SoonerLS Posted April 8, 2018 Share Posted April 8, 2018 And for sakes WTH can't truck production mix in with car production at the same plants?. I'm sure they could, but it's a question of volume: a plant can only produce so many vehicles at one time. Their judgment was that the volume they had available in North America was better used making trucks (which have been both high volume and high profit) than making a car that was losing market share and less profitable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted April 9, 2018 Share Posted April 9, 2018 And for sakes WTH can't truck production mix in with car production at the same plants?. You think if they can make a Crown Vic and an Escort at the same plant they can do BOF/unibody at anywhere, in Ford's case the Escape Focus and Transit C. are the same vehicle underneath but made in totally separate plants is mind boggling, GM is guilty of this also (like Sonic made in Michigan and the hotter selling Track/Encore made in Korea despite the same platform/running gear). Because they'd need a completely separate line to be run to be able to build BOF and unibody car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itguy09 Posted April 9, 2018 Share Posted April 9, 2018 I'm not sure that I like either of those scenarios. The Taurus lost its cache years ago when Ford let it die off with no redesigns for years, fleet sales only to help keep the Atlanta plant open, etc. Then it was resurrected as the full size successor to the Ford Five Hundred that's never been very successful at the retail level. In the meantime, Ford's established the Fusion name in the mid-size sedan market. They had their chance with the Taurus in 2009 and it looked good but they fumbled it badly. When I got my SHO in 2009 the guys at the office who knew I was looking for a new car asked what I got. When I said Taurus they looked puzzled. Then I pointed to mine and everyone seemed to love it. It looks great, drives great, and has been drop dead reliable for me outside of some initial teething issues. Now at 124k it still runs great and looks decent. But they hardly advertised it, never updated it in 9 years and generally pissed it all away. They could have had a solid entry with a few tweaks to the interior design and hotrodded the SHO a little further. Still scratching my head on why they screw this stuff up. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sullynd Posted April 9, 2018 Share Posted April 9, 2018 If I could travel back in time, and somehow become a higher up at Ford, the Fusion should have been Taurus, and Five Hundred should have been Galaxie. Now Fusion has better cachet than Taurus. They should let Taurus die. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzymoomoo Posted April 9, 2018 Share Posted April 9, 2018 Because they'd need a completely separate line to be run to be able to build BOF and unibody car. they did it with the LS and Town Car on the same line 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2b2 Posted April 9, 2018 Share Posted April 9, 2018 (edited) .Torino comes to mind.... ... or Taurino I was going to add up the compact+midsize Hondas & Toylettas for a thread elsewhere BUT it was sooo confusing - with added models that I'm not sure what's which maybe Fomoco needs to add a bunch of nameplates ( like each body-style with its own Name + cheap-easy graphics differences) so the (ugh) consumers think there's a much bigger CHOICE Edited April 9, 2018 by 2b2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoonerLS Posted April 9, 2018 Share Posted April 9, 2018 they did it with the LS and Town Car on the same line They were both built at Wixom, but, IIRC, they were on separate lines. IIRC, the LS, Town Car, and Continental were all built at Wixom, but on separate lines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RadicalX Posted April 9, 2018 Share Posted April 9, 2018 or Taurino I was going to add up the compact+midsize Hondas & Toylettas for a thread elsewhere BUT it was sooo confusing - with added models that I'm not sure what's which maybe Fomoco needs to add a bunch of nameplates ( like each body-style with its own Name + cheap-easy graphics differences) so the (ugh) consumers think there's a much bigger CHOICE taurino, in portuguese, is the name given to the person of the sign of Taurus. would be funny 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzymoomoo Posted April 9, 2018 Share Posted April 9, 2018 They were both built at Wixom, but, IIRC, they were on separate lines. IIRC, the LS, Town Car, and Continental were all built at Wixom, but on separate lines. Dammit, thats what I though. Akirby had me convinced otherwise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted April 9, 2018 Share Posted April 9, 2018 they did it with the LS and Town Car on the same line I was just about to say that. It was Wixom. I think the body shop may be different but final assembly is the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted April 9, 2018 Share Posted April 9, 2018 They were both built at Wixom, but, IIRC, they were on separate lines. IIRC, the LS, Town Car, and Continental were all built at Wixom, but on separate lines. I could be wrong but I thought I remembered the Mania guys saying there was a Town Car followed by a LS on the same final assembly line. I think only the body shop was different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twintornados Posted April 9, 2018 Share Posted April 9, 2018 If I could travel back in time, and somehow become a higher up at Ford, the Fusion should have been Taurus, and Five Hundred should have been Galaxie. Now Fusion has better cachet than Taurus. They should let Taurus die. . Fusion was originally slated to be called Futura....but then Ford got cocky and tried to litigate Pep Boys out of their use of the name and lost it in court...now they CAN'T use the name at all.