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.
Ford getting out of the car game (basically)
- Thread starter cobraclone71
- Start date
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.
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.
$35k buys a loaded CR-V too, 33 combined MPG in the Accord compared to 29 in the CR-V.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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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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.
By 2020, "almost 90 percent of the Ford portfolio in North America will be trucks, utilities and commercial vehicles," the press release says. "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."
http://money.cnn.com/2018/04/25/autos/ford-cars-north-america/index.html
http://money.cnn.com/2018/04/25/autos/ford-cars-north-america/index.html
I can honestly say I have never looked at car ratings when buying a car. I simply see something I like and buy it.
I don't know, not all Jeeps are created equal, the Renegade seems pretty trash, and the Patriot was but I think that's gone now.
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.
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.
