under attack with the arrival of the all-new Toyota Tundra. Osborne says that while he's sure the new Tundra will be a strong player in the segment, he's not worried about Toyota usurping Ford's place of power in pickup trucks, thanks to a constant stream of improvements and upgrades planned for the F-series.

"Our goal with the F-series is not to stand still," said Osborne. "The Tundra will be a worthy competitor, but the next F-series will leapfrog it in terms of innovations and utility. Toyota is shooting at a moving target."

At the other end of Ford's product range, Ford debuted a redesigned Focus at the 2007 Detroit auto show. But despite the new look, the car is still based on the same platform the original 2000 Focus rode on when it went on sale nearly eight years ago. In the meantime, Europe has had a second-generation Focus - based on the excellent C1 platform that underpins the Mazda3 and Volvo S40/V50 - since 2005.

Ford has been widely criticized for opting out of the C1 platform for the North American Focus, but Osborne says the decision to leave our Focus as is had more to do with North American crash regulations than anything else.

He says many past Ford products were global models designed regionally but that a new "global product development organization" within Ford will change that. Under the leadership of recently appointed Global Product Development chief Derek Kuzak - Ford's former Vice-President of Product Development in Europe - many future models will be conceived and designed in Dearborn for sale in both North American and overseas markets. When asked if there's a particular Ford vehicle that he feels defines the company, Osborne names not one, but two. First, the new F-series Super Duty pickup, a truck he says was designed to "maintain Ford's leadership" in the truck segment. The other is the Ford Edge and its Lincoln counterpart, the MKX.

"The Edge represents the modern interpretation of the crossover segment and is a clear leader in the class," he says. "The crossover segment hasn't been clearly defined yet, but we're very excited about the Edge, because it has what it takes to do just that and give this new segment a clear direction for the future."

Chris Chase is an Ottawa-based automotive journalist.

Sounds like a BS excuse to me....and North Americans are going to design cars for the European market? I dunno about that....

It's huge amounts of BS... and that's why I'm glad I bought our 2007 Focus when I did.

real BS indeed, if that was the real reason why we don't get the C1 platform then why is Mazda selling the 3, and Volvo S40/V50 here if the C1 can't pass the safety?

Not that safety, Its not safe to want to make a profit :))

David

Does anyone know how we contact this moron (or his office email scanners) to tell him that he must really think we're all dense?

Ummm if we don't get the C1 focus because of crash reg. why are there Mazda 3's & Volvo S 40's on our roads?

focuschef71,Feb 1 2007, 10:04 PM Wrote:Ummm if we don't get the C1 focus because of crash reg. why are there Mazda 3's & Volvo S 40's on our roads?
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You're right - they are essentially the same vehicles, but the C1 Focus is different enough that it would still have to be put through a very expensive certification process ... but I'm pretty sure the real reason is that the U.S. didn't think the C1 Focus would sell in any greater numbers than the current ... and so in the midst of all the other changes Ford is going through, it would have been prohibitively expensive to design and engineer a NA C1 and then re-tool a plant etc, etc ... so technically he's telling the truth - even if it isn't the whole truth.

This guy doesnt know s*** ............he just gets a fax from time to time. Just another apointed figure that is regarted lower then the CEO's assistant in Fords world.

BUT he is right!...............focus on trucks, trucks, trucks :rolleyes:

Ford spent a s***LOAD of cash on tooling for the assembly lines for the 1st gen Foci, because they had never had a car like it in North America before (all-new compact model, very different from the Escort and Tempo). And apparently, they have been taking too long to pay it off, as well as save the money to re-tool for the next gen when it finally gets here.

This is what I've been told be people from Ford.

Also, who gives a s*** about the super duty....the big truck and SUV bubble burst almost 2 model years ago now...

Also, they keep going on and on and on about the edge...tell us about something new please!

what sucks even more is Mexico gets the MK2 Global Focus, and Even the Focus MK2 ST for 289,000 pesos.

NOS2Go4Me,Feb 1 2007, 08:09 PM Wrote:Does anyone know how we contact this moron (or his office email scanners) to tell him that he must really think we're all dense?
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wosborne@ford.com

But his secretary won't pass it on.

D-Dub,Feb 1 2007, 10: Wrote:This guy doesnt know s*** ............he just gets a fax from time to time. Just another apointed figure that is regarted lower then the CEO's assistant in Fords world.
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Sorry ... but nothing could be further from the truth. Osborne is the head of Ford's 4th largest enterprise in the world and almost $14 billion in revenue and tens of thousands of jobs - it is a real-world position with real world responsibilities and an annual paycheque in excess of a million bucks, not including stock options and other perqs. Many of Osborne's predecesors were also on Ford's global executive board although it doesn't look like Osborne is.

But even if it was Bill Ford himself, one person alone simply can't make a unilateral decision to make or import a vehicle, and the sad fact for us is that decisions made about North American production are typically made with respect first to the American market.

BTW - although his assistanct certainly has access to his email (her name is Janet, nice lady) Osborne might very well open his email himself - all the Ford execs I worked with did to some degree.

