Ford's Biggiest Holes in its lineup...

[Hugh]

I second that one a Bronco. Some thing to compete with the Wrangler a small 2 or 4 door capable off road truck The same size as the 90 and 110 Defender. The 90 size the 2 door the 110 size a 4 door. If done right you could P/U the thing and replace the Ranger with it.

 

Matthew

Personnally, I'd love to have a D90. However, I agree with having a Bronco. Close to the 2004 concept even with the Turbo-Diesel 4, off-roaders delight!

Edited June 25, 2007 by Hugh

[Ford-150]

a Corvette killer (ideally the Tbird)

 

a Bronco both small and large

 

a Lightning (has not been confirmed)

 

a small diesel car, around Focus sized that can achieve better mpg than the Prius

[xr7g428]

Everything old is new again..

 

Look at the segments that have been forgotten:

 

Personal Luxury Car.

 

Mercury Cougar built on stretched Mustang wheel base for more rear seat room. Sequential tail lights, hide a way headlights, better interior, better electronics, etc...

 

Think two door hardtop... Remember those lines? Add mini suicide doors...

 

Lincoln Mark ? Full Glass instrument panel! Basically a row of 7" video screens across the cockpit.

 

Thunderbird

 

Car based trucks

 

Ranchero built on stretched Mustang Platform (a cross over of a different color).

 

Off Road capable SUV.

Bronco II, Ranger, Sport Trac, family

 

Big Convertible

 

Taurus Convertible, use that big trunk for something different

 

Country Squire

 

The Taurus X lowered, more sporty car, less truck, the return of the big family CAR. Fold down tray tables, video in every head rest, tail gate seating, Seating feels like built in recliner, not mini van chair seating. Integrated refrigerator. Sell this one with a revival of see the USA in your Chev... Opps Ford. Just a little woodgrain strip...

(the Flex might fill this spot)

 

Things that never were:

 

Compact Commuter.

True plug in electric with on board compact diesel alternator/ generator.

 

This one would use the diesel to recharge the battery pack when plug in power not available. The diesel could be left to run when the car was parked. Would require monoxide detector to prohibit use in enclosed areas. Diesel would also power AC, etc. Miles per gallon would not even apply...

 

Toy Hauler Truck

a personal sized flat bed truck for hauling Harley's, personal water craft, dirt bikes, quads, etc. Just slide the camper module right on the truck. Imagine a single set of wheels out at dually width covered by low fenders. A deck extension would store under the flat bed until needed, and then when extended the flat center section would work like a roll back wrecker.

 

This is really thinking outside the box!

[Traveler]

I think Ford has most of their bases covered. I would simply say that many of the suggestions would be for niche vehicles more so than big volume mainstream automobiles.

 

- Full-size V8 RWD sedan. Taurus can not be the Ford flagship sedan and they need something new on the horizon in the 25k-$40k range.

 

- Mid-size "compact" pickup truck. Ranger is too small for the masses. In an age where gas is becoming more expensive and people question their individual needs of a full size truck, Ford needs a slightly smaller truck other than the current Ranger or 4 door Sport Trac.

 

-Perhaps a couple of clean diesel engines for their passenger cars. I think they would get a better reception than hybrid gas/electric...especially with 40+ highway mileage.

 

-Bronco would make for an excellent niche vehicle and recall a notable nameplate. There is value in the 'Bronco' name. It should be fairly squared off and purposefully styled. Heck, I'd bet people would buy one over an Escape.

[Yukoner]

I liked that comment by "Ford 150" about a vehicle that beats the mileage of the Prius. Who cares if it only covers its costs. The PR alone would be great never mind fleet fuel consumption benefits.

Ford has the ability to do this if they focused on a fuel miser. Lose everything that is not essential to getting from A to B. How about aluminum/plastic body, diesel power. Even though it wouldn't be for most people it would be nice to say that Ford is the fuel economy leader.

