RE: Premier Auto Group
Monday 11th March 2002
Premier Auto Group
One stop convenience for the luxury car buyer or the forecourt from hell?
Discussion
Apparently in the States the PAG is overseen by an ex-journalist lady of whom the (then) big boss Jac Nasser said "i wish i'd met her after my divorce and before remarriage". He was particularly taken with an hagiography of ford she'd written, and he fancied her rotten so he put her in charge. This woman, Sue Callaway, did little one month stints at each of the marques in PAG to get a flavour of some proud traditions before taking the reins of the whole thing.
Now there's one big building in California, with a colour-coded floor for each brand (Who got BRG?), and shared customer services, communications and marketing. That's as well as the engines, chassis, etc.
If we consider this situation, then consider the degree of unapologetic navel-gazing going on at ford
with its own-brand products(new GT40 and its saddo bastard(not a swear word) siblings)then we should be even more grateful to companies such as TVR, and more importantly(dare i say it)BMW for their independent visions; for taking risks, moving forwards, and refusing to let marketing gurus force-feed today's car-mad boys and girls their own half-remembered childhood dreams of flying rocket-cars and hover-boots.
Ford are in no way suitable custodians for their own heritage never mind those of Aston, Jaguar, Volvo, Land Rover. They've no idea where they're going, and if they continue to chase their own tail they'll either swallow themselves whole, or just disappear leaving a suspicious-looking pool of butter.
There, I said it.
Now there's one big building in California, with a colour-coded floor for each brand (Who got BRG?), and shared customer services, communications and marketing. That's as well as the engines, chassis, etc.
If we consider this situation, then consider the degree of unapologetic navel-gazing going on at ford
with its own-brand products(new GT40 and its saddo bastard(not a swear word) siblings)then we should be even more grateful to companies such as TVR, and more importantly(dare i say it)BMW for their independent visions; for taking risks, moving forwards, and refusing to let marketing gurus force-feed today's car-mad boys and girls their own half-remembered childhood dreams of flying rocket-cars and hover-boots.
Ford are in no way suitable custodians for their own heritage never mind those of Aston, Jaguar, Volvo, Land Rover. They've no idea where they're going, and if they continue to chase their own tail they'll either swallow themselves whole, or just disappear leaving a suspicious-looking pool of butter.
There, I said it.
I wholeheartedly agree with this damning criticism of Ford.
I can't comment about Aston owners - never been one, never known anyone well heeled enough to buy new Astons on a regular basis - but I have a strong suspicion that they'd sooner go on a package tour to Benidorm, than rub shoulders with the proletariat while being tucked-up (again) by the ever-so-nice Aston salesman.
As far as Jag goes - something I have a little more of a clue about since they've been my dad's favoured wheels for some time - the dealer network is already under strain. Just think purely in terms of the number of models, and volume of vehilces that each Jag dealer is now responsible for, compared to just a few years back. add to that a smattering of, silly (Ford induced?) warranty issues on recent models, and customer service, and the plush, red-carpeted service gets pretty threadbare.
Landrover again, I have experience of, as we run a Defender 90 van. It's just been replaced this year (new TD5 model etc.) and the improvement over the (not so old) previous model is massive. I don't know if this was down to BMW's influence or Ford, but the end result is IMHO rather impressive. The new Range Rover is less so, and quite clearly a car designed by Americans, for Americans. I mean, be honest, did you ever hear a RR owner complain the car was too small or not thirsty enough?!
It saddens me to say this, but I agree that all three 'Great British' brands, are about to go down the tubes, along with the worthy, if somewaht unexciting Volvo marque.
I can't comment about Aston owners - never been one, never known anyone well heeled enough to buy new Astons on a regular basis - but I have a strong suspicion that they'd sooner go on a package tour to Benidorm, than rub shoulders with the proletariat while being tucked-up (again) by the ever-so-nice Aston salesman.
As far as Jag goes - something I have a little more of a clue about since they've been my dad's favoured wheels for some time - the dealer network is already under strain. Just think purely in terms of the number of models, and volume of vehilces that each Jag dealer is now responsible for, compared to just a few years back. add to that a smattering of, silly (Ford induced?) warranty issues on recent models, and customer service, and the plush, red-carpeted service gets pretty threadbare.
Landrover again, I have experience of, as we run a Defender 90 van. It's just been replaced this year (new TD5 model etc.) and the improvement over the (not so old) previous model is massive. I don't know if this was down to BMW's influence or Ford, but the end result is IMHO rather impressive. The new Range Rover is less so, and quite clearly a car designed by Americans, for Americans. I mean, be honest, did you ever hear a RR owner complain the car was too small or not thirsty enough?!
It saddens me to say this, but I agree that all three 'Great British' brands, are about to go down the tubes, along with the worthy, if somewaht unexciting Volvo marque.
This really is the kind of decision that should get the board sacked. They have paid an enormous sum of money for these brands and yet they seem to have no idea what they are worth.
When Gerald Ratner compared his company's jewelry to a Marks and Sparks prawn sandwich, he promptly went bust.
When an Aston Martin owner sees a Range Rover Freelander, he sees a prawn sandwich.
When Gerald Ratner compared his company's jewelry to a Marks and Sparks prawn sandwich, he promptly went bust.
When an Aston Martin owner sees a Range Rover Freelander, he sees a prawn sandwich.
Don't know if anyone saw this in the business section of the Independent on Sunday, but it looks like Ford might be about to sell Aston Martin.
"William Clay Ford jnr, Ford Chairman, is reported to have said that the sale of Aston was "worth thinking about". He added: "We should think about focusing on being a mass-market producer."
After losses of £3.7bn last year and £500m in the first quarter of this year, sources say Ford is even considering selling the whole Premier Automotive Group, though the company strongly denies this."
Spendid. Strong denial = imminent sale?
"William Clay Ford jnr, Ford Chairman, is reported to have said that the sale of Aston was "worth thinking about". He added: "We should think about focusing on being a mass-market producer."
After losses of £3.7bn last year and £500m in the first quarter of this year, sources say Ford is even considering selling the whole Premier Automotive Group, though the company strongly denies this."
Spendid. Strong denial = imminent sale?
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