Do you remember when Ford had the best selling car in America? It wasn't that long ago.
The Taurus through the 80's and into the 90's was the class leader. Camry and Accord were struggling to catch up as was GM. At one point Ford had the best selling truck(F serires), compact truck(Ranger), midsize sedan(Taurus) and compact (Escort). The Mustang always sold well compared to it's competition Camaro/Firebird even during the Mustang II years.
So what happened? How did Ford loose the confidence of the buyers? I know that some of those sales were fleet sales, but that doesn't explain the situation. Why did Ford allow the Taurus to degrade to the point they need two models (FiveHundred/Fusion) to replace it? How did the Focus, a great little car, loose market share the Escort held? Even though the trucks do well, why is Ford letting the Ranger rot in a stagnant funk?
What should Ford do to reclaim it's once high position? What do you think? What do you want to see out of a new Ford lineup? Should some of the models I've discussed(Fiesta, EcoSport, Falcon/Fairmont) be introduced to the US market? How about some of the concepts we've seen(427, Continental, Makr X) should they be brought to market? Is a rear wheel drive car like the Chrysler LX platform important for Ford? What about the Panther platform, Crown Victoria, Grand Marquis, Marauder and Town Car, are they important?
I don't know how many people actually read this blog, but if you are a regular reader, I'd love to hear your opinion. Either post a comment here or email me directly at myforddreams@aol.com
I think I've made my position clear, Ford has the tools to fix the problem. What do you think?
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2 comments:
guess I should have read this first, but I obviously agree with you on platforms.
Ford needs to build attractive cars with high quality and sell them at a reasonable price. They have been donig 2 out of 3 fairly consistenly--attactive and cheap, or attractive and high quality, but getting all three is elusive.
Ford needs a mid-sized hit (Fusion?), a good selling cross-over (Edge?), and less reliance on big SUVs and pickup trucks to turn profit.
Unfortunately, this means that we are likely to see more Fords built in Canada, Mexico, and eventually, China. Many US plants will be closed.
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