Ford is pretty serious this time. They're closing not only US plants but also ones in Mexico and Canada. Evidently they are making a push to build "edgy" cars and make a break from the more conservative designs. They are looking to have a faster development time (from concept to reality) too.
I hope it works out for them. The new 500 (even though it's name is a rehash of an old marque) seems to be a legit vehicle that can stand on its own. The Mustang is good right now. The F-series truck is not a POS.
If they can score a couple of home runs with new offerings they might be all right.
I predict the cheap-but-value-added cars to be the next big thing (the next SUVs if you will). Honda is bringing its Fit (makes a Civic look like a Caprice), Toyota is bringing the Yaris and Nisan has one too (though its name escapes me). These cars are in the <14 loaded price range.
Ford needs something other than the Festiva
to fill that segment.
Maybe the StreetKa or Fiesta? these are already on sale in the Uk...
http://www.ford.co.uk/ie/fiesta/-/-/-/-/-/-
http://www.ford.co.uk/ie/streetka/-/-/-/-/-/-
-Trevor