Ford getting out of the car game (basically)

dmclone

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This move looks a lot like the move from GM before the recession. Stop worrying about cars and focus on the high profit SUV's. The economy busts and they were standing there holding their dicks with no good lower priced/fuel efficient cars. Ford has also been very late/weak to the hybrid/electric world.
 

NorthCyd

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At one point I owned a used Ford Taurus and drove it in to the ground. It was actually a pretty decent car. Reliable if nothing else, but that may have just been luck.
 

IcSyU

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This move looks a lot like the move from GM before the recession. Stop worrying about cars and focus on the high profit SUV's. The economy busts and they were standing there holding their dicks with no good lower priced/fuel efficient cars. Ford has also been very late/weak to the hybrid/electric world.
I'm going to go out on a limb and say the biggest market they have (trucks) doesn't really care for hybrid or electric.

Not every company should try to specialize in everything. Pick what you're going to do and be the best in the world at it. If they continue to make the best trucks in the world they'll be fine. Of course in a recessionary environment they're not going to have an average Joe buying a truck as their daily driver but as long as they have companies still buying them in droves they're going to be fine. Sell 1 truck and you make the same amount of cash as selling 5 Fusions.

This is basically nothing like GM. GM suffered from making too many models of the same vehicle with too many dealerships competing with each other because Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Buick, GMC, etc. all made the same vehicle with a different badge on it.
 
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3TrueFans

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Except this is all wrong. Look at any SUV that costs around $35k. For the same price you could have a loaded Honda Accord that had more features, faster, handled better, got a lot better gas mileage, more reliable, quieter, rides better, and on and on.
$35k buys a loaded CR-V too, 33 combined MPG in the Accord compared to 29 in the CR-V.
 
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Cydkar

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I average about 42 mpg total on a non-hybrid Hyundai rated 37mpg highway. It was the best MPG for the money when I purchased and just about the only criteria I used. Can't imagine how much $ I would have flushed with most other cars including plenty of hybrids during the same 3 years and 80k miles. Cheap insurance class too.

Other than being an ideal commuter car I also use it for plenty of outdoor adventures where it's equal or better than most SUVs people drive. I strap surfboards on it and take it to remote beaches, actually much easier to strap stuff to than my wife's midsize VW SUV which is too small to fit most surfboards inside yet also tall enough to be a pain to strap things to. I've driven it to national parks and up mountain roads about as high as you can drive in the US with no problems. Any dirt roads that look too iffy also look too iffy for our SUV (because like most SUVs it's not really an off road vehicle at all).

I say get a real legit off road vehicle or get an economy car. I can't understand the appeal of the stuff in between that most people chose.

People choose the stuff in between because they have a bunch of kids, and around here, drive in snow. I have a Camry now, but when the kids were younger had various SUV/crossover types. I certainly didn't need a legit off-roader and a sedan wasn't going to cut it. A minivan was a non-starter.
 

dmclone

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$35k buys a loaded CR-V too, 33 combined MPG in the Accord compared to 29 in the CR-V.

Now lets take a little look a those numbers and compare apples to apples(similar motors/prices) directly from Honda.

Accord EX-L FWD
CRV EX-L FWD

Accord 33 MPG combined. CRV 30.

And once again, faster, rides better, better handling, more reliable, better gas mileage, quieter, and on and on
 

CyCloned

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I've owned several Fords over the years, and by and large their cars are good, solid, uninspired vehicles. Toyota, Honda, and a couple others have done a nice job of capturing a lot of the small/mid-sized sedan market. Cars like Civics and Camrys have grown from simple economy cars to innovative mid-sized sedans.
 

wxman1

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When I got rid of my 97 Civic two years ago I really did like the sporty outside look to the Fusion/Taurus but the lack of updated technology at lower trim levels pushed me away. I ended up getting a great deal on a Honda Accord EX-L and have been very happy.
 

3TrueFans

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Now lets take a little look a those numbers and compare apples to apples(similar motors/prices) directly from Honda.

Accord EX-L FWD
CRV EX-L FWD

Accord 33 MPG combined. CRV 30.

And once again, faster, rides better, better handling, more reliable, better gas mileage, quieter, and on and on
Are you trying to prove my point? You give up a little gas mileage for increased utility. I've driven both an Accord and a CR-V fairly recently and they both ride great, the Accord probably does handle better, but ride quality, quietness, etc. would be comparable between the two. And nobody that is buying a mid-trim level Accord or CR-V cares about which one is faster.
 
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IcSyU

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Are you trying to prove my point? You give up a little gas mileage for increased utility. I've driven both an Accord and a CR-V fairly recently and they both ride great, the Accord probably does handle better, but ride quality, quietness, etc. would be comparable between the two. And nobody that is buying a mid-trim level Accord or CR-V cares about which one is faster.
Nor would 90% of people know anything about handling, ride, noise level, or reliability.
 

dmclone

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Are you trying to prove my point? You give up a little gas mileage for increased utility. I've driven both an Accord and a CR-V fairly recently and they both ride great, the Accord probably does handle better, but ride quality, quietness, etc. would be comparable between the two. And nobody that is buying a mid-trim level Accord or CR-V cares about which one is faster.

I don't have anything against small SUV's, including the CRV. I actually owned one of the first year models and my wife has had 3 small SUV's in a row. What I'm trying to point out is that dollar for dollar you almost always get more bang for your buck when choosing the sedan equivalent. You're probably correct that the average person buying a SUV doesn't care about little things like ride quality, performance, reliability, etc. but I think that is something that is a little more important than the grocery bag hooks or the ability to change interior light colors.

I know I'm in the minority on this opinion, even in my own house.
 
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Clonehomer

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Makes sense. The small car sector is being driven by European and Asian markets. Since Ford was never really able to get their foot in the door there, they only have the North American market to lean on. Honda, VW, Hyundai, Toyota, and Kia have reacted to those market needs better than Ford. Small, turbo charged engines were never their strong suit and that's where the market is headed.
 

isufbcurt

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I just bought a Civic. I shopped around in that class and the surrounding classes. Obviously my opinion is subjective, but Ford simply isn't competitive in most car classes. I am pretty sure they know this, and decided to cut bait. Most of their car models are rated towards the bottom of their respective classes.

I can honestly say I have never looked at car ratings when buying a car. I simply see something I like and buy it.
 

Stewo

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Drive around Ankeny, West Des Moines, Johnston, Waukee and all you'll see are trucks, minivans, and SUV's. The people buying new vehicles have been gravitating towards bigger vehicles for quite some time.
 
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Cyfan1965

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The problem is given the choice time and time again people chose against the good gas mileage cars.

It also crazy with all the technology we have today they cannot improve gas mileage. My high school car got 32MPG and it as a 1986. My uncle claims he had a Honda, I think, in the early 70s that got 40MPG.

We drove a Ford Ka in Ireland that got 50 mpg. One of the girls we ran into had a car that got 77 miles per litre. Top speed 65 mph cant remember the name of it now.