Ford to stop selling cars in North America
 

I wish that title was just a troll, but apparently Ford is going to stop selling all sedans/hatches in the US except the Mustang and a newly announced "Focus Active" in order to focus on trucks, SUVs and crossovers:

https://techcrunch.com/2018/04/25/fo...us-active/amp/

Blech. Ford just went from my second favorite car company to whatever place is behind FCA.

Blame the consumer.

Whaaaattt??? This can't be true...

Sell stuff that actually makes money.
What an idea.

How do they plan to meet CAFE standards? They will have to sell a $#!tload of the two sedans they have left!

Because CAFE is corporate averages their other divisions, such as Lincoln, which will still sell sedans, will probably count toward their fleet average.

F-150 diesel is expected to get 30mpg...

Still sucks that cars are being phased out. On the flip side, most small crossovers only sit 1-2” taller than most regular sedans anyways. “Cross over” is just a buzzword for 4 door hatch at this point.

https://jalopnik.com/ford-will-phase...cussion-region

This says the Focus Active will be a crossover like the Subaru Crosstrek.

With the lift and larger, wider wheels the Crosstrek loses 4mpg highway on the Impreza... 37->33
https://fueleconomy.gov/feg/Find.do?...38891&id=38695

Oh well. Maybe there will be several diptarded cross-overs that, should regulatory or market pressures demand it, can be easily lowered, roof-rack deleted, and highway tire-added back to normalcy at the factory.

More likely they'll pull the trigger on an emergency sheetmetal package for the Mustang and drop in a 4 cyl from Europe if they have a sudden emergency.

With the Focus Active being a Crossover, the Mustang will literally be their only "car". Do crossovers count as cars or trucks toward fuel economy standards?

Well to be honest nobody buys Ford's sedans anyways and they are in a money crunch. Just looking around my company parking lot its about 80% trucks and SUVs and what isnt is an Acura a focus hyundai etc...
the Fusion and Taurus suck and the interiors suck as well. I'd much rather buy a japanese car and have a domestic SUV if I were buying.
People would rather complain about gas prices than actually buy a hybrid or small sedan is what it seems like.
I even talk to girls and their response to what vehicle they want goes something like this: well im going to get a crossover because its easier to get out of and its bigger. Like oh okay... ��

"The Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) Standards set for model years (MY) 2011 through 2016 include small, 2-wheel drive sport utility vehicles (SUVs) with cars instead of light trucks. Until this regulation, all SUVs were categorized as light trucks, along with pickups and vans."

https://www.energy.gov/eere/vehicles...cars-or-trucks

https://www.greencarreports.com/news...ck-do-you-care

Yep, I found out yesterday. Absolutely disgusting. All that effort to reduce drag goes in the trash if you increase the frontal area of your vehicles by 20%. Consumers just HAVE TO HAVE that tall vehicle so they can "see over the other vehicles", even though all the other vehicles are now tall so no one can see anything.

I've said it before...

That and suicidal utility vehicles and crossunders....

My V6 accord is rated for 27 MPG highway, now I have done some modding to it to get better mileage, but it was still rated for 27 highway. My mom's Mazda CX-5 CROSSUNDER with the 2.5 auto was rated for 32 highway. That is a significant increase, on paper anyway. I have taken the CX-5 on my highway commute, and I could only get 43 MPG. 44-45 MPG is pretty regular for my V6 accord on the same trip. The CX-5 can get incredible mileage around town, and under 50 mph, but it suffers on the highway because its just so big.


I'm really surprised they are killing the fusion though, I would have thought that one would stick around for sure. I don't see many focuses around, fiestas yes, but not focuses. Not sure why they decided to keep that one.

Add me to the list of boosers.

That being said, I really like my Mirage, and it is kind of a micro SUV... Definitely could be shorter and more aerodynamic.

Seems like this decision is coming just in time for rising gas prices. Sortof like GM and the last recession / gas spike.

On the other hand, Ford would not be anywhere near the top of my list for sedans anyway, so I can see some sense in it.

I don't believe sedans would be really missed by the mainstream car buyer, but anyway I must confess I'm quite surprised by that move. Well, let's see if Ford would ultimately bring the Focus SW back to America even if it's in a fake off-road trim...

I think the real problem is it doesn't cost that much less to build a small sedan as it costs to build a small crossover. Consumers balk at a $25,000 price tag on a small sedan but pay it on a small crossover. So every small sedan is basically a loss and the old "get them on the lot to upsell the customer" probably doesn't work as well today. So the Mustang is good because it also sells for around $25000 in basic form while costing the same as a Focus to make. Basically the question isn't for Ford as much as it is for the consumer, would you pay $22,000 for a basic Focus?

I'd take a sedan or hatchback any day over any kind of crossover. But then again I'm a fuel efficiency nerd.

Not that I cared much about Ford products anyway.

I still see a lot of sedans on the road today; doesn't make sense why they would drop them. I mean, you can only have so many SUVs...people still buy cars.

meh.