[armadamaster]

I agree - Ford should come up with something under the Escape - similar to the EcoSport...

 

Farm it in from Suzuki and call it the "Tracker".

[ds91776]

Ford needs the next gen Focus C-MAX, call it the Focus X. It would fit right under the Escape and above the upcomming Bcar based CUV. Put the new 2.5I4 in it along with an optional small 3rd row seat. This would allow the Escape to continue to be styled a little more "truckish" than some other small CUVs, because the Focus X would have car like kenetic styling. This kind of car is perfect for young families who don't want, need, or can't afford an Explorer, Taurus X, or Flex. It would also get good fuel economy, heck, put the Fusion's hybrid system in it!

[Misteredog]

I'd vote for a Flex like vehicle built off the Focus platform to compete with the Chevy HHR and the PT Cruiser. Ford is really missing the boat if they think that anyone needing a small cargo capable vehicle will just settle for an Escape. The Escape their likely to choose is the Ford stores door, and it's down the road to another dealership that has something that actually meets their needs.

[taxman100]

No minivan, and no small wagon.

 

Small wagons sales will increase with the price of gasoline, and not having a minivan for a mainstream manufactuer just shows they think they cannot compete with Toyota, Honda, and now Hyundai and Kia.

 

Those are the products we are looking at for my wife, so we won't be buying a new Ford, at least.

[silvrsvt]

Small wagons sales will increase with the price of gasoline, and not having a minivan for a mainstream manufactuer just shows they think they cannot compete with Toyota, Honda, and now Hyundai and Kia.

 

I don't think Ford should worry about the Minivan market...going by the numbers on fleet sales, a very large percentage of minivan sales are to fleet markets. The Flex will sell in about the same numbers as the leading minivans (roughly 75K a year) but will provide a much bigger profit then those same minivans.

[campbell53]

Ding Ding...we have a winner. As a Ford dealer this post is right on the money.

 

That's a tough one. Ford as a brand is pretty comprehensive, and I don't think they have any obvious product offering gaps.

 

A B-Car would be one. A traditional minivan. A competitive RWD sedan. A hatchback/wagon less expensive than the Escape. A coupe/convertible that can comfortably seat four.

 

I think a D3-based Windstar would sell in reasonable numbers, if the quality and advertising is there.

[CarShark]

I concur with Mr. Campbell. I still don't understand why Ford and GM just abandoned this segment when D3 and Lambda, respectively could fit the bill. I've heard that Chevy will get a minivan AND a 7-seat crossover that's just like the Outlook...and Acadia...and Enclave...except cheaper.

 

Having to wait another year and change for the Fiesta is going to be torturous.

 

I personally like convertibles a lot, and while I think a Fusion softtop would be a bit of a pinch for four people, I think a Taurus 2-door vert would be on the large side. Of course, I wouldn't mind if they somehow beat the production version of the Ocean Drive S-Class or Helios 300 concepts to the punch with a four-door open air Taurus. *sigh* That would be a Bold Move©®™, indeed.

 

I think the importance of a large, rear-drive car have been overstated in the past few years, thanks to the success of the 300 and LX Friends. Thing is, the recent downturn sales-wise for it and the Charger, coupled with the absolute nosedive Magnum sales have taken PLUS the recent revelation of high fleet sales make me wonder how large this retail segment actually is, or will be in the future if gas prices continue to trend up. Of course, Chrysler's less than stellar interior quality and reliability is yet another variable.

 

Finally, I would love to see the return of the Focus hatch and wagon. Since they don't break down sales by body style, we can only imagine the ratio of sedans that were sold.

[DRyanC]

I agree with the C-max but not with the 2.5, or at least offer the 1.6 VCT. A 4 cylinder fusion wagon or an updated focus wagon/ZX5, why is the back seat not a proper 60/40 split.

 

something like the 70 aussie 1600 or 1800 RS escort.

