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GM has announced changes in its line up that seems to follow this same strategy, more trucks and their variants, ceasing production of some car models altogether.
Interesting changes in what'll be available in the years coming.
It just shows they can't keep up and compete with others in building cars.They would if they could.What are they going to do when Honda,Toyota and or others decide to make a F150 - F450 (or higher) equivalent lineup and make them better per dollar? Roll over and play dead again?
Unlike Toyota, Honda and other imported brands, Ford and GM have stopped investing money into their sedan line ups and are letting them dies on the vine while companies like Hyundai, Kia and others are flourishing.
Ford is proactively reacting to it's own failure to update and modernize it's line up.
The Ranger died on the vine while it was achieving sales records.
The Expedition has been allowed to use the same chassis / engine combo for over 15 years before it's current update.
The Taurus D3 platform has been in use since 2005 and the current Taurus since 2010 with very mild updates.
Focus is now being imported from China. The previous edition has been so horribly unreliable that Ford lost it's tale on it. What a shame, the previous edition to that was bulletproof and was a consumer reports best buy.
I'm not sipping this Koolade and I'm expanding my search next summer when we re-enter the market to buy.
NFord GETS it! Trucks outsell cars down here in Texas and always have. I personally have never owned a sedan in my life, over 55 years of driving...sedans are useless...
How can driving for less cost be useless? If money is no object to you,what about mother earth? She's the only home we have.Some drives are simply to carry us around.A small cheap car is the best way to achieve that without burning so much dirty fuel.
Hey,on a good note though,perhaps this will mean we'll get our full size parking lots back?
Killing lines which don't make enough profit is wise. Let's not forget everything is about money. Success and failure are easy to measure in dollars. None of the pared lines had a future. Mourning them is silly. If they are so wonderful everyone who misses them should start collecting.
Americans voted with their wallets. Smart businesses listen to customers, and I don't mean a few unhappy statistical outliers who think some model should be produced even if they personally aren't ready to buy them. Sedan owner demographics will move to BEVs. Not a BEV factory? Headshot the line, do not invest in anything not a sure bet, and wait for opportunity instead of thrashing trying to keep insufficiently profitable factories running. GM tried that before the bailout. Car companies do not exist to employ workers, but if they suicide trying to employ more than necessary then they employ zero workers!
Ford was wise to shed their silly acquisitions and focus on what people BUY. Halo brands and all that other guano may appeal to people with no skin in the game, but unless those people vote with their money then that's waste.
Yes, sell what they're buying. Question I have is why. Some of it is probably because of big box stores like Lowes. Used to be that you could get most stuff at local harsdware stores, lumber yards etc. So, you could make multiple short trips or get things delivered.. Also, trucks now are comfortable and reasonably easy to drive.
In 1971 the Chebby truck was the best selling vehicle in America. First time that had ever happened. (Might have been some emissions/economy exemptions that influenenced that as well).
I think that it's a shame because I prefer to drive a small car, but that's the way it is.
The Fusion is perhaps Ford's best selling sedan and it's high point was 2014. But, what Ford is doing to the Fusion right now they did to the Expedition, Ranger and Taurus. They ignored it and let it run it's course instead of updating it and keeping it exciting and desirable.
12-04-2018, 04:13 PM