...it's no loss to me, nothing they offer ever appealed to me on any level.

Not just Ford
 

Other manufacturers recently dropping small cars in favour of CUV's / SUV's...

Fiat/Chrysler: has cancelled the Dart & 200

GM: cancelling Sonic as of 2018 & Spark (2019 is the rumour); cancelled Buick Verano compact sedan a year ago.

Hyundai: cancelled Accent hatchback (sedan remains)

I'm sure there are others on the chhopping block.

Ironically, the ads I'm seeing on this page right now are for the 4-door Jeep Wrangler. :D

Boozers? Boosters? Is that pro or con?

What would be cool is if is a retro-1960 Falcon. The circle of life would be complete. :thumbup: I took Drivers Ed in one.

At least in a 3rd-world country like mine, there is demand for both bodystyles. Well, with most of the cheaper cars available here being hatchbacks, even a small sedan may sometimes been regarded somewhat more aspirational than its hatchback counterpart.

Mullally must be thinking about this.

I do find it weird. I really think (contrary to some) that Ford had one of the best lineups of what we think of as cars on the market. The Fusion looked and felt baller (I drove a company Fusion, it was quite nice). Focus is getting long in the tooth but nothing a redesign can't handle. Fiesta is already kinda dead and didn't sell well, and I think there's good reason for that. Their hybrids have also been (too) quietly perhaps the second best on the market behind Toyota.

But as much as I've appreciated Ford through the years, I'll ghost them in an instant for this. OK so I was impressed that I averaged mid-30s in a 2.0EB Escape. But I don't want an escape. I want a car. Preferably a convertible or a wagon. An SUV company doesn't do that.

It kind of seems like this is proceeding according to plan. They neglect small cars and promote trucks and SUVs. People buy fewer and fewer and then they need to drop them!

American automakers: always one step ahead (and yes, that was sarcasm):

Oil prices could keep rising. Here's why

The next gen Focus was just unveiled (Euro spec).

I'm sure they can parachute small cars in from other markets if & when they need to (another energy shock).

Now with fewer windows and seats (Up yours, North America!) Look at This Cute Little Ford Fiesta Panel Van - The Drive

But they DIDN'T neglect small cars! They spent billions developing them for Duhmericans that didn't want them.

Balderdash. Every other post I make on here is how phenomenal the Fusion is. How does it suck? It does everything pretty darn well, and has the good looks of an Aston Martin. The interior could look nicer, but then the car could also cost more.

How the heck are you getting 43 MPG? I've got a 2017 and as you can see, I'm averaging about 29 MPG. I don't drive over 65 MPH, and employ all of the normal best practices for conserving fuel while not disrupting traffic flows.

I'm with you on the Fusion. Best vehicle they have by a mile.

That was just for one trip, just making sure you know that. That was tires aired up to 40 PSI(their usual), no A/C use at all, coasting in neutral, dwl, not exceeding 55 mph except for coasting, ect. Of course it does the stupid torque converter thing where you have to accelerate after shifting back into drive from neutral to get it to lock up so you can have engine braking/DFCO, which complicates things, but I made it work.

That Fiesta Panel Van is pretty sweet.

They develop small cars with a focus (no pun intended) on Europe and Asia, and the leftovers are dumped in Latin America and Africa...

The key detail here:

Why sell something that you lose money on?

The next question, why do they lose money on it? Well, more and more safety requirements keep getting mandated while ever more stringent fuel economy standards are adopted. I remember reading an SAE report a few years back that the CAFE requirements could be met, but there were significant costs for each incremental increase. The question posed back then was if consumers would accept the cost increase.

This decision by Ford clearly indicates the answer. No.

I'm guessing the opinions on this forum are largely meaningless. Why? How many of us actually buy new cars? I honestly don't see how anyone can afford them. Car loans now commonly exceed eight years! I'm not surprised here at all.

Do you guys agree with Frank that Ford spent billions developing small cars when large vehicles have a larger profit margin?

Frankly, I'd be worried more if Tesla would stop selling sedans.
In the long run ICE cars will be phased out. It is a sign of the times.
The dinosaurs will all die out even if they are getting bigger now.
Who cares which kind of dinosaur is first to go?

You know what? Maybe that opens the door for Chevy to keep producing the Volt. Or at least the Malibu hybrid.

I can't believe Ford loses anything in the Fiesta and the Focus on a global basis, even though the full-scale production in the entire American continent might not justify at all. Well, there is some friendly fire from the Ka/Figo against the Fiesta in Latin America, plus the market share of sedans and hatchbacks on the Focus' size class is also diminishing in countries such as Brazil. When it comes to the Fusion/Mondeo, since its production for our continent is concentrated in Mexico, I must confess it surprises me that Ford claims to have losses on it.

I wonder how steel and aluminum tariffs and the threat of them may have changed the long range calculus. If they have to switch to domestic suppliers at higher prices, the cars they already contend are losses and those not very profitable might get the ax.