Lots to see!

Ford's Canadian website has recently undergone a major update and now, not only features a full range of product information, but also plenty of consumer feedback, and even some fine Canadian art.

As soon as you first visit www.ford.ca, you'll notice the very modern approach which Ford has taken with the new and improved website. It is pleasing to the eye, extremely easy to navigate, and truthfully boasts a whole host of information available to the consumer with just a quick click of the mouse.

Everything from a "build your own vehicle" section, to, "everything you ever wanted to know about Ford's wonderful new Sync system" is at your fingertips, and now, through its new partnership with the Yahoo community, you can even browse through and read what others are saying about the company and its products.

Ford appears to have fully brought into the idea that the customer's viewpoint is a crucial part of its business, and the company is encouraging the community to share their views, whether good or bad.

Now, some might see that as a tad dangerous for an automobile company, but I see it as enlightening. After all, if you want to know how good, or how bad a company's product is, there are plenty of other websites where you can obtain that information. However, by keeping this on its own site, and building a community of faithful followers, the company has a wealth of consumer feedback at its disposal at all times.

Of course, what they do with that information is..."a story for another day"!


The art of the automobile

One of the features of the site which is bound to draw attention, or should that be, "paint attention", is the original artwork by Canadian artists who drew inspirations from various Ford products.

Ten artists were each given a different Ford vehicle and asked to create an original piece of artwork from what they personally "saw" in the vehicle. As you can imagine, no two pieces are alike. In fact, they differ quite considerably from piece to piece, or from artist to artist, you might say.

I was privileged to view these up close recently, and to read, in the artist's own words, what inspired them, and I have to say that it is truly quite an amazing achievement.

Now I don't for one moment visualize myself as a connoisseur of fine art, and if the truth be known, I probably couldn't pick out a Picasso from a Rembrandt without reading the signature. However, although each of these paintings differs enormously in style, and yet, having an understanding what inspired them, I could truly appreciate their work.


To explain that further

There was one, my favorite if I'm totally honest, which truly caught my imagination. The artist is J Allison Robichaud, who hails from Prescott, Ontario, and whose vehicle for inspiration was the new Ford Taurus. He explains that it got him thinking of the first successful production family car, the Ford Model T. He describes it as the "love affair of the car was born", and from that came a sense of pride, a new freedom to travel, to explore, to visit distant relatives, and to take far away summer vacations.

He then goes on to explain that the greatest pleasure was the Sunday afternoon drive in the country, to breathe the clean fresh air, and to possibly take in a picnic. He felt that the new Ford Taurus was a family car for the present generation, and so he painted a wonderful country scene with a river flowing alongside a roadway, with a horse in a field beside it. Basically, the perfect location for a picnic!

Now maybe I'm a country boy at heart, and I love rivers and horses, but I honestly could picture myself in the Taurus, with the family in tow, driving along that road looking for a suitable place to stop for a bite to eat. In fact, I left the event thinking to myself, it's a long time since I've been on a picnic.

Why not visit www.ford.ca and check the artwork out for yourself. I'm certain that you'll find one that grabs your imagination. Hey, but don't you all go choosing the same one as me, after all, I'd like to enjoy a nice peaceful picnic, thank you very much!