ENVIRONMENT

U.S. drivers want power, and Ford Motor Co. wants to give it to them.

Its newly formed Ford Performance Group, which is expected to manifest itself in trucks, SUVs and cars, was prompted by a public that has grown increasingly enamored with horsepower.

This same public equates high performance not with Detroit auto makers, but with products such as BMW AG's M cars and the AMG line offered by Mercedes-Benz, says Guido Vildozo of Massachusetts-based DRI-WEFA's Global Automotive Group.

Ford must expand its performance-oriented offerings “to win those customers back and to attract future generations,” Vildozo says.

The Ford Performance Group combines the Special Vehicle Team (SVT), Ford Racing Technology and the company's Vehicle Personalization organization.

DaimlerChrysler Corp. and General Motors Corp. this year established Performance Vehicle Operations (PVO) and GM Performance Div., respectively, to enhance their product lineups.