BMW chairman Helmut Panke:
When asked to predict the top five automakers in the world in 10 years, excluding BMW, Panke said, "I expect in 10 years we will see a Korean in the top five."
Hau Thai-Tang, Chief Engineer of the 2005 Ford Mustang, a Vietnamese Refugee:
"Just seeing the proportions — it left such a lasting effect," he said of the Mustang. "It stood for everything that was great about America." Hau's mother commented: "He was born in 1966. In the Chinese calendar, it is the year of the horse."
Jan Vulcan, a Swede, Volvo Employee, and Top Engineering Manager for the Ford Five Hundred:
"But why do you Americans need so much to drink when you drive? Europeans do not require such massive cup holders."
James Cobb, Automobile Editor of the New York Times, of the Ford Five Hundred:
"It's the oldest-looking new car in the show."
Ford Motor Co. Chairman Bill Ford, Discussing His First Year on the Job:
"It was like a highwire act without a net. But I'm actually enjoying the heck out of it at this time... seeing this battleship turn around is giving me enormous satisfaction."
J Mays, Ford Design Chief, on the Eggcrate Grille of the Lincoln Mark X Concept Car:
"It's overt, and it's in your face, and it's a little scary, and it's a little dangerous. It can be at times even a little vulgar. But I think that's sort of world we live in right now."
Henrik Fisker, Head of Ford’s Advanced Product Design in Irvine, California, on the Lincoln Mark X:
"That was pretty much done before I arrived. It’s obviously just a redone T-Bird and is strictly a show car. Had I been in Irvine earlier, it most likely wouldn’t have happened."
Jack Pitney, President of BMW's MINI Group in North America:
"If we'd listened to the market research, we'd have never done the MINI."
Mitsubishi's New CEO, Finbarr O'Neill:
"We have focused too much on the music, too much on a young, edgy urban lifestyle. In the past, we focused so much on the young that people began to think that we were selling cars just for kids. Mitsubishi will shift from targeting age groups to attitude groups. Not just the young, but the young at heart. Think spirited families, think spirited empty nesters. There are a lot of folks with spirit, with a youthful mindset. It's not about age, it's about attitude."
An Announcer, Introducing Mitsubishi's Concept Sport Truck:
"Sleek, sophisticated, and a long way from the farm."
