Ford To Abandon Most of Their Car Line

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John, that was exactly my experience. After 18 years of Ford ownership I bought a Highlander. With my Falcon I had 2-3 monthly visits to the dealership for electrical/ mechanical and body issues, all the way up until 2012. Once I got the Highlander I get it serviced every 6 months and usually it’s routine maintenance. The only non routine part I’ve had replaced in 5.5 years is one CV boot.

Ford can’t sell cars in Australia anymore either. They stopped building the Falcon because they couldn’t sell it, but it was ok, the Mondeo would replace it and sell like hot cakes. It hasn’t sold either and Ford has just been fined $10mil for how they responded to the mass failure of the gearboxes in the Fiesta, Focus, Eco Sport and Escape, plus now they also have to compensate all the owners that bought a defective car. The only car ford sells in volume here now is the Ranger. Nobody wants to touch much else that they sell. When they launched the Mustang here a couple of years ago, it’s safety rating characterized it as death trap on wheels because ford didn’t offer the same safety package it got in the US. What should’ve been exciting has been universally panned. Exactly what Ford has been good at here ever since the AU Falcon, Taurus and Mondeo inflicted themselves on Australi in 1998
 
Mike,

Three of the best cars I ever owned were Lincolns. All in minty condition. A '68, '79, and an '87.
I was too young to research and understand what the old folks in my family knew. Especially my parents and the generation of the Great Depression. My generation and the generations that followed do not understand or they have never even heard of it. Many wouldn't even care.

Then I read a history. A book that took years of historical research. If you can find a copy and are even remotely interested in the history of Jews in America as well as Fords history, I highly recommend the book.
Now I understand.

"Henry Ford and the Jews" The Mass Production of Hate, by Neil Baldwin.
The book was printed in 2001 and 2003.
 
Ford's decision...

is incredibly shortsighted, but no doubt when gas hits $5 a gallon they will bring cars back... from China.

As to Henry's past idiocy, the FoMoCo. of then is not the FoMoCo. of now, and if they made the best cars or trucks for the buck, I'd buy one. Unfortunately right now they do not. Our only US made cars are vintage cars from the '50s and '60s, otherwise we've been very pleased with the various 4x4 SUVs from Japan we've had as drivers here in the North Country for the last 20 years... no cars, thanks, of whatever make.
 
Lincoln

will not be phased out. That would be suicide. Maybe the MKZ will be gone, as it is Fusion based, and the MKS, which is Taurus based. But the MKC, and MKX, and MKT will not be. The new Continental shares it's platform with the Flex, Explorer and MKT.
No car is perfect. Toyota has as many recalls as the others.
Our son is involved in developing virtual designing, for this year at least.
There are many changes on the horizon for the future, including more electric powered cars, and more rail mass transit.
Personal owned vehicles are becoming too costly for the average consumer to operate. Between payments, insurance, and upkeep.
There are and will be better ways to travel. Roads are also getting too costly to maintain. Modern concrete does not last, and the industry seems to be devoid of addressing that issue. Go on John Carlo, you roll in your grave, you crook. If the shoe fits any others, wear it.
Another, Mr. Rizzo was just sentenced to 5 years prison this week for contract bribes for his waste collection company he sold to Canadian Green Leaf 2 years ago. Corruption abounds. It disgusts me.
 
I bought my mom brand new (heavily discounted) Lincoln continental. it was a nightmare of a car. once it was out of warranty. I went across the street to the Toyota dealership and bought her a camry. never again
 
As a VW, Mazda, Mercedes diesel driver I will not miss them. Although I did have fun with a Model A I had years ago, a REAL Ford. This just sounds like another bone headed move by Detroit. Like when gas hit $4.00+ a gallon several years ago for the first time and GM was pushing SUV's they couldnt give away even with factory employee dicounts and VW and Toyota couldnt build 50 MPG cars fast enough people were buying them so fast. As usual the Big 3 miss the plot.
 
I’ve not been much of an SUV person for as far back as I can go. In my mind I’ve always put them in the same category as minivans...for families and soccer moms. There’s a few SUV’s around now that I like enough that I’d own one, but I personally prefer sedans and pickup trucks. I had a Nissan Rogue before getting the Altima and going back to a sedan was like “coming home”, much better handling and way more comfortable, plus tolerable MPG.

My experience with Ford goes back to a 2006 Mercury Milan my mom leased, which was on the Mazda 6 platform and used Mazda’s 2.3/5spd auto powertrain and it was an excellent car. Then she went to a 2010 Fusion with that wretched 6F35 transmission Ford developed with GM (for whatever reason GM’s variant didn’t have all the valve body issues Fords did), Ford wouldn’t stand behind their product so that just kinda did it for them. OTOH, I’ve had a soft spot for Mazda ever since the CD3 platform first gen Fusion. As for Ford, I won’t miss them not selling sedans since I will now only buy Japanese and maybe German. I’d only ever consider Ford for an F150, but with the bitter taste they left me with I’d still look everywhere else first. I still think it’s a stupid, shortsighted choice to axe sedans though.
 