 

Stop building sport models fully loaded

 

something similar to a Mazda5 but also offer a 2.0 diesel

 

SportKA, Puma VCT, Fiesta ST

 

DRyanC

[Smith302]

A sporty inexpensive (under $16k) 2 door car. The original 64 Mustang is a good example of what can happen with a car like this. The new Mustang is great loking but it has fallen away from the economical heritage of the original car. The current Ford lineup looks like Ford is still stuck in the big buck truck and SUV mentality. Right now I am in the market for a second car but am faced with Trucks Suv's and 4 doors. The new Focus does nothing for me I already drive a 2001 ZX3 that I feel has better styling than the new Mom and Pop Focus style.

[NickF1011]

A sporty inexpensive (under $16k) 2 door car. The original 64 Mustang is a good example of what can happen with a car like this. The new Mustang is great loking but it has fallen away from the economical heritage of the original car.

 

Not really. The days of $9000 cars are way in our past. The AVERAGE transaction price on a car has now neared $26,000. By that comparison, the Mustang is as much a bargain today as it was the day it originally hit showrooms. Mustangs have never been bargain-basement cheap, they just weren't more expensive than the average sedan, which still generally holds true today.

[sranger]

The lineup is not in that bad of shape. They certianly need a better compact. I say just re-badge the Mazda 3 sedan and wagon. It is an excellent little car...

 

The Escape/Mariner badly needs a drive train update. I think a simple 6 speed trans and a 225-250hp Duratec V6 option will do the trick. The 3.0L would be fine in a direct injected version at around 225hp. It would make the 2008 Escape/Mariner much more competative in the segment. Oh yea, it badly needs a telescoping steering wheel not all potential buyers are small women.

 

Ford has a good minivan in the form of the Edge/MKX and soon to be releases Flex. All cross overs are just "SUV Styled" minivans anyway. Simply add a sliding door/ third row option and you have a kid friendly mini-van...

[taxman100]

Ford currently sells nothing with a sliding door, and has no plans to do so in the next few years. It is much easier to load a vehicle with a sliding door, and you can stand in the vehicle to buckle children in if it is raining. I don't buy Chryslers, and I try to buy domestic, but there is really no choices from Ford or General Motors.

 

With my 67 Ford in the garage, there is no way I'm giving my wife any opportunities to slam a car door into the side of my convertible trying to get a child in or out, so sliding doors are a requirement.

 

If I can convince her to drive the Grand Marquis as the family truckster when she quits working, we'll get a small station wagon for me to drive, and keep the Grand Marquis outside. If she wants a new vehicle for that purpose, it's will be a minivan.

 

I'm betting she'll want some new modern cheapo crackerbox car, but a man has to at least try to make his wife happy.

[Biker16]

we despratly need a RWD Sedan for the US and europe.

[NickF1011]

we despratly need a RWD Sedan for the US and europe.

 

I wouldn't say desperately. It would be nice, but it's hardly necessary.

[Blueblood]

I wouldn't say desperately. It would be nice, but it's hardly necessary.

 

"Building cars is hardly necessary"...

 

Said some retarded Ford exec sometime in the late 1990's..

 

[NickF1011]

"Building cars is hardly necessary"...

 

Said some retarded Ford exec sometime in the late 1990's..

 

 

I didn't say anything remotely similar to that though. Ford, frankly, has much more important things on its plate than developing a media darling RWD sedan with a limited audience. We all see how much good Chrysler's LX cars did the rest of their lineup.

[Explorer4X4]

By far the biggest hole is the lack of a true minivan.

Edited June 29, 2007 by Explorer4X4

[NickF1011]

By far the biggest hole is the lack of a true minivan.

 

Not sure if that's as big a hole as people make it out to be. By and large, minivans have become fleet queens for the market leaders. I wouldn't mind seeing them offer a minivan again, but again, like the RWD sedan, there are more pressing needs. Where the hell are the B-cars already?!?!