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sullynd Posted April 9, 2018 Share Posted April 9, 2018 . Fusion was originally slated to be called Futura....but then Ford got cocky and tried to litigate Pep Boys out of their use of the name and lost it in court...now they CAN'T use the name at all.... I know, and we should all thank Pep boys for that. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbone Posted April 9, 2018 Share Posted April 9, 2018 They had their chance with the Taurus in 2009 and it looked good but they fumbled it badly. When I got my SHO in 2009 the guys at the office who knew I was looking for a new car asked what I got. When I said Taurus they looked puzzled. Then I pointed to mine and everyone seemed to love it. It looks great, drives great, and has been drop dead reliable for me outside of some initial teething issues. Now at 124k it still runs great and looks decent. But they hardly advertised it, never updated it in 9 years and generally pissed it all away. They could have had a solid entry with a few tweaks to the interior design and hotrodded the SHO a little further. Still scratching my head on why they screw this stuff up. Ford has a habit of doing this with their cars. They know how to build a nice car but they never seem to fully commit to them. Its a shame really, because they could be a leader in these segments if they really wanted to. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
30 OTT 6 Posted April 9, 2018 Share Posted April 9, 2018 If I could travel back in time, and somehow become a higher up at Ford, the Fusion should have been Taurus, and Five Hundred should have been Galaxie. Now Fusion has better cachet than Taurus. They should let Taurus die. Yeah, and say F'n No to car names all starting with the letter F. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted April 9, 2018 Share Posted April 9, 2018 Ford has a habit of doing this with their cars. They know how to build a nice car but they never seem to fully commit to them. Its a shame really, because they could be a leader in these segments if they really wanted to. IMO they spend too much time and effort on new platforms or combining platforms and trying to manage factory capacity. If they would build something, then improve it year over year with new models every 3 years and new platforms on a normal refresh cycle (like they do with F150 and also what Honda and Toyota do with Camcord) then you'd see a loyal fan base and higher sales over time. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted April 9, 2018 Share Posted April 9, 2018 Yeah, and say F'n No to car names all starting with the letter F. <cough> Taurus <cough> Mustang <cough> C-Max <cough> 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Assimilator Posted April 9, 2018 Share Posted April 9, 2018 (edited) Ford operates on razor thin margins and efficiency is everything to them, it also makes them incredibly inflexible so they have to be disciplined and strategic in their planning. Edited April 9, 2018 by Assimilator 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ice-capades Posted April 10, 2018 Share Posted April 10, 2018 IMO they spend too much time and effort on new platforms or combining platforms and trying to manage factory capacity. If they would build something, then improve it year over year with new models every 3 years and new platforms on a normal refresh cycle (like they do with F150 and also what Honda and Toyota do with Camcord) then you'd see a loyal fan base and higher sales over time. This goes back to an earlier thread discussion about what would happen if Ford gave all models the same attention to product development it does to F-Series. I'm also reminded that this was an issue with former CEO Alan Mulally with a redesign schedule going back to a 3 year schedule. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theoldwizard Posted April 10, 2018 Author Share Posted April 10, 2018 Segue #1 - I live only 15 miles away from WHQ and I notice the other day that there are STILL a large number of "Panther" vehicles still driving around the metro Detroit area. Segue #2 - At least one suburban Detroit Police Department choose NOT to purchase ANY Taurus-based Police Interceptors because A) some officer could not fit comfortably in the drivers seat and B) perpetrators in handcuffs can not SIT in the back seat, with a barrier installed between the front and back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted April 10, 2018 Share Posted April 10, 2018 Segue #2 - At least one suburban Detroit Police Department choose NOT to purchase ANY Taurus-based Police Interceptors because A) some officer could not fit comfortably in the drivers seat and B) perpetrators in handcuffs can not SIT in the back seat, with a barrier installed between the front and back. Maybe they just can't afford anything newer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itguy09 Posted April 10, 2018 Share Posted April 10, 2018 <cough> Taurus <cough> Mustang <cough> C-Max <cough> Taurus and C-Max are done. And Ford would be dumber than a box of rocks to discontinue probably the first or second most recognizable nameplate in North America. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted April 10, 2018 Share Posted April 10, 2018 Taurus and C-Max are done. And Ford would be dumber than a box of rocks to discontinue probably the first or second most recognizable nameplate in North America. But they’ve been on sale for a long time and none start with F. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
30 OTT 6 Posted April 10, 2018 Share Posted April 10, 2018 But they’ve been on sale for a long time and none start with F. Nah, you just have issues with context. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted April 10, 2018 Share Posted April 10, 2018 Yeah, and say F'n No to car names all starting with the letter F. <cough> Taurus <cough> Mustang <cough> C-Max <cough> Nah, you just have issues with context. Context is in bold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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