Ford’s President of the Americas, Mark Fields, kicked off the 2006 Los Angeles Auto Show today with a candid – if cagey – assessment of Ford’s place in the US market, and what it needs to do to regain its footing against increasingly popular import automakers. “It’s time to play offense,” said Fields, though he failed to detail exactly what type of offense Ford will play, aside from emphasizing the importance of brands in an increasingly competitive market. Fields admitted that “we lost our way to our customers,” and went so far as to claim that the days of the Big Three were “long gone” and that US automakers were now looking at a landscape on which a Big Six played, with no assurances of success. “We have to earn our customers every day,” said Fields, though he refused to list just how Ford plans to make the changes needed that will facilitate such earning power, saying that his “Way Forward” plan for Ford will be released on January 23. He did, however, say that domestic automakers could increase their sagging market share, but that first they need to “stabilize.” He also cited the recent success of the Ford Fusion, Ford’s new mid-size sedan, as well as the F-Series truck and the upcoming Ford Edge crossover. And though Ford has no known plans to debut a small production vehicle here in Los Angeles or at the upcoming North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Fields pointed toward small cars, specifically subcompacts, as part of Ford’s strategy for the future, saying that “Small is big in America.” “Without American Innovation and red white and bold, we would have missed the small car trend,” said Fields. Ford has plans to debut a small concept car named Reflex at next week’s Detroit show, while Toyota, Nissan and Honda have already announced plans for production subcompacts. Fields also took a few veiled shots at Toyota, saying that Toyota “Wants to be an American brand,” and that even though they have made significant strides in appealing to American buyers, “that doesn’t make them an American brand.” “For Ford, it’s third down and ten,” said Fields. “But we’ve got a pretty good game plan.”
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