ZTWsquared,Feb 2 2007, 07:58 AM Wrote:

D-Dub,Feb 1 2007, 10: Wrote:This guy doesnt know s*** ............he just gets a fax from time to time. Just another apointed figure that is regarted lower then the CEO's assistant in Fords world.
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Sorry ... but nothing could be further from the truth. Osborne is the head of Ford's 4th largest enterprise in the world and almost $14 billion in revenue and tens of thousands of jobs - it is a real-world position with real world responsibilities and an annual paycheque in excess of a million bucks, not including stock options and other perqs. Many of Osborne's predecesors were also on Ford's global executive board although it doesn't look like Osborne is.

But even if it was Bill Ford himself, one person alone simply can't make a unilateral decision to make or import a vehicle, and the sad fact for us is that decisions made about North American production are typically made with respect first to the American market.

BTW - although his assistanct certainly has access to his email (her name is Janet, nice lady) Osborne might very well open his email himself - all the Ford execs I worked with did to some degree.
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I am almost certain that Janet was my Dad's secretary back when he worked there.
Is she an older woman(than me, maybe not you :D ) and quite attractive brunette?

meford4u,Feb 2 2007, 10:35 AM Wrote:I am almost certain that Janet was my Dad's secretary back when he worked there.
Is she an older woman(than me, maybe not you :D ) and quite attractive brunette?
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Don't think it's the same one ... this Janet is much younger than me (maybe even younger than you) and she first became assistant to the pres when Jim O'Connor was here and she was the youngest exec assistant in the pool - caused quite the secretarial stir when she got the job over much more experienced people ... might have had something to do with the fact that she was hawt (still is IMO) ... I did know of two other Janets at CHQ (all 3 brunettes) but they're both long retired now, probably one of them worked with your dad.

BTW - to anyone who thinks that Ford of Canada pres is a figurehead job, Mark Hutchins, who was pres here for about 4 years, when he retired cashed in his Ford stock for a little more than $16million US after a 30+ year career where he was probably paid $10 million over that time ... and Alain Batty, before becoming FoC president, was the first president of Ford in Russia and was responsible for setting up a massive distribution system as well as a couple of new plants ... so these guys are serious execs with a lot of experience and a lot of respect within their organization.

I think I have something to do after lunch... send the presidente of FoMoCoCan a well thought-out email.

.....the new F-series Super Duty pickup, a truck he says was designed to "maintain Ford's leadership" in the truck segment. The other is the Ford Edge and its Lincoln counterpart, the MKX."

Are you sure about that..........if he was in charge of Canadian operations he would know that cars are hot right now in Canada and not trucks.

He should have said they are switching up the business plan...........but he cant cause hes doesnt call the shots for North America. His job is to make sure product is produced and cost effectively in Canada.

D-Dub,Feb 2 2007, 09: Wrote:.....the new F-series Super Duty pickup, a truck he says was designed to "maintain Ford's leadership" in the truck segment. The other is the Ford Edge and its Lincoln counterpart, the MKX."

Are you sure about that..........if he was in charge of Canadian operations he would know that cars are hot right now in Canada and not trucks.

He should have said they are switching up the business plan...........but he cant cause hes doesnt call the shots for North America. His job is to make sure product is produced and cost effectively in Canada.
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The F series is the best selling vehicle in canada and has been for the last 4 years, truck demand in canada is still strong....

http://media.ford.com/newsroom/release_dis...m?release=25356

Ford had better truck sales this january then last

Kool_ZX3,Feb 2 2007, 10:08 PM Wrote:

D-Dub,Feb 2 2007, 09: Wrote:.....the new F-series Super Duty pickup, a truck he says was designed to "maintain Ford's leadership" in the truck segment. The other is the Ford Edge and its Lincoln counterpart, the MKX."

Are you sure about that..........if he was in charge of Canadian operations he would know that cars are hot right now in Canada and not trucks.

He should have said they are switching up the business plan...........but he cant cause hes doesnt call the shots for North America. His job is to make sure product is produced and cost effectively in Canada.
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The F series is the best selling vehicle in canada and has been for the last 4 years, truck demand in canada is still strong....

http://media.ford.com/newsroom/release_dis...m?release=25356

Ford had better truck sales this january then last
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Not to mention Ford was Canada's 2006 #1 automotive company seller beating out all others.

You can clearly see by these results where Ford’s strength in Canada is and why Osborne is excited about a new F-SuperDuty ... they make 8 times the profit on an F-Series as they do on a Focus and they sell in larger quantities than a Civic ... not a bad combination.

Does Ford need a better North American car strategy ... you bet, but Ford isn't going to create a car just for Canada, and they're not going to turn their backs on trucks quite yet.

At a million + bucks per year you can bet Osborne is no figurehead ... but that doesn't mean he can unilaterally change a global product strategy because Canada needs something different.

Ford of Canada results for CY2006
#1 Selling Nameplate – F-Series outsold Civic by 2,100 units
#1 Selling Pickup – F-Series outsold Sierra by over 34,000 units
#1 Selling Compact Pickup – Ranger outsold Colorado/Canyon by 5,000+ units
#1 Selling Sports Car – Mustang outsold the three closest competitors combined
#1 Selling Brand of SUV's – Ford outsold Jeep by 15,000+ units
#1 Selling Small Utility – Escape outsold CRV by 50%
#1 Selling Medium Utility – Explorer outsold Grand Cherokee by 2,100 +
#1 Selling Full Sized Van – Outsold Express by 5,000 units

We were told today that out of the 32,000 units shipped to date, almost 9,000 were sold. That's good numbers.

And that is North America wide BTW.