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This refers to sedans and coupes, excluding crossovers, trucks, SUVs, and commercial vehicles. But it does appear they will create new "silhouettes" between ca

This refers to sedans and coupes, excluding crossovers, trucks, SUVs, and commercial vehicles. But it does appear they will create new "silhouettes" between cars and crossovers. From the Press Release [1]: > Building a winning portfolio and focusing on products and markets where Ford can win. For example, by 2020, almost 90 percent of the Ford portfolio in North America will be trucks, utilities and commercial vehicles. Given declining consumer demand and product profitability, the company will not invest in next generations of traditional Ford sedans for North America. Over the next few years, the Ford car portfolio in North America will transition to two vehicles – the best-selling Mustang and the all-new Focus Active crossover coming out next year. The company is also exploring new “white space” vehicle silhouettes that combine the best attributes of cars and utilities, such as higher ride height, space and versatility. [1] https://media.ford.com/content/dam/fordmedia/North%20America/US/2018/04/25/1q18-financials.pdf https://media.ford.com/content/dam/fordmedia/North%20America... EDIT: The press release from which all this interest is coming may only refer to Ford North America's development goals. Ford Europe is almost a different company and is responsible for most (all?) of the Focus and Fiesta's development. Perhaps Ford NA will stop bringing new sedans/coupes to market (excepting Mustang and Active) and simply import the smaller vehicles.