In my mind I’ve always put them in the same category as minivans...for families and soccer moms.

 

On one level, I still think of them as something that people heavily into doing stuff outdoor buy to drive when they go camping in the middle of nowhere, go hunting, or to use to take their boat to the lake.

 

Of course, most buyers today are buying a SUV to be a family vehicle, and what outdoor stuff they do could be done just as easily if they had a Corolla. I guess my memory goes back to when I was young, and very few people seemed to have a SUV.
 
To each their own of course.

A model T was a real car in it's day. An uncle was a metalurgist, Notre Dame and U Of Mi. graduate. Drove Plymouth's in the 50's, had one Chevy in 1964, a '69 Mercury Colony park, also a '69 Cougar XR7, then a '71. Was able to afford a Lincoln Town car in '73. Got a new one every two years there after. Having been a bit less satisfied with the front driven '92 Continental, he tried a Lexus. Traded it in after a year on a new Town car. Say what you want, Wixom turned out some fine cars in fact. Thunderbird's also, and the mark IV and V, through VIII.
Per pound for the dollar, you got a lot of car. 70's Cadillac's were cheesy inside. Lincolns were better. I bet more Chrysler Imperial buyers went with Lincoln when they were discontinued.
Now if they'd get a new tv commercial actor please. That Continental is gorgeous. Needs no Hollywood endorser. Probably drives a Bentley anyway.
 
While I am not a huge fan of Ford products, just from preference from coming from
A very GM oriented family, and no Ford/Lincoln cars I’ve owned felt right to me.

I am saddened by this news, mostly because I prefer a sedan, and if possible a wagon, I hate the idea of eventually being forced into something I don’t want, though I already accept the fact that I’ll own a SUV I don’t want before I ever consider buying a foreign car or s Chrysler product.
I shall hold on to my 2004 Park Avenue as long as possible(truthfully the 97-05 Park Avenue and 00-05 LeSabre are the last time anything has been made I truly love driving)
I have recently been toying around with the idea of getting a Taurus SHO, I like the styling of it, and since the Chevy SS sedan was dropped makes it look more appealing.

I live in a rural area while there are plenty of trucks and suvs on the road, the Ford Fusion as well as Focus are very popular in this area. The Taurus isn’t nearly as popular, as most people in that market here are choosing an Impala or LaCrosse.

I’m wondering how long it’ll be before General Motors does something similar, as for the past 6 months I’ve heard rumor that by 2020 they will be phasing out the Spark, Sonic, Impala, LaCrosse, CT6, and XTS, thus leaving only mid-size sedans in their fleet.
 
Sam, Fords other ventures, etc.

seems I recall you posted a photo of your almost new XTS.
Aside from lumbering in the UP for wood for station wagons, and rubber in Brazil for tires, Ford tried a D.C. electric railway. After a three year takeover of the railroads by the govt., he bought the DT&I railroad. The overhead catinary was carried by concrete arches. As of 1980, they were still there.
His electric locomotives ran from 1927 to 1930.
 
Should have moved the Fusion line to the US rather than discontinuing. Drove one at work for several years and loved it. Can't see any sense in killing that line. Need to bring the LTD and Country Squire back, since big vehicles seem to be in vogue again. Had a 1977 LTD Brougham with the big 460 and loved it. Most comfortable riding car ever, and surprising power for a low-compression engine.
 
The Taurus was the replacement for the Crown Victoria... used for Police cars as well. So I'm not surprised it was not a great seller, it's too big and expensive for the mainstream. Though I'm surprised on the Fusion being discontinued, the current model seemed very nice when it came out and they sell a lot.

Camrys are nice reliable cars, but they've always been too boring for me.

None of the newer cars appeal much to me either. I'd take a Taurus. The Impala looks nice, but I don't like the interior, too weird. I wouldn't mind having an older Town and Country or Grand Caravan, a 2007ish model with Stow N Go. Although Chrysler of that era wasn't their best hour for sure.
 
Flat Rock Ford plant

is already tooled to run the Fusion. Some MKZ's are built there, if not a few Fusion hybrids. It's a large facility, and with Mazda gone, more capacity. The 626 and Probe were made there, now Mustang.
It opened in 1970 as the Michigan casting center, and the 460 V8 block was made there. So many narrow stacks, and no smoke, ever. First smog free foundry.
When the fuel crunch hit in '73, it was doomed. Sat idle until Mazda came in.
 
"black"

I'm surprised Hubbard didn't protest that it wasn't white. His platform for mayoral candidate was "keep Dearborn white". By then it was 1940, and colors had been available since the Model A.
 

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