Ford of Europe and PAG Introduce New Models
 Aston Martin Rapide Concept |
Click4Video of Un-Edited and Complete
Detroit Auto Show Press Event
By Kristopher Spencer
DETROIT, Jan. 10 (FCN) -- With four of five brands profitable and 20 new products launching this year, 2006 brings continued progress to Ford Motor Company’s Premier Automotive Group (PAG) and its Ford of Europe division, according to a top company official.
"It is going to be an intense, but very exciting year across all our brands," said Lewis Booth, executive vice president, Ford Motor Company, overseeing Ford of Europe and Premier Automotive Group, at the North American International Auto Show. "We made strides in 2005 versus the significant losses in 2004 and we aim to continue our momentum in 2006."
For the first time the company’s luxury group has three brands in the black and that is a foundation Ford can build on, Booth said, adding that new products and cost competitiveness are the key to PAG and Ford of Europe’s future plans. “On the back of new products, we have grown year-over-year revenue for 11 quarters in a row,” he added.
The PAG brands and Ford of Europe continue to share technology in an effort to dramatically cut product development costs while retaining authenticity and integrity through brand-defining design, Booth said, and the strategy is paying off. In 2005, Land Rover had an all-time global record sales year, with the LR3 and Range Rover Sport driving sales up 30 percent in the U.S.
 Volvo C30 concept click here for the release |
"We are also taking steps to drive down our cost through our parts sourcing and our manufacturing footprint," Booth added. "As the competitive business environment gets tougher, both here and in Europe, we will be working harder than ever before on the fundamental elements of our business."
On the product front, Volvo alone will launch five new vehicles over the next 18 months, said Fredrik Arp, president and CEO, Volvo Cars, at the Volvo press conference at the auto show on Monday. Among the vehicles are the all-new C70 convertible and coupe that premiered at the Frankfurt auto show in 2005, the all-new S80 due in March and the C30 design concept revealed at the Detroit auto show this year followed by the production C30 at the Paris auto show in September.
"It is a very exciting car for us," Arp said. "We aim for a young, dynamic customer who hasn’t found 'their' Volvo in our present product portfolio."
Arp further defined the C30’s target audience as a young professional with or without children who need a “runabout” with a cool design and fun, dynamic driving characteristics.
"Making this group buy into the Volvo brand early in their lives is crucial in our quest for a volume boost to 600,000 cars per year," Arp added.
Aston Martin revealed the Rapide concept at NAIAS. The four-door, high performance coupe is based on Aston Martin’s unique vertical/horizontal (VH) architecture and its design is inspired in part by the DB9 coupe.
"In terms of elegance the Rapide is adding value to the DB9’s undisputed elegance and subtle understatement," said Dr. Ulrich Bez, chairman and CEO, Aston Martin. "Our cars must look beautiful from all angles, and the four-door is very well balanced."
Another vehicle launch is Jaguar's XK convertible. Designed in parallel with the XK coupe as a model in its own right, the new XK Convertible uses the same advanced aluminum body structure technology to achieve excellent rigidity while minimizing weight. The convertible is yet another example of PAG's product revitalization in 2006, Booth said.
"The Volvo C70, the gorgeous XK and today's Aston Martin line-up are perfect examples of our improvement with every new generation," Booth said.
