So. Quite the task I've laid out for myself. Design a full product range for 3 divisions of a major US auto manufacturer. All while attempting to employ or hold on to a sense of reality, by which I mean attempting to make use of technology, components, and even entire vehicles that exist currently within the corporate toy box. I'm not saying that these aren't going to be budget busters (nobody could implement all of these vehicles all at once, retooling nearly every factory at the same time) or push the bounds of practicality, but based on what Ford Motor Company is currently producing, the vehicles I will present are theoretically possible to produce.
The way that I will organize this experiment is as follows:
1. I will prepare a post that outlines the basic vehicle platforms that would be utilized throughout the lineups. I'm no engineer, so I'm not saying that the platforms I describe (assuming they currently exist) could accommodate what I'm proposing. I'm just laying out a general description of where I think the company should go and how they could possibly get there. So the Platform Post will describe the various vehicle platforms, establish what size vehicles the respective platforms could support, and what powertrains the platforms could accommodate.
2. I will prepare a post that outlines the various engine and powertrain options that would be utilized throughout the lineups. Some engines are existing, some are likely variations on existing engines, and some are completely new engines. Horsepower ratings are based on real world examples of similar engines/powertrains throughout the entire industry. I'm attempting to be realistic and not guarantee that if Nissan's 3.5L V6 makes 305 hp then the Ford 3.5L V6 will make 310 hp. When the engines are tuned and tweaked, the hp figures will rise and fall to fit what is expected. But for now, my estimates are I believe to be realistic estimations. Also regarding engine displacement, again I'm not an engineer, so whether it's feasible to have a 4cyl engine block support displacements from 1.5L to 2.5L, I don't know. I do know that historically engine blocks can support a wide range of displacements, assuming they are sized to accommodate modifications to the basic bore and stroke figures. Witness the historic small block Chevy. The original displacement for this motor was 283 cubic inches. The engine block was sized in such a way that, maintaining the original bore spacing, displacements could range up to 400 cubic inches. In fact, the most popular recent such modification (still a popular one among hot rodders and off-roaders) is to take a basic 350 cubic inch engine (of which GM made billions of), increase the bore of the cylinder and piston by .030 inches, and the displacement rises 33 cubic inches (or approximately 0.5L) to the popular 383 c.i. displacement. So again, what I'm proposing is theoretically possible.
3. Once the platforms and powertrains are established, then I will do a post to lay out the vehicles, division by division and maybe even platform by platform (the Ford division obviously will have the greatest number of vehicles and may require multiple posts to lay out the lineup). Where possible, I will include pictures that are either of current vehicles (like the Aussie Ford Falcon or European Ford Focus), or photochop renderings of what I'm envisioning. Estimated basic vehicle dimensions or size comparisons will be provided, along with a list of potential competitors.
So there you have it. How I will do, "How I Would Do It." Hopefully the right people will find some inspiration out there.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Welcome to how I would do it
Because I have zero extra time on my hands and not enough blogs in my life, I decided to start another. The idea behind this is one specific topic, and I will likely devote many posts to this one idea. I may expand into other topics where I have a compulsion to share how I would do it. But for now, this blog will focus on one idea...how would I create a competitive model lineup for Ford Motor Company's North American operations. Specifically, Ford, Mercury, and Lincoln. While owned or partially owned for the time being, I will not focus (no pun intended) on Mazda, Volvo, Land Rover, or Jaguar. Some componentry will likely be shared from these companies where appropriate, as is current practice.
But the idea behind this is my passion for all things automotive, a general love of the Blue Oval, and the shared dismay that many enthusiasts in North American (not just Ford, but GM, Honda, Toyota, and others, too) share when we see vehicles sold in other parts of the world by subsidiaries of said companies that are really cool and would likely sell well here, but aren't brought here. The two most obvious examples are the Holden Commodore
and the Ford Falcon, 
both of which are native Australian vehicles sold respectively by GM and Ford's Australian divisions. In their respective mild, family vehicle configurations, both are attractive, comfortable, and relatively affordable competitors to the mainstream Accord/Camry/Altima trifecta. When done up in their performance guise, they can each run toe to toe with the BMW 5 series and other such luminaries. Yet only until recently has there been any progress made in bringing them here. GM is actually getting its act together, with such fine product as the 2008 Chevrolet Malibu, the 2008 Cadillac CTS, the 2008 Pontiac G8, and the 2008 Buick Enclave. The G8 is particularly interesting because it is a mildly reworked version of the aforementioned Holden Commodore. Right down to its small block V8 and rear wheel drive chassis. Now it's Ford's turn. Over the next several posts, I'll lay out a complete vehicle lineup for Ford, Mercury, and Lincoln, lineups that will identify styling cues, platforms, powertrains, pricing info, and likely competitors. These will be full-range lineups that attempt to further define the individual brands, amortize development costs thru platform/powertrain sharing, while attempting to individualize the styling amongst the brands. Where I think it makes sense, an entire vehicle from an international Ford division would be brought to North America, federalized while preserving as much of its current styling as possible, and inserted directly into the lineups.
My photochop skillz are far from mad, so I don't know what I'll be able to present in terms of renderings, but I'll do what I can. Maybe someone from Ford will listen.
Oh, one more thing. I thought of this idea myself, but I am drawing further inspiration from a website I discovered courtesy of posts on either Jalopnik or Autoblog: GM Inside News' Revitalization In Action. I can only dream of having those types of skills to produce a website as utterly cool as that one, but for now the passion will have to carry it.
But the idea behind this is my passion for all things automotive, a general love of the Blue Oval, and the shared dismay that many enthusiasts in North American (not just Ford, but GM, Honda, Toyota, and others, too) share when we see vehicles sold in other parts of the world by subsidiaries of said companies that are really cool and would likely sell well here, but aren't brought here. The two most obvious examples are the Holden Commodore
and the Ford Falcon, 
both of which are native Australian vehicles sold respectively by GM and Ford's Australian divisions. In their respective mild, family vehicle configurations, both are attractive, comfortable, and relatively affordable competitors to the mainstream Accord/Camry/Altima trifecta. When done up in their performance guise, they can each run toe to toe with the BMW 5 series and other such luminaries. Yet only until recently has there been any progress made in bringing them here. GM is actually getting its act together, with such fine product as the 2008 Chevrolet Malibu, the 2008 Cadillac CTS, the 2008 Pontiac G8, and the 2008 Buick Enclave. The G8 is particularly interesting because it is a mildly reworked version of the aforementioned Holden Commodore. Right down to its small block V8 and rear wheel drive chassis. Now it's Ford's turn. Over the next several posts, I'll lay out a complete vehicle lineup for Ford, Mercury, and Lincoln, lineups that will identify styling cues, platforms, powertrains, pricing info, and likely competitors. These will be full-range lineups that attempt to further define the individual brands, amortize development costs thru platform/powertrain sharing, while attempting to individualize the styling amongst the brands. Where I think it makes sense, an entire vehicle from an international Ford division would be brought to North America, federalized while preserving as much of its current styling as possible, and inserted directly into the lineups.
My photochop skillz are far from mad, so I don't know what I'll be able to present in terms of renderings, but I'll do what I can. Maybe someone from Ford will listen.Oh, one more thing. I thought of this idea myself, but I am drawing further inspiration from a website I discovered courtesy of posts on either Jalopnik or Autoblog: GM Inside News' Revitalization In Action. I can only dream of having those types of skills to produce a website as utterly cool as that one, but for now the passion will have to carry it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)