[lesmore49]

I was surprised at the headline of a couple of months ago, when the FoMoCo announced they will stop making cars...sedans, coupes, etc...except for the Mustang.

I wonder if this is a good idea. By that I mean that many families have needs for more than one vehicle and different types of vehicles...pickups, SUV/CUV's...yes even a car...a little 4 door or large 4 door sedan. Brand loyalty being what it is...what will some people do...if they need a sedan and they're a long time Ford buyer ?

I wonder if dropping cars pretty well completely is a good idea. Shortly after the announcement in late April, gas prices started to rise quickly in North America, due to OPEC...an organization whose decisions are made beyond the borders of North America. This rise in fuel costs was unrelated to Ford dropping cars. But if FoMoCo has no cars to sell...cars generally being capable of the better MPG as opposed to trucks....is Ford making a bad decision in not having fuel economical vehicles (cars) to compete for sale if there is a downturn in the economy in the future and fuel prices continue to escalate ? Also don't large automotive companies have to meet general fuel economy targets set by the US Federal authorities and the companies are able to meet those fuel MPG general targets through the better MPG of cars...which tends to balance out the higher fuel consumption of truck like vehicles...pickups, SUV's, CUV's, etc. ?

Are they (Ford) cutting out a complete segment, wisely ? Will old customers who want a car, just go to another manufacturers? Possibly off shore manufacturers who continue to make and offer cars, sedans, etc. ?

Will new, young customers (youth market) who generally start off with economical vehicles such as small cars, sometimes become brand loyal and eventually...when they can afford them...get larger vehicles (trucks) from the company they became brand loyal with when they were young ?
For example, will new young buyers go somewhere else and buy say a new Toyota Corolla sedan as no new Ford sedans are available in the future , become brand loyal to Toyota and eventually get larger Toyotas...possibly trucks, SUV's...when they become older and less impoverished ? Makes me think of the old salesman adage...'you can't sell from an empty wagon.'


Will cutting out a whole segment...cars..enable Ford to provide more options on the vehicles they will make...trucks, SUV/CUV, etc...will Ford's concentration on the remaining vehicles they make allow Ford to improve the truck lines...as they will be able to direct their car engineers over to the truck lines ?

Will dropping the car lines go down in history....as one of Ford's better ideas ?

I dunno, I don't have the answers...I was to a degree shocked...a bit... that Ford would cut out it's car lines, except the Mustang...after all these years of cars...from the Model T to the Taurus. Perhaps Ford has made a brilliant decision and other manufacturers will follow ?

We shall see as the vehicle universe unfolds in the fullness of time, my son....to paraphrase actor George Cole as the lead character 'Arfur' , in the British TV series 'Minder'.

What a great TV series that was, but I digress.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact...ed_7r4oNIispiI

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Last edited by lesmore49; 06-25-2018 at 10:41 AM.

[bertwert]

I don't personally mind, they didn't run anyways...

You Tube

You Tube

[twilhelm]

I look at it this way; Ford saw the automotive crisis coming before it happened and made plans for it. They were the only American automotive company that was able to turn down any government funding. I believe they are looking forward at what projected car sales are going to be. I don’t believe the current trend is allowing enough of a profit on car sales volume to continue all of the lines, especially when foreign manufacturers can seem to build the same cars more economically.

[lesmore49]

I look at it this way; Ford saw the automotive crisis coming before it happened and made plans for it. They were the only American automotive company that was able to turn down any government funding. I believe they are looking forward at what projected car sales are going to be. I don’t believe the current trend is allowing enough of a profit on car sales volume to continue all of the lines, especially when foreign manufacturers can seem to build the same cars more economically.

Interesting reading regarding Ford's financial condition in 2008. It wasn't rosy and Ford had actually planned to ask for federal funding as per GM and Chrysler, but decided not to. It wasn't so much about Ford making 'plans' .


http://https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=16&cad=...1EN0Sn3ygI4PnD

[clackers]

Interesting reading regarding Ford's financial condition in 2008. It wasn't rosy and Ford had actually planned to ask for federal funding as per GM and Chrysler, but decided not to. It wasn't so much about Ford making 'plans' .


http://https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=16&cad=...1EN0Sn3ygI4PnD

Well, they practically mortgaged their own headquarters and factories or similar didn't they?

They didn't ask for the taxpayer to save them, IIRC.

[twilhelm]

Interesting reading regarding Ford's financial condition in 2008. It wasn't rosy and Ford had actually planned to ask for federal funding as per GM and Chrysler, but decided not to. It wasn't so much about Ford making 'plans' .


http://https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=16&cad=...1EN0Sn3ygI4PnD

I remember an interview with the CEO who had stated they saw it coming and had made plans, which as clackers said, included finding their own loans. The automotive industry as a whole was in bad shape, but yes, they did speak with the federal government about the "bail out" money and decided their own plan was better for the company as a whole.