snowwrestler 8y ago
> vehicle silhouettes that combine the best attributes of cars and utilities, such as higher ride height, space and versatility Subaru has been successful in this zone for decades. In fact I'd hazard to say that they set the standard for this and would be the point of comparison if Ford launches a model like that.
- nhebb 8y ago
  4WD Ranchero? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Ranchero https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Ranchero
  - jdhn 8y ago
    One can hope! Perhaps they'll remake the Ranchero on the Escape or new Ranger platform.
- chiefalchemist 8y ago
  As a part-time Vermonter I'd also attribute Subaru's (niche) success to it being one of the first to fully embrace 4WD/AWD. Yes, along with functional body styles, as well as general higher quality. You don't buy a Subaru to impress anyone. And that's precisely the point ;)
  - StudentStuff 8y ago
    Subarus are very popular in Seattle, though there are two distinct groups that own them, those that want to get over the mountain passes without chains (skiers and the like), and less clued in people that just like the style. Most of the latter group wish they'd never bought a Subaru after a few years, as the repairs can be eyewatering when your head gasket go, followed by a shoddy repair at your local stealership that wrecks your engine. Even when a head gasket replacement goes well, the gasket will degrade again in due time and your right back where you started. 300k miles in a newer Subaru without major work just isn't common.
    - Gibbon1 8y ago
      Subaru answers a question. Q: Can people be happy with a car that requires a $2500 repair at 100,000 miles. A: Yes As on I know multiple people that bought a Subaru, had to replace the head gaskets. And then later bought another Subaru. And they're happy.
      - bruceb 8y ago
        $2500 is on the low end, some shops in the Seattle area with everything you are looking at near $4k.
        Gibbon1 8y ago
        Head gaskets are a 8-10 hour job, my mechanics shop rate is $120/hr in SF. A friend had her Subaru engine replaced for $4 in north bay. I'm never going to take my car into get fixed in Seattle.
      - 8y ago
nodesocket 8y ago
For $F to stop selling trucks in North America would be financial suicide. They sell on average an F series every 30 seconds. F series numbers for 2018 are trending up, with this March being the largest March month they've had in five years[1]. Not to mention, trucks are really expensive. A nice loaded F-150 can easily cost $40k and above. [1] http://fordauthority.com/fmc/ford-motor-company-sales-numbers/ford-sales-numbers/ford-f-series-sales-numbers/ http://fordauthority.com/fmc/ford-motor-company-sales-number...
- drag0nballz 8y ago
  They are not. F150, SUVs, Crossovers still selling. Headline was a bit off
  - nodesocket 8y ago
    Yes, I was making the point they would not stop selling trucks. Typical TechCrunch writing misleading headlines to get clicks.
    - whistlerbrk 8y ago
      Disagree. People who drive trucks do not consider them a subset of cars. That's why it's the automotive industry not the car industry.
      - solarkraft 8y ago
        This. Automotive industry media in general had me confused with the terms. "SUVs" are absolutely cars. Most utility vehicles are cars. Even "passenger cars". Dumb terminology but TC is perfectly in line with the industry.
        drag0nballz 8y ago
        Not just them but my buddy calls his Jeep SUV a "truck". Some of this is history. I have an original Jeep Cherokee which is built on a truck platform. His is a Grand, which is built on a car platform. I'm always like, yours is a car, mine's a truck. Then I realize this is dumb to argue about. Just a bad headline.
LyndsySimon 8y ago
I would strongly consider buying a domestic “Ute”. Here’s hoping they do it right.
- solarkraft 8y ago
  I doubt it will happen. The Ute was also still made by GM ...
megaman22 8y ago
Ford basically makes all of their money on the F-series pickups, and the Escape/Explorer/Expedition SUV series. One thing I've never quite understood is how Ford has managed to maintain a stranglehold on the police department market for my entire lifetime. Crown Victorias were ubiquitous until just a few years ago, and now seem to be universally replaced with Explorers. Outside of a few state highway patrol units that use Mustangs or Dodge Chargers.
- u801e 8y ago
  In the '80s and early '90s, a lot of police departments were using the Chevrolet Caprice as their main vehicle.
  - userbinator 8y ago
    That's another big sedan with a powerful engine and good reliability and parts availability, the latter three points being very desirable to police.
- jstarfish 8y ago
  It's not just Ford, the Chevy Impala and Dodge Intrepid were also popular PD picks. Whether they use cars vs SUV is an interesting division. Some departments in rural areas only have SUVs (since they have a lot of unpaved roads), while some departments in suburban areas issue SUVs to captains only. It varies by state, city and department, but the one thing they all have in common is that they only buy domestic.
- cat199 8y ago
  > Crown Victorias were ubiquitous until just a few years ago these were also in one form or another the standard for any sort of livery - taxis were very often Crown Victorias, sedan-style limos used lincon continentals which were basically the same car only the luxury version.. not an expert, but personally I think this is basically a lineage of domestically produced V8 sedans going back to the dawn of automotive times; the large installed base and relatively decent reliability / price / passenger size meant they had a good balance of functionality and lots of of parts, trained mechanics, etc. around. they were also the standard issue car of retired americans :B probably plus union influence. IIRC the last plant making the basic chassis (winsor ontario) for these was restructured out of existence as a result of the gov't intervention following the 2008 crisis.
deleted 8y ago
[deleted]

snowwrestler 8y ago

> vehicle silhouettes that combine the best attributes of cars and utilities, such as higher ride height, space and versatility Subaru has been successful in this zone for decades. In fact I'd hazard to say that they set the standard for this and would be the point of comparison if Ford launches a model like that.

nhebb 8y ago
4WD Ranchero? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Ranchero https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Ranchero
- jdhn 8y ago
  One can hope! Perhaps they'll remake the Ranchero on the Escape or new Ranger platform.
chiefalchemist 8y ago
As a part-time Vermonter I'd also attribute Subaru's (niche) success to it being one of the first to fully embrace 4WD/AWD. Yes, along with functional body styles, as well as general higher quality. You don't buy a Subaru to impress anyone. And that's precisely the point ;)
- StudentStuff 8y ago
  Subarus are very popular in Seattle, though there are two distinct groups that own them, those that want to get over the mountain passes without chains (skiers and the like), and less clued in people that just like the style. Most of the latter group wish they'd never bought a Subaru after a few years, as the repairs can be eyewatering when your head gasket go, followed by a shoddy repair at your local stealership that wrecks your engine. Even when a head gasket replacement goes well, the gasket will degrade again in due time and your right back where you started. 300k miles in a newer Subaru without major work just isn't common.
  - Gibbon1 8y ago
    Subaru answers a question. Q: Can people be happy with a car that requires a $2500 repair at 100,000 miles. A: Yes As on I know multiple people that bought a Subaru, had to replace the head gaskets. And then later bought another Subaru. And they're happy.
    - bruceb 8y ago
      $2500 is on the low end, some shops in the Seattle area with everything you are looking at near $4k.
      - Gibbon1 8y ago
        Head gaskets are a 8-10 hour job, my mechanics shop rate is $120/hr in SF. A friend had her Subaru engine replaced for $4 in north bay. I'm never going to take my car into get fixed in Seattle.
    - 8y ago

