mrash

Has anyone thought of downsizing the current Panther platform to the size of the 500? You could offer the 4.0 6cyl with the 4.8 3V as optional. Even the 5.43V could be placed in the police series. Isn’t this cheaper than importing automobiles from Australia?

As a lifetime Ford fan, I've been thinking about Ford's future and what products they should build? In my opinion, with the price of gas around $3 and talk of going to $4 they should downsize their offerings. I propose the following: Ford Explorer – Restyle the Freestyle and place the Explorer nameplate on it. With the Escape and Edge coming on board, the restyled Explorer nameplate would continue with better gas mileage and families that require three rows have an option they afford to drive everyday. Ford Expedition – Restyle the Explorer platform and place the Expedition nameplate on it. For people that require towing in their life, this could become the new standard. Keep the current Expedition and call it the XL and place a diesel engine for everyday driving. Ranger – Build a truck based off the Edge platform. A lot of people need a truck but also need to drive it everyday. Make 4WD standard and place a 4cyl as standard equipment with a V-6 optional. This vehicle could tow 3500 lbs max and make Ford a leader in small trucks again. With a standard cab along with extended cab and 4-door – there's something for everybody. I would definitely buy one tomorrow. Sport Trac – Restyle the body and call the F-100. For someone that needs a truck to tow but can't afford an F-150 (gas mileage) this would be perfect. Along with a standard cab with extended cab and 4-door, this could keep Ford #1 in trucks. With the flexibility of building an F-100 or Expedition off the same running chassis, the cost would be minimal and offers people choices. F-150 – Continue to build the F150 & F250 but add diesel engines as an alternative engine. Take the weight out and also add cylinder cutoff as standard equipment. I believe there is a market for such vehicles but that market will shrink in the coming years. I believe the future is in smaller vehicles with 4cyl and V-6 displacements. The options I have offered are mainly restyling exercises. The platforms are already in place. The faster Ford realizes this and shifts production to smaller vehicles, the faster profits will return to North America. What do you think? :shrug:

As a lifetime Ford fan, I've been thinking about Ford's future and what products they should build? In my opinion, with the price of gas around $3 and talk of going to $4 they should downsize their offerings. I propose the following: Ford Explorer – Restyle the Freestyle and place the Explorer nameplate on it. With the Escape and Edge coming on board, the restyled Explorer nameplate would continue with better gas mileage and families that require three rows have an option they afford to drive everyday. Ford Expedition – Restyle the Explorer platform and place the Expedition nameplate on it. For people that require towing in their life, this could become the new standard. Keep the current Expedition and call it the XL and place a diesel engine for everyday driving. Ranger – Build a truck based off the Edge platform. A lot of people need a truck but also need to drive it everyday. Make 4WD standard and place a 4cyl as standard equipment with a V-6 optional. This vehicle could tow 3500 lbs max and make Ford a leader in small trucks again. With a standard cab along with extended cab and 4-door – there's something for everybody. I would definitely buy one tomorrow. Sport Trac – Restyle the body and call the F-100. For someone that needs a truck to tow but can't afford an F-150 (gas mileage) this would be perfect. Along with a standard cab, an extended cab or 4-door, this could keep Ford #1 in trucks. With the flexibility of building an F-100 or new Expedition off the same running chassis, the cost would be minimal and offers more choices. F-150 – Continue to build the F150 & F250 but add diesel engines as an alternative. Take the weight out and also add cylinder deactivation as standard equipment. I believe there is a market for such vehicles but that market will shrink in the coming years. I believe the future is in smaller vehicles with 4cyl and V-6 displacements. The options I have offered are mainly restyling exercises. The platforms are already in place. The faster Ford realizes this and shifts production to smaller vehicles, the faster profits will return to North America. What do you think? :shrug:

I would like to offer a suggestion for the next Panther platform. Since sales of the new Explorer are down approximately 25%, why doesn’t Ford build a new full-size car off this platform? There are some people that need to tow a trailer and cannot afford but one automobile. There is also a safety factor by using the explorer frame. Most Police officers that I have talked too stated they don’t feel safe driving the Chevy Impala while on patrol. They also complain of having transmission problems early on. This would allow Ford to build a full-size automobile on a frame and maintain a presence in the Police market which they currently own. I would like to also suggest the next Lincoln Town Car be built off the new Expedition chassis. Most rich people like the feel of a large luxury sedan. This platform would be ideal with minimal cost. Ford could even utilize the Expedition EL for a factory built limousine. There are many limousine business and Funeral homes that I bet would be interested. Both suggestions would allow Ford to build multiple vehicles off existing platforms. As long as Ford used the same pickup points for both vehicles, the development cost would be drastically reduced. Both platforms are new and have the durability that full-size automobiles require. Are you listening Ford? :shrug:

I would like to offer a suggestion for the next Panther platform. Since sales of the new Explorer are down approximately 25%, why doesn’t Ford build a new full-size car off this platform? There are some people that need to tow a trailer and cannot afford but one automobile. There is also a safety factor by using the explorer frame. Most Police officers that I have talked too stated they don’t feel safe driving the Chevy Impala while on patrol. They also complain of having transmission problems early on. This would allow Ford to build a full-size automobile on a frame and maintain a presence in the Police market which they currently own. I would like to also suggest the next Lincoln Town Car be built off the new Expedition chassis. Most rich people like the feel of a large luxury sedan. This platform would be ideal with minimal cost. Ford could even utilize the Expedition EL for a factory built limousine. There are many limousine business and Funeral homes that I bet would be interested. Both suggestions would allow Ford to build multiple vehicles off existing platforms. As long as Ford used the same pickup points for both vehicles, the development cost would be drastically reduced. Both platforms are new and have the durability that full-size automobiles require. Are you listening Ford? :shrug: