Ford phasing out all cars in North America expect Mustang and Focus Active

[biosurfer1]

https://techcrunch.com/2018/04/25/ford-to-stop-selling-every-car-in-north-america-but-the-mustang-and-focus-active/

Interesting. Apparently they REALLY think the SUV and crossovers are the future.

[HardDrive]

Was that really a question?

[sammyg2]

Ford makes other cars?

[kach22i]

Original link...............

Ford to stop selling every car in North America but the Mustang and Focus Active
https://techcrunch.com/2018/04/25/ford-to-stop-selling-every-car-in-north-america-but-the-mustang-and-focus-active/

Verification:

Ford dropping all but 2 cars from its North American dealerships
Ford dropping all but 2 cars from its North American dealerships

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."

I don't see the actual press release they talk about.

https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/fna/us/en/news.html

[dad911]

I wonder if decision is driven by govt fuel economy or emission regs.

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by biosurfer1

Interesting. Apparently they REALLY think the SUV and crossovers are the future.

Trucks. Margin is fantastic.

Bummer on the Taurus. SHO is a sight to see.

[kach22i]

Here is a vein of thought I'd like to explore.

China to ban production of petrol and diesel cars 'in the near future'
By Glenn Brooks | 22 August 2017
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/sep/11/china-to-ban-production-of-petrol-and-diesel-cars-in-the-near-future

China, the world’s biggest vehicle market, is considering a ban on the production and sale of fossil fuel cars in a major boost to the production of electric vehicles as Beijing seeks to ease pollution.

The move would follow similar plans announced by France and Britain to outlaw the sale of petrol and diesel cars and vans from 2040 in order to clamp down on harmful emissions.

Ford Motor Company demands and relies on what is called "China pricing". That is if you want to get the bid as a supplier, you have to match a price they are getting from China.

If the government of China is disinterested in business related to the internal combustion engine this could perhaps cut off Chinese suppliers from their government funding and support of co-state ventures, right?

Another twist of the knife is the possible/looming trade war between the US and China making the long term planning of new vehicle platforms too risky for US automobile manufactures.

This forces or compresses an even more conservative direction in the short term profits seen on aging fossil fuel technologies that SUV's/trucks are based on.

I'm sure there is a full circle global analysis that goes well beyond the couple of points I've typed out, Ford didn't make the announcement based on the results of a Ouija board game they played.

[pwd72s]

More complete article here:

https://www.autoblog.com/2018/04/25/ford-cancels-all-cars-mustang-focus-active/

Sad, but that's what we get when cars are designed by Government committee...

[COLOR="DarkGreen"][/Gee, I can't wait to be the first on my block to have a hybrid Mustang.COLOR]

[Bill Douglas]

Originally Posted by kach22i

China to ban production of petrol and diesel cars 'in the near future'
By Glenn Brooks | 22 August 2017
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/sep/11/china-to-ban-production-of-petrol-and-diesel-cars-in-the-near-future

China, the world’s biggest vehicle market, is considering a ban on the production and sale of fossil fuel cars in a major boost to the production of electric vehicles as Beijing seeks to ease pollution.

But the crazy bastards burn coal to make most of their electricity. pointless.

[Tervuren]

The sedan is largely a poor body design for a modern car. Suitable as a luxury product.

They seem to understand this. Needs and markets move on.

[jcommin]

Originally Posted by Bill Douglas

But the crazy bastards burn coal to make most of their electricity. pointless.

China buys allot of coal from the USA.

[kach22i]

John McElroy of Autoline Detroit on local TV 2 news (metro Detroit) said: FRACKING

Fracking has changed everything for the foreseeable future, meaning US energy independence and uninterrupted supplies of oil production.

John McElroy said there have been many hints at this decision as they have discussed on his program, Ford just made it official.

John McElroy said don't forget there will still be hybrid and pure electric versions of SUV's and Crossovers.

The local news crew and McElroy chatted a bit and somehow it came out that Fiat/Chrysler has already gone this route.

It was also noted that Ford actually loses money on just about every car they sell unlike the trucks/SUV's.

One thing changing the map is the cost of car batteries coming down.

Another observation made is US customers seem to prefer have more room inside and metal around them in addition to the higher seating level that affords them a better view of the road.

Some of the local TV hosts commented that the shift to mostly trucks and larger SUV's preceded the crash of 2008 in an attempt to say we have seen this mistake made once before.

In my opinion it is all of the above, fracking, market driven, cost of energy including batteries stabilized or going down, possible trade war, parts supplies and so forth.

One issue never mentioned is the poor condition of our infrastructure, the roads and the potholes being a factor in vehicle purchase decisions. I think many people feel that the larger vehicles with larger tires fare better against their nemesis the pothole.

Another factor rarely mentioned in the customer wanting a larger vehicle suited for longer drive times over longer distances is suburban sprawl.

EDIT: I'm still looking for an updated version of the chart in the link below.

https://www.bts.gov/content/annual-person-miles-traveled-pmt-and-average-daily-pmt-person-1969-1977-1983-1990-1995-2001

[sammyg2]

I've bought 10 new vehicles since 1990. none of them were sedans.

[pavulon]

Originally Posted by Tervuren

The sedan is largely a poor body design for a modern car. Suitable as a luxury product.

They seem to understand this. Needs and markets move on.

Huh??

[john70t]

Originally Posted by kach22i

John McElroy said don't forget there will still be hybrid and pure electric versions of SUV's and Crossovers.

John McElroy is simply brilliant and that is a very underrated local show.

Nissan is doing it also:
https://www.autoblog.com/2010/04/20/wards-nissan-leaf-is-a-multi-billion-dollar-gamble-that-faces/
https://www.mysanantonio.com/business/automotive/article/Nissan-committed-to-all-electric-gamble-778583.php

I just think it is a huge leap now and we are not ready! The electrical grid infrastructure and renewable power sources is not there. The money to even build the infrastructure is not there. The battery technology. The standardization of plugs and mounting. The national system of exchange. Nothing is there yet. The industry is just jumping off into space with nothing to support it.

[GH85Carrera]

I guess all the Japanese and Korean manufacturers have most of the small car market locked up from Ford. The Ford F150 has been the number one selling vehicle on the planet for decades. Go with with you are good at.

The Ford GT will be a hand built 500 per year production for 4 years from what I heard. It will be interesting to see if they can sell them all.

[legion]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

The Ford GT will be a hand built 500 per year production for 4 years from what I heard. It will be interesting to see if they can sell them all.

It's my understanding that they were all sold, a year before production began.

[Toast54]

I like their hot hatches, Focus and Fiesta ST's. Shame they'll be "offed"

[Ronbo]

I love my Fiesta ST but it looks like it'll be my last Ford product.


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[legion]

Remember when big 3 stopped making small pickup trucks?