Ford sticks with small-car plans - Mulally banks on strategy despite F-150 marketing blitz

摘要

DETROIT - A funny thing happened on the way to the Ford F-150 pickup launch. Last summer, Ford Motor Co. delayed the debut of the re-engineered '09 model after gasoline topped USD4 a gallon. Next, Ford gave up on National Football League ads. Then gasoline prices dropped, and the sell-down of 2008 models went better than Ford expected. Industry sales of full-sized pickups were down a whopping 26.7 percent in September. But this past weekend, football watchers saw the first salvo of a barrage of commercials for the 2009 F-150. "