“Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Corp. raised incentives slightly on Wednesday after posting disappointing U.S. sales last month, and analysts expect the profit-eroding price war to escalate this year if the two U.S. automakers continue to lose market share,” Poornima Gupta reports for Reuters.
“Ford, which saw sales drop 5.4 percent last month, said it will offer a desktop computer from Dell Inc. with the purchase of its 2005 model-year Focus sedan,” Gupta reports.
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Buy one piece of crap, get one free. Ford needs some basic marketing advice: if you want people to believe that “quality is job one” or whatever slogan you’re using to make people think your products are reliable, nicely-designed and well-made, perhaps if you gave away award-winning iMacs or Mac minis from a company renowned for reliability, quality and design, it might rub off on you? For people that know better, Dell does nothing for Ford except reinforce Ford’s mediocre image. Of course, Ford probably gave up on selling Fords to Mac users a long, long time ago. Giving away Apple Macs with Fords instead of Dell PCs would, of course, have required thinking outside the box which has been Ford’s problem for decades now.
what morons, that won’t help them
There goes the high marks on the customer satisfaction surveys.
How will anyone be satisfied with a maleware infested Dell POS computer?
I think the buyers might be looking for them Dell’s under the hood.
get a barrelful of horse shit, get a pile of cow dung free.
Apple needs to get GM and Honda shipping their cars with Mac minis in the glove box.
Ford make crap cars – Dell makes crap pcs.
A partnership made in heaven!
God help them both.
Well, I guess I won’t be buying a Ford then. Not that I was thinking of doing so anyway.
And the relevance of this article to Macs is…?
“MacDailyNews – Where Dell News Come First” 😀
Must be really quiet day if this kind of news get through…
Next Dell will be partnering with McDonalds – I can see it now…
Buy a big mac and get some Dell crap for FREE!
I would love to see a car designed by Apple. Now that would really be something to have in the garage!
The problem with the MDN take ans all of the comments so far is that they fail to acknowledge that Ford actually does make some decent cars these days. They’re not elite/luxury cars, but they’re good competent cars alright.
The new Acuras have BT standard. The BT phones work great with them. You do not even need to take the phone out of your pocket to connect to the car controls.
If Apple can get BT working with the iPod without significant Battery Consumption, it would make communiting more enjoyable when you are in a rush.
Imports and Macs are a lot alike…smartly designed, efficient, and good looking. Why do people keep buying crap like Fords, Chevys, and Dells? Especially when time and time again it’s been proven that despite all the incentives and rebates, quality products will end up costing the consumer less? I despise the average American imbecile. I don’t know why the US is still a superpower when so many of its citizens settle so easily for mediocrity.
When quality is job 1, er, 38… 42? 50?
Ford and a Dell, somebody really asking for a one way ticket to hell
Hywel,
Not sure I understand what you’re talking about… can you elaborate?
Saturn was doing this last year. Of course getting a Dell is no real incentive, unless you was to eBay it for some (put to better use) cash.
What troubles me, is that if Ford was actually giving away a Mac Mini instead of a Dell PC, the comments in here would be the exact opposite. You’d hear things like, “What forward thinkers”… “A great computer to compliment a great car”… “Great going Ford!” and things like that. I think Ford IS dopey for giving away a Dell PC with every Ford Focus. It’s probably the cheapest Dell you can get which means most users won’t be able to do squat. But I still find it amusing how the biased people become about a company based on their promotion choises and nothing else.
Ford makes nothing but deathtraps and absolute crap. Their proud history includes the Pinto, Explorer, Focus and Crown Victoria. Dell is absolutely a perfect partner for Ford, as they’re both the cheapest garbage you can buy in their respective lines of business.
“What troubles me, is that if Ford was actually giving away a Mac Mini instead of a Dell PC, the comments in here would be the exact opposite.”
No they wouldn’t…well, at least mine wouldn’t be. I wouldn’t be caught dead owning any Ford.
Which is ironic to say because if I actually ever did own one, I’d probably end up dying in one due to it rolling over (Explorer), or the gas tank in it exploding (Crown Victoria). Their cars are horrible piles of crap and Dell is a perfect match for them to have a promotion with.
“What troubles me, is that if Ford was actually giving away a Mac Mini instead of a Dell PC, the comments in here would be the exact opposite.“
No, the reaction would be shock and dismay that Apple would associate themselves with such garbage. Note that the only automobile associations you’ve seen in recent years from Apple have been with the VW New Beetle/iPod promotion and the BMW/iPod promotion.
While I’ll agree that VW is renowned for building deathtraps, the New Beetle is a very high quality car – and very safe. The problem with BMWs is that the infamous iDrive disaster that is now being propogated throughout the entire line runs Windows CE. Shame!
MDN magic word: national …as in “Ford’s circumspect quality is a national disaster.”
They should be giving away integrated ipods.
ford could give away a 2,000 gig iPod and I still wouldn’t want to buy a focus…
Horseman: just to be clear and fair, it would be a seldom event for me to ever compliment an American car company. Chrysler is the only one doing really interesting stuff but they aren’t American any more.
Ford is also using Toby Kieth in their ads. He is great musician and I like his work, but I still dont buy Fords. Look at the car companies that Apple is working with. Aston Martin, BMW and their ilk. If Apple were to add Ford to that list, it would be good only for large exposure, not because Ford vehicles are usually anything to write home about quality wise. BUT, I do LOVE the look of the new Mustang, of course I do see the large flat grill coming back into style in many places.
Magic word “image” appropriaty enough