Well the Freestyle

[silvrsvt]

Despite the lack of Spy photos of the 2008 model.

 

I asked on the employee board:

 

We have heard the same things as you.

 

I do believe we built a few prototypes of the Mercury during the summer, but with the changes happening, who really knows if it will, or will not be offered to consumers!!!!

 

Yes, we did build quite a few new re-designed Freestyles also.

 

If we discount the rumors, all we can do is wait and see what Ford releases.

 

Although, logic says that if Ford does decide to release the Merc version, it won't be till they can have the 3.5, and would probably happen at the refresh of the 500 and Freestyle release. As of now, that is early next spring!!!!!

[ZanatWork]

Yeah, this is curious.

 

The Freestyle had the exact complaints (power, stylng) that plagued the Five Hundred, and should have the same solutions available in a few months. However, if Ford and Lincoln get the "People Movers", maybe Mercury will get the Meta-One derived version...which had great styling and I'd certianly be interested in buying (provided my long-sought Fusion ST doesn't happen).

[waymondospiff]

I see the need in the Ford lineup for a 3-Row Crossover SUV. If the "Fairlane" is a more van-like vehicle and the Edge stays with only 2-Rows, then the Freestyle can carve a niche for itself.

 

The Freestyle has, in my opinion, been the biggest botched launch for Ford. A roomy, attractive SUV with 27 mpg? And they can't sell any? What is wrong with this picture?

 

2008 - new interior, "Fusion-ized" front end, 3.5L/6auto

 

And hopefully sales will swell!

 

Scott

[xr7g428]

My wife wanted to buy a Freestyle to replace her Honda Odyssey. She was completely sold until she pulled out of the lot. Poor acceleration combined with a weird transmission that "never would shift" (CVT) and we were out of the car looking at alternatives. If the thing had had more motor, and felt like a normal car (shifted gears). She would have bought it.

 

Fortunately for Ford, she saw the interior in a King Ranch F150 as we were walking out of the dealership. She liked it well enough to drive it. My 6'3" tall 14 year old son fit in the back seat, and the bed with a hard cover looked like the biggest trunk she had ever seen. It accelerated well enough to give her confidence that she could merge with traffic, and she was sold. Of course my son and I were doing our damnedest to get out of mini van hell, and into a new truck. So we replaced my old truck and her van with a new truck. I get to drive the Mustang GT!

[92merc]

Updated Freestyle will be a 3.5 with the standard 6 speed. The updated 6 speed transmission too, BTW.

 

Funny about the shifting. Most people I've talked to loved how smooth it was because of no shifting. It did require people let go of old habits and expectations on a shifting transmission. But that's all besides the point now that Ford has dropped the CVT...

[DCK]

Despite the lack of Spy photos of the 2008 model.

 

I asked on the employee board:

I think this is good, I don't think they should get rid of it, I think give it a facelift and the 3.5, then for 2010 redesign it(change the name IMO) make it larger to compete against the lambdas. By 2010 the fairlane will be here to cover the mid0size cross over market so the neext gen freestyle should get bigger. It would be great competition for toyota as they ready 3 new cross overs, A lnew arge one, a new highlander that will grow to mid-size and a new small crossover to compete against the edge.

[Edgey]

The Freestyle is a car that will probably not be needed once the Fairlane comes out. However, many thought that of the Escape when the Edge was revealed. We won't know where the Fairlane will land, but the Freestyle is an underperforming product that will probably not see a successor with the Fairlane likely filling a very similar roll.

[Joe771476]

The 500 and Freestyle are selling like hot cakes here in CT. If my memory serves me, last time I looked they were selling around 100,000 units combined a year, give or take, maybe more. And they're bombs? No way!

[DCK]

The Freestyle is a car that will probably not be needed once the Fairlane comes out. However, many thought that of the Escape when the Edge was revealed. We won't know where the Fairlane will land, but the Freestyle is an underperforming product that will probably not see a successor with the Fairlane likely filling a very similar roll.

But Ford can't havea single vehicle to go up against 3 vehicles from toyota, The sienna, the next highlander which will be explorer size and a new large crossover the size of the lambdas..........All ford will offer in these three categories is the fairlane?

[630land]

I bet the "Fairlane" XUV [hope they break the 'F' naming for good]

will come out and the Freestyle will quietly fade away.

 

Some will say the D3 platform is a flop, but Ford will get their money's worth with different named products.

[old_fairmont_wagon]

Minor updates (3.5, slightly more agressive styling, interior touchups, 6AT) and advertising are all the Freestlye needs to sell more. Plus, you follow up the release of the freestyle with the release of an "all new" Explorer, which in essence competes almost directly against it (three rows, SUVish) and drop its advertising down to next to none, and what do you expect to happen to its sales?

 

Ford needs to realize that their vehicles don't sell themselves all that well and need some advertising. If they need more volume on the Freestyle shifts, then release the MErcury version with a semi exclusive interior, more luxury features, and some exclusive tidbits and I bet you'll see the volume rise on it.

