Minivans reach end of line at Ford

[Blue Oval Staff]

click here for the article

[Watchdevil]

click here for the article

 

Ford is famous for letting product die on the vine until no one wants it anymore. It's negligible that they discontinue product with no immediate new plans to utililize existing plant facilities for new product. People loose jobs as a result.

[kevinb120]

This vehicle's death roll began when they took a 'good enough' aproach in a world where everyone else went the 'revolutionary' route in minvans. I'm glad to see that piece of shit go. I haven't had a customer look at one since they were over $11,000 off in last year's employee sale(and we're a 350+ unit a month dealer-not a hole in the wall-catering to the 2 richest counties in the United States). The average minivan sold here is a $43,000 loaded awd sienna.

 

Ah what the D35 could of done for this company 5 years ago...The money they would of saved killing the Freeshit in 03 could of paved the way for the C4 Focus, or the Hurricane, or some SVT product or....

Edited September 1, 2006 by kevinb120

[cjeffers17]

This vehicle's death roll began when they took a 'good enough' aproach in a world where everyone else went the 'revolutionary' route in minvans. I'm glad to see that piece of shit go. I haven't had a customer look at one since they were over $11,000 off in last year's employee sale(and we're a 350+ unit a month dealer-not a hole in the wall-catering to the 2 richest counties in the United States). The average minivan sold here is a $43,000 loaded awd sienna.

 

Ah what the D35 could of done for this company 5 years ago...The money they would of saved killing the Freeshit in 03 could of paved the way for the C4 Focus, or the Hurricane, or some SVT product or....

 

 

The unfortunate thing is that piece of shit is the #1 minivan for reliabitly( 3 years in service).....go figure. I can't believe we just through away sales.

 

I think we should get out of the Pick-up Segment also.....it's getting to competitive.

[lincmerc51]

I looked at the Monterey when it first came out. I was quite disappointed. Boring and plain (like all the Mercurys IMO), nothing 'special' about it except for the stooopid rear facing 3rd seat gimmick, and the fit and finish was horrible (eg, that trim piece between the steering wheel and the dash on every one I sat in had about 1 inch of play.)

 

I could have predicted these things would not sell. Why don't they put me in charge?

 

PS: I'm actually glad in a way that it failed as attaching an historical Mercury nameplate like 'Monterey' to this thing was an abomination in the first place.

 

PPS: Is Elena still in charge at Mercury? She should be drawn and quartered.

Edited September 1, 2006 by lincmerc51

[JW]

I think we should get out of the Pick-up Segment also.....it's getting to competitive.

 

Let's face it - you pretty much have in the compact segment.

[Jazzhead]

The article suggests that minivan production is ending early because the transmission, shared with the similarly doomed Taurus, will no longer being made. I guess that's progress, if the Van Dyke plant is needed to build the new six-speed, and another new transmission down the road.

 

It amazes me that both GM and Ford appear to be abandoning the minivan segment. A utility vehicle with sliding doors was the defining automotive characteristic of the nineties, wasn't it? Everyone grew up with one - in my case a '05 Windstar that gave almost a decade's worth of good service. I did what a lot of others are doing - I traded it in for a crossover ( a Pacifica). But if Chrysler will soon be the only domestic with a conventional sliding-door van, I predict it will clean up.