Is the public sending a message?

In what can only be described as good news for Ford it was recently reported that sales improved dramatically. A few of the highlights as reported by Ford

* Ford, Lincoln and Mercury February sales up 43 percent versus year ago and 22 percent higher than January

* Ford brand sales up 46 percent versus year ago, Lincoln up 19 percent and Mercury up 24 percent

* Cars up 54 percent versus year ago, utilities up 39 percent and trucks up 36 percent

* Ford's U.S. market share for February estimated at 17 percent, up 3 percentage points versus a year ago

* Retail sales up 28 percent versus a year ago; fleet sales normalizing - up 74 percent versus last February's depressed levels

Ford put a corporate spin on these results. "The strength of our new products and Ford's leadership in quality, fuel efficiency, safety, smart design and value are resonating with customers," said Ken Czubay, Ford vice president, U.S. Marketing Sales and Service.  "The good news is we have even more new products and fuel-efficient power trains coming this year, and we expect our progress to continue."

Its all good for Ford as both Toyota and General Motors face major recall problems and issues with certain of their models.

But clearly we must wonder what impact Ford's refusal to go along with government bailouts and takeovers had on consumers. Many customers and potential customers respect the decision made by the management team at Ford to fight it out in the marketplace without government help.

Clearly, the public is rooting for Ford and it appears many are looking for reasons to support free enterprise and capitalism by buying a Ford product.  That positive consumer sentiment coupled with some really good products in the marketplace has produced very positive results for Ford. We completely understand and encourage anyone looking to purchase a new vehicle to strongly consider a Ford product.

Good going Ford. We're rooting for you.