Ford sets best-in-class quality targets on all-new global small vehicles

12 August 2008

Mumbai:  Ford Motor Company has set an aggressive new target to achieve best-in-class initial quality for compact cars to be launched in North America in 2010.

As part of its product-led transformation, Ford has announced plans to convert three light truck plants to produce small vehicles, paving the way to sell several European-designed small vehicles in North America. 

Ford targets best-in-class initial quality for Ford Focus and other compact-sized vehicles built off new global C-car platform for the North American market in 2010.

Speaking at the Centre for Automotive Research's management briefing seminar in Traverse City, Bennie Fowler, Ford's group vice president, global quality, said,  the company will meet this aggressive quality target in the midst of its "One Ford" transformation that includes globalised product development and manufacturing operations. 

The company is following a set of standardised processes around the world in product development, manufacturing and purchasing to ensure world-class quality, he added.

In 2007, best-in-class initial quality in the small car segment was 1,058 things gone wrong, while the industry average was 1,512.