---------- Post added 06-25-2018 at 02:35 PM ----------

The other thing I found interesting, is Chevrolet is going to start dropping some of their car lines also. This may be rumor, but my agency purchases about 100 vehicles each year. We were told the Taurus, which has become the staple of our fleet (over 300 of them) will cease next year. We also have Impalas, which Chevrolet has informed us will cease either next year or the following year.

[lesmore49]

I remember an interview with the CEO who had stated they saw it coming and had made plans, which as clackers said, included finding their own loans. The automotive industry as a whole was in bad shape, but yes, they did speak with the federal government about the "bail out" money and decided their own plan was better for the company as a whole.

---------- Post added 06-25-2018 at 02:35 PM ----------

The other thing I found interesting, is Chevrolet is going to start dropping some of their car lines also. This may be rumor, but my agency purchases about 100 vehicles each year. We were told the Taurus, which has become the staple of our fleet (over 300 of them) will cease next year. We also have Impalas, which Chevrolet has informed us will cease either next year or the following year.

Are your Taurus/Impalas Police package vehicles ? With the drop of the Ford Taurus / Interceptor and old style Impala, I think that police package vehicles in the future...in North America... will either be the Dodge Charger sedan (getting long in the tooth) , but more likely Ford Explorer SUV platforms...or maybe GM will look at developing a police package Chevy Blazer...a newer style SUV package (similar to the Explorer) being introduced as a 2019 model.

Interesting times we live in.

[gaweidert]

I have had a Taurus, fusion and an Escape for Company cars. All worked good but the Escape was the most uncomfortable of the lot. I never could get a comfortable driving position in it. Not that much fun when you are logging 30,000 miles a year in it. The Ford Edge I had as a personal vehicle was the most comfortable distance driving vehicle I ever owned.

[jpzk]

FoMoCo announced they will stop making cars...sedans, coupes, etc...except for the Mustang.

They might as well, as far as I am concerned:
Ford Focus 2012 with the "great" automatic transmission - which is supposedly a mix between a manual and automatic tranny .... pure hell !!
Needed to:
1. be recalibrated --- shaking and missing "gears" suddenly and brutally.
2. needed to replace the entire mechanism which drives the "mixture" ...
3. be recalibrated again ... same problems reoccurred a while back.
(4. will need further inspection/calibration/replacement.)
Glad they had agreed to do all this stuff for "free" (that has been a widely known recall) but it's a real PITA !
A colleague of mine has been having the exact same problem.

Then, I hear, through from friends and acquaintances who own a F150 truck that they love their truck. ... good for them but I am not in the market for a truck so Ford will soon be a thing of the past for me/us.
Never, never again.

[twilhelm]

Are your Taurus/Impalas Police package vehicles ? With the drop of the Ford Taurus / Interceptor and old style Impala, I think that police package vehicles in the future...in North America... will either be the Dodge Charger sedan (getting long in the tooth) , but more likely Ford Explorer SUV platforms...or maybe GM will look at developing a police package Chevy Blazer...a newer style SUV package (similar to the Explorer) being introduced as a 2019 model.

Interesting times we live in.

We are. The Impalas have been a real PITA since 2014, especially the AC units and cooling system. It’s not likely we will go to the Chargers, most talk has been a mix of Explorers, Expeditions and trucks. The Tahoe is a popular agency vehicle here, but we only have a few as service has been an issue.

My personal vehicles include a Ford F-150 and a Fusion, which is a really good car. We use to have a couple of Explorers, back when they had transmission issues. We may get another when it’s time to trade the Fusion.

The interesting thing about the Explorer patrol vehicles is it’s the exact same vehicle as the Taurus but with a different body. Every part under the skin is interchangeable.

[SSGGeezer]

Are your Taurus/Impalas Police package vehicles ? With the drop of the Ford Taurus / Interceptor and old style Impala, I think that police package vehicles in the future...in North America... will either be the Dodge Charger sedan (getting long in the tooth) , but more likely Ford Explorer SUV platforms...or maybe GM will look at developing a police package Chevy Blazer...a newer style SUV package (similar to the Explorer) being introduced as a 2019 model.

Interesting times we live in.

Ford is getting sued due to horrible exhaust leaks in the Maine State Police's Explorers that appear to be causing some cases of CO poisoning. When the Police are doing traffic work , they have the vehicle running, especially in the winter. Brrr!

[twilhelm]

Ford is getting sued due to horrible exhaust leaks in the Maine State Police's Explorers that appear to be causing some cases of CO poisoning. When the Police are doing traffic work , they have the vehicle running, especially in the winter. Brrr!

This is in the Ecoboost (turbo charged) models. All of ours our naturally aspirated and haven't been an issue. (Ours don't get turned off in the summer here in Florida very often)

[SSGGeezer]

Exhaust manifold cracks sound like the excess heat in the turbo models should not be that different. Sounds more like poor castings and the problem is more widespread then the original lawsuit covers.

[MarkJerling]

I don't personally mind, they didn't run anyways...


Dear Mr Ford--Buddy Wasisname - YouTube

At 1 minute 2 seconds, there's a Chev.

[Tom S.]

At 1 minute 2 seconds, there's a Chev.

That's not the bad part. The song is about a van - not a pick up truck.