Remember that old saying, “What’s good for GM is good for America”? Well it seems that the UK is developing a similar ethos. “What’s good for Ford is good for the UK”. Now, this isn’t some arrogant Ford executive trying to brainwash the UK public that buying their cars is their public duty. There really is a good reason behind this. Honestly.
Easier.com reports that a Ford Fiesta is embarking on a 15,000 mile trip across 21 countries (a corporate sponsored Ford Fiesta, not just some random nutter with a lot of time on his hands). The point of the exercise is to metaphorically demonstrate the “One Ford” mantra. You know, “a global car going on a round the world trip”. But what has this exercise got to do with the UK economy?
Well, the Fiesta’s 1.6 liter petrol engine is built in Bridgend, Wales, UK. And since the Fiesta (and many other Fords) is going to be global, rather than regional, this puts more emphasis on the engine manufacturing plants in the UK as they’ll have to export more around the world while designs become more uniform.
Naturally, there was a politician to crow about this and his name was Mark Prisk, the Business Minister for the UK, “It is a great achievement for the UK that nearly a third of all cars built by Ford globally will have an engine that’s been designed and built by Ford in the UK. It’s a good example of the UK as a world class manufacturing base that can successfully export over the world.”
Ford didn’t shy away from the PR circus. “Ford’s UK operations are vital to our global strategy and they draw on an engineering resource that has tremendous potential to expand.” said Jon Greenwell, Chairman of Ford UK. Now don’t get me wrong, this is good news for the UK economy. We need to bring back manufacturing after the disastrous attempt to be “financial engineers.” But the cynical side of me thinks this is all filler. After all, if Ford can contemplate building cars in China and exporting them, then I’m pretty sure they’ll pack up the engine hub in the UK and ship it to a lower cost country the moment their exchange rate becomes more favorable. But no worries there. The US dollar still buys a lot of pounds. And engines.
This is PR male bovine organic excrement.
1) The engines for the Fiesta are not going to be built in the UK only.
2) As global as it may be, it will have to suit local standards, when they differ.
3) Down here in Latam, the Fiesta is the old one or something looking like that.
4) We need to bring back manufacturing after the disastrous attempt to be “financial engineers.” For sure. Wealth is generated by designing and/or manufacturing goods, or lets say it better, adding value to _________ .
5) IIRC the US Fiesta doesn’t use an UK built motor.
Hola Stingray!
Yeah, from what I know all cars sold in the Americas (and maybe elsewhere) will have their engines built right here, in a city adjacent to my hometown in Brazil.
Politicians, the world over, love blowing such ill-informed horsesh** knowing (hoping?) their audience is as illiterate as they are.
Cammy,here in Brazil we also get the old Fiesta, too. How’s about that Figo in India? Do you still have either? One Ford my bum!
I love the ‘global’ car tag; US doesn’t get the 3-door; Rest of World doesn’t get our 4-door sedan. Focus will be the same thing probably, without the cool little wagon making it to the US. I understand the whole ‘no one in the US will buy hatchbacks’, but some of us would…..One should look at the Mazda UK site; their 2 Takuya model is pretty cool.
“What’s good for GM is good for America”
Cammy, that’s a misquote of “Engine” Charlie Wilson.
What he really said was:
“… for years I thought what was good for the country was good for General Motors and vice versa.”
That misquotation is a pet peeve of mine because it makes it seem like a man who was a genuine patriot put his business before his country. Over the years, the misquotation has been used to imply that GM is a selfish multinational company, putting itself before America, and that’s the exact opposite of what Wilson, a genuine patriot who served his country in vital capacities, actually said.
He had been president of GM, then head of the War Production Board during WWII, then CEO of GM. President Eisenhower nominated Wilson to become his Secy of Defense. Wilson, having overseen the conversion of US industry to war production during the war, realized that in the next war the US could not afford the time to convert to military materiel and he was a staunch advocate of a dedicated defense industry – in many ways Wilson was the father of the modern American defense industry.
He was a logical choice for SoD, but at the time of his nomination he owned a considerable number of shares of General Motors stock, having worked for the company or subsidiaries his entire life. Some senators wanted him to divest that stock if he became Secretary. GM was an important military supplier and there was a potential conflict of interest. During his confirmation hearings, which were classified and not open to the public due to sensitive security matters discussed, a senator asked him if Wilson could make a decision as defense secretary that would go against GM’s interest. Wilson replied affirmatively, but that he couldn’t imagine a case where that might happen “because for years I thought what was good for the country was good for General Motors and vice versa.”
More here.
One reason for the common misquotation, besides people wanting to slam GM or business in general, was the hearing’s secrecy. After the hearing there were different accounts of what Wilson said, but the declassified transcripts show that Wilson put his country first.
The one and only new car I bought before leaving the UK (a 2008 Ford KA) had the engine made in Dagenham (East London), shipped to Belgium, put into the rest of the car, and then the whole thing was shipped back to the UK…
I’m sure it ticks various financial boxes for Ford, but I still don’t quite understand it.
“The US dollar still buys a lot of pounds”
Well, almost 0.611 of a Pound at the present moment.