nodesocket 8y ago

For $F to stop selling trucks in North America would be financial suicide. They sell on average an F series every 30 seconds. F series numbers for 2018 are trending up, with this March being the largest March month they've had in five years[1]. Not to mention, trucks are really expensive. A nice loaded F-150 can easily cost $40k and above. [1] http://fordauthority.com/fmc/ford-motor-company-sales-numbers/ford-sales-numbers/ford-f-series-sales-numbers/ http://fordauthority.com/fmc/ford-motor-company-sales-number...

drag0nballz 8y ago
They are not. F150, SUVs, Crossovers still selling. Headline was a bit off
- nodesocket 8y ago
  Yes, I was making the point they would not stop selling trucks. Typical TechCrunch writing misleading headlines to get clicks.
  - whistlerbrk 8y ago
    Disagree. People who drive trucks do not consider them a subset of cars. That's why it's the automotive industry not the car industry.
    - solarkraft 8y ago
      This. Automotive industry media in general had me confused with the terms. "SUVs" are absolutely cars. Most utility vehicles are cars. Even "passenger cars". Dumb terminology but TC is perfectly in line with the industry.
      - drag0nballz 8y ago
        Not just them but my buddy calls his Jeep SUV a "truck". Some of this is history. I have an original Jeep Cherokee which is built on a truck platform. His is a Grand, which is built on a car platform. I'm always like, yours is a car, mine's a truck. Then I realize this is dumb to argue about. Just a bad headline.

LyndsySimon 8y ago

I would strongly consider buying a domestic “Ute”. Here’s hoping they do it right.

solarkraft 8y ago
I doubt it will happen. The Ute was also still made by GM ...

megaman22 8y ago

Ford basically makes all of their money on the F-series pickups, and the Escape/Explorer/Expedition SUV series. One thing I've never quite understood is how Ford has managed to maintain a stranglehold on the police department market for my entire lifetime. Crown Victorias were ubiquitous until just a few years ago, and now seem to be universally replaced with Explorers. Outside of a few state highway patrol units that use Mustangs or Dodge Chargers.

u801e 8y ago
In the '80s and early '90s, a lot of police departments were using the Chevrolet Caprice as their main vehicle.
- userbinator 8y ago
  That's another big sedan with a powerful engine and good reliability and parts availability, the latter three points being very desirable to police.
jstarfish 8y ago
It's not just Ford, the Chevy Impala and Dodge Intrepid were also popular PD picks. Whether they use cars vs SUV is an interesting division. Some departments in rural areas only have SUVs (since they have a lot of unpaved roads), while some departments in suburban areas issue SUVs to captains only. It varies by state, city and department, but the one thing they all have in common is that they only buy domestic.
cat199 8y ago
> Crown Victorias were ubiquitous until just a few years ago these were also in one form or another the standard for any sort of livery - taxis were very often Crown Victorias, sedan-style limos used lincon continentals which were basically the same car only the luxury version.. not an expert, but personally I think this is basically a lineage of domestically produced V8 sedans going back to the dawn of automotive times; the large installed base and relatively decent reliability / price / passenger size meant they had a good balance of functionality and lots of of parts, trained mechanics, etc. around. they were also the standard issue car of retired americans :B probably plus union influence. IIRC the last plant making the basic chassis (winsor ontario) for these was restructured out of existence as a result of the gov't intervention following the 2008 crisis.

deleted 8y ago

[deleted]