Ford penny pinching on 2020's?

[Hawaiian Time]

Its called "Value Engineering" reduce costs on things Ford thinks are least noticable. They all do it. Increase profits without raising prices. Stupid buyers (Ford thinks) won't notice. This is what happens when Bean Counters run the company.

Raise the Stock Prices, Milk the best sellers, CEO gets a bonus and a raise based on Stock Price and Net Income not on Quality and Customer Satisfaction. Until CEO's have incentives to improve quality and customer satisfaction this will never change!

The second year of a new model or generation of a vehicle seems to be the best. The first year problems are fixed and the Value Engineering is just starting.

Aloha, HT

 

[EricM]

There is no fuel filter. Only the sock on the pump. WTF?

There is no under hood light. WTF?


99% of people simply don't care about any of that. That's why they can do those things.

 

[EricM]

Its called "Value Engineering"

Actually, they are talking about de-contenting as mentioned earlier. Literally removing content people don't want, need or care about. Value engineering is a separate thing.

Value engineering would be something like looking at the cooling system and seeing if it can be engineered (designed) differently to be cheaper to produce/install and achieve the same or at least acceptable cooling results.

 

[Hawaiian Time]

Same thing just semantics. Either one, if it reduces functionality, is BS to me. I will not be buying a 2020 or any other year Raptor until they come out with Gen 3 V8. My early 2017 does just fine for me.

Value Engineering is just putting a Positive Spin on Decontenting. They get away with it because of apathetic buyers who just dont care or don't know.

Value Engineering causes things like 737 Max problems. Cheaper, faster design... Then OOOOPS!

Its just like when Costco cuts their roll of paper towels from 96 sheets to 70 sheets for the same price but it is now "New and Improved". No, its a hidden price increase! Corporate BS! Lambs to the slaughter...

Pump that stock price up!

 

[EricM]

It's not semantics, de-contenting and value engineering are substantially two different things.

Removing things entirely is not the same as looking at how you can improve the value of each dollar spent on things.

They may mean the same to you, but they do not mean the same thing to engineers.

 

[SD64]

I get it if you feel like you’re getting less for more and feel cheated and think Ford is just cheap. But I must be one of the few that doesn’t look down or on the dash to see what gear I’m in? Hell I didn’t even know the PRNDM didn’t light up on my ‘19 until a post last year when people were trying to figure it out. Push the button to get out of park, release, then pull back until it stops and you’re in drive? Pull back one spot and you’re in reverse?

I’m curious about this because I rent around 25-30 cars a year and have been doing so for 5+ years. Intermediate, full sized, premium, and luxury (thanks free upgrades), all makes and models and I can’t remember the last time I looked down or on the dash to figure out what gear I was in. It’s all by feel for me because they all work the same, one down to reverse and three down to drive. I was in a Chrysler 300 from ORD last week and I have no idea if the dash or center console light up because I never looked lol.

 

[EricM]

I always look at what gear I'm in before I move a vehicle. I'd never blindly drop it into a gear and then hit the gas.

I'm guessing you are pretty young still? I just don't see someone who has been around the block a few times doing that.

Do you operate the rotary shifters without looking too?

 

[Bhollier]

I always look at what gear I'm in before I move a vehicle. I'd never blindly drop it into a gear and then hit the gas.

I'm guessing you are pretty young still? I just don't see someone who has been around the block a few times doing that.

Do you operate the rotary shifters without looking too?

I remember the last time I jumped in/ on a vehicle without checking what gear I was in was when I was 9. Ended up costing a barn door and me an a$$ whooping. It was the last time I jumped on a tractor or vehicle without confirming the gear. Still sticks with me today.

 

[Ski4Ever]

Can you imagine all those poor fools who drive a manual transmission car that doesn't have ANY lights anywhere in the vehicle that tell them what gear the transmission is in? What do those people do? How horrible it must be for them to always have to guess without just knowing their vehicle by feel, etc!

 

[Hawaiian Time]

It's not semantics, de-contenting and value engineering are substantially two different things.

Removing things entirely is not the same as looking at how you can improve the value of each dollar spent on things.

They may mean the same to you, but they do not mean the same thing to engineers.

Hows that Boeing Stock doing after Value Engineering their Avionics Software????