Now Ford is selling off its British money-draining luxury brands Jaguar and Land Rover. The ultra-high-end Aston Martin was cut loose last year.
But unlike GM, Ford doesn't have a plethora of brands to play with. Unlike Chrysler, though, Ford caught on a long time ago to the idea that quality has to be the top priority. While GM has gone further in "perceived quality," with nicer interior designs, materials and construction, for example, Ford has done a better job, overall, in reducing the problems customers experience with their cars. Also, the perceived quality of Ford cars, while not up to GM's latest work, is much improved.
Now Ford is working on establishing a strong identity for its core Ford brand and re-establishing an identity for its luxury Lincoln brand.
In terms of its domestic products, Ford's brand strategy is very similar to Toyota's. There's a broad core brand, a luxury brand and, with a narrower focus for Mercury, a smaller brand focused on capturing a specific appealing demographic.
Recently, Ford hired away the head of Toyota's Lexus division to head its global marketing initiatives. We'll have to wait to see what changes he makes, but Jim Farley's experience could play well with the new Ford.
