Ford Brings New Focus To Small-Car Market

福特汽车(Ford Motor Co.)旗下的密歇根卡车厂在鼎盛时期，生产运动型多用途车(SUV)获得的年利润最高可达37亿美元。如今这个工厂将转而生产在美国市场上从来没有赚过一毛钱的紧凑型汽车。福特周三将详细说明转型计划。福特公司这家生产运动型多用途车的工厂将转产紧凑型汽车要建立一条盈利的福特福克斯小型汽车产品线，将需要对汽车的配置和组装方式进行大幅度的改变。有一种看法认为，老款福克斯汽车每年亏损最高可达10亿美元。不过福特认为，公司如今有了一套新的办法，能将亏损变成稳定的盈利。计划中的调整包括：福特将在密歇根工厂生产与亚洲和欧洲同样的福克斯汽车──这样可以实现更高的规模经济效益。公司还计划依靠新的工会制度削减劳动成本。福特打算生产电池驱动的福克斯汽车，进而重振福克斯品牌的声誉。这也将是该公司第一款全电动轿车。福特汽车首席执行长艾伦•穆拉利(Alan Mulally)说，鉴于全球化生产和预计的劳动成本节约，美国产福克斯汽车开始生产时就会盈利；工厂将于明年投产。该厂转型的核心是一个灵活的车体组装业务，使多个款式的汽车可以在同一个工厂里进行组装。自2006年以来，福特汽车优先考虑的工作之一一直是开发出采用同一构架的汽车。福特新方案的关键是利用它的全球化生产，在全球各地生产构架相同的小型汽车。它将在同一套通用平台上生产数款不同的汽车。与新款福特嘉年华汽车的计划类似，公司将生产与欧洲和亚洲的基本构架相同的福克斯汽车，使公司获得全球性的规模经济效益。新款福克斯的基本构架将逐步作为全球每年生产的200多万辆福克斯汽车（包括衍生品）的基础。在美国，福克斯汽车销量2000年达到约28.6万辆的高点。过去，美国生产的福克斯与欧洲的几乎没有一点相同的地方。IHS Global Insight汽车业分析师John Wolkonowicz说，目前美国福克斯的零售价约为1.7万美元，而德国一辆全配置欧洲产福克斯的价格约为3万美元。新款福克斯的一个主要问题是定价。福特要想在福克斯上盈利，就要提高平均价格。穆拉利说，随着美国消费者开始认为福克斯与竞争车型处于同等水平，他相信福特新款汽车将使公司可以提高定价。福特汽车尚未公布新款福克斯的定价。Matthew Dolan相关阅读福特汽车第一财季亏损14亿美元 2009-04-25福特汽车将增加中型轿车产量 2009-04-24克莱斯勒将淘汰部分经销商 2009-05-06更新: 通用汽车4月在华销量创月度峰值 2009-05-05美国汽车销售情况仍愁云笼罩 2009-05-04 本文涉及股票或公司document.write (truthmeter('2009年05月06日14:28', 'F'));福特汽车公司英文名称：Ford Motor Co.总部地点：美国上市地点：纽约证交所股票代码：F


In its heyday, Ford Motor Co.'s Michigan Truck plant generated up to $3.7 billion a year in profits building sports utility vehicles. On Wednesday, the auto maker will detail plans to convert the plant to produce a compact car that never made a nickel in the U.S.Building a profitable Ford Focus small-car line will require huge changes in how the vehicles are equipped and assembled. By one estimate, the earlier-model Ford Focus lost as much as $1 billion a year. But Ford believes it now has a new formula to turn those losses into steady profits.Among the changes planned: Ford will build the same vehicle here as in Asia and Europe -- allowing for greater economies of scale. It is also counting on new union work rules to reduce labor costs. The Dearborn, Mich., auto maker aims to revive the car's reputation by producing a battery-powered Focus model, its first all-electric passenger car.Ford CEO Alan Mulally said as a result of the world-wide production and expected labor-cost savings, the Focus in the U.S. will be 'profitable from initial production' starting next year.At the heart of the plant's transformation is a flexible body shop operation that will allow multiple models to be assembled in the same plant. Since 2006, one of Ford's priorities has been the development of vehicles that use the same architecture.Key to Ford's new formula is leveraging its global reach to build small cars from the same architecture in every part of the world. It will make several different models from that same set of common platforms. Similar to its plan for the new Ford Fiesta subcompact, Ford will make the same Focus-based cars in Europe and Asia, giving the company global economies of scale.Over time, the basic architecture for the new Focus will serve as the foundation for more than 2 million units annually around the world, including derivatives. In the U.S., sales of the Focus peaked at some 286,000 vehicles in 2000.In the past, the U.S.-manufactured Focus bore little resemblance to its European cousin. A U.S. Focus retails today for about $17,000 compared to about $30,000 for a fully loaded European Focus in Germany, according to John Wolkonowicz, an IHS Global Insight auto analyst.A major issue for the new models is pricing. Ford will need to raise the car's average price to generate a profit. Mr. Mulally said he's confident that Ford's new models will allow it to price its cars higher as U.S. consumers come to view its small cars on par with its competitors. Ford has not disclosed pricing for the new model Focus.Matthew Dolan