[Harley Lover]

I wrote this in another thread, but my guess is that the Freestyle will be positioned with the Fairlane in the same manner as the Escape and the Edge are positioned with respect to one another.

 

So, in the midsize category, we'll have the Escape with SUV sheetmetal and the Edge with crossover sheetmetal, and in the large category, we'll have the Freestyle with SUV sheetmetal and the Fairlane with crossover sheetmetal. I like this idea, as it gives Ford more product with which to fight Toyota and it's plethora of offerings. The Lincoln model perhaps represents a model with attributes that Lexus currently doesn't possess (if it's different enough from the RX350).

 

And of course this addresses only 'car based' vehicles, not BOF SUV offerings.

[DCK]

Minor updates (3.5, slightly more agressive styling, interior touchups, 6AT) and advertising are all the Freestlye needs to sell more. Plus, you follow up the release of the freestyle with the release of an "all new" Explorer, which in essence competes almost directly against it (three rows, SUVish) and drop its advertising down to next to none, and what do you expect to happen to its sales?

 

Ford needs to realize that their vehicles don't sell themselves all that well and need some advertising. If they need more volume on the Freestyle shifts, then release the MErcury version with a semi exclusive interior, more luxury features, and some exclusive tidbits and I bet you'll see the volume rise on it.

If ford makes different varients of a vehicle for either Ford, lincoln or mercury they need to have 100% different sheetmetal and interior IMO, The MKX shouldn't look so damn similar to the edge, it shouldn't be sharing the same windows, same goes for the MKZ. They have gotten better making them look different but they have a long way to go, look at the highlander and RX350, look 100% different, thats how the edge and MKX should be.

[igor]

If ford makes different varients of a vehicle for either Ford, lincoln or mercury they need to have 100% different sheetmetal and interior IMO, The MKX shouldn't look so damn similar to the edge, it shouldn't be sharing the same windows, same goes for the MKZ. They have gotten better making them look different but they have a long way to go, look at the highlander and RX350, look 100% different, thats how the edge and MKX should be.

 

I expect this to happen -I am not saying "I trust that Mulally and Fields are awesome enough to do it" -but am sayign that my expectation is that Ford needs to do it to keep competing.

 

MKX and MKZ are still models from the old management. Look at MKS and the D472 for the indication how the current management will handle things..

 

Igor

[old_fairmont_wagon]

100% different sheetmetal and different pillars are expensive to do, especially for a profit strapped company like Ford. I think they've done enough to differentiate them on initial lauch given Ford's past track record. Now, there are still a few low hanging fruits available. Manumatic option on the MkX, premium tune on the engine for more power on the MkX are two that come to mind.

 

Once they determine if the products have any traction in the market, they'll make the changes later that are justified. I know that this is chicken and egg, but, with limited resources, I think that they look different enough. Heck, they look more different than the first gen navi looked from the expy, and no one seemed to mind that.

[ZanatWork]

If ford makes different varients of a vehicle for either Ford, lincoln or mercury they need to have 100% different sheetmetal and interior IMO, The MKX shouldn't look so damn similar to the edge, it shouldn't be sharing the same windows, same goes for the MKZ. They have gotten better making them look different but they have a long way to go, look at the highlander and RX350, look 100% different, thats how the edge and MKX should be.

 

 

Changing 100% of the exterior panels per model would essentially nullify a huge amount of the savings given by chassis engineering. I understand the desire, but I don't know if it's realistic.

 

The interior? Defintitely. Each brand needs to establish its identity in the area the driver's in most.

 

More differentiation will be possible after black ink happens.

[bystander]

Changing 100% of the exterior panels per model would essentially nullify a huge amount of the savings given by chassis engineering. I understand the desire, but I don't know if it's realistic.

 

The interior? Defintitely. Each brand needs to establish its identity in the area the driver's in most.

 

More differentiation will be possible after black ink happens.

 

This is kind of like saying, "we'll fix our business after we return to profits". Once the black ink happens, there will be considerably less incentive to differentiate products by division. However, the black ink may not "happen" if products are not differentiated so they don't compete against one another.

[Watchdevil]

MKX and MKZ are still models from the old management. Look at MKS and the D472 for the indication how the current management will handle things..

 

Igor

 

 

Mismanagment to new mismanagement... And now we end up with a Lincoln MKS that looks like a generic import... Generic in the same way that Hyundai top of the line cars always looked like a mish mash of other luxury car designs... Lincoln went to hell when they decided not to use the concept car ideas of the Continental and Mark 9 concepts. They were clean, edgy and distinctly American designs with historical Lincoln DNA.

 

The way I see evolution of historical models translated into new, the new versions should look like genetic offspring of the parents, yet new and fresh in some way... The same way in human genetics there is a resemblence passed down to children.. Thats why the new Mustang works...