Ford Closes the Gap on Asian Automakers

Ford's recent year-end Global Quality Research System survey (GQRS) shows that Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan overtook both Toyota Camry and Honda Accord to have the lowest number of TGW, or Things Gone Wrong, for any of the company's first-year vehicles.
Mercury Milan had 934 TGW, and Ford Fusion had 1,088 TGW versus Toyota’s Camry with 1,311 and Honda’s Accord at 1,221. The rankings reflect things gone wrong per 1,000 vehicles at three months service.
The GQRS results are just one example of Ford’s desire to close the gap on Asian carmakers by adopting a global approach to business and product development.
Under CEO Alan Mulally, Ford created a single, global management team to be able to leverage its global assets by eliminating duplication, implementing best practices and a systematic approach to quality, and utilizing common components for the advantage of scale.
The new integrated approach can be seen in the upcoming Fiesta, Ford’s first global car. The Ford Fiesta was designed and produced in Europe where it will launch in the fall of 2008. It is expected to go into production in Asia, Australia, and North and South America by 2010. Selling one high-volume vehicle helps Ford cut costs, solidify the global brand and continue to make quality strides.
Tags: automotive quality, customer satisfaction, Ford Fiesta, Ford Fusion, Ford Verve, global automotive manufacturing, Global Cars, global operations, GQRS, Mercury Milan, TGW Alan Mulally




