Featured Ford to stop selling most cars in North America

I read they were keeping Mustang and one other car. Obviously, it made a big impression on me, because I selectively forgot which other car they decided to keep.

 

The Focus Active - it's going to be a lifted Focus to make it more crossover SUV like (facepalm).

 

Hardly worth keeping, since it's really no longer a car, in that case, it's a crossover.

 

Only the 2500 class trucks are exempt with laxer emissions and no requirement for posting a fuel economy rating. That's the F250 and up, and maybe some of the Transit vans.

I think Ford , and maybe the industry, consider a crossover a SUV that has softened edges. The Focus Active is even more car like. The Focus hacthback to the Active is like the Imperza to the Crosstrek.
Here's What We Know About the Ford Focus Active That's Headed for the U.S. - The Drive.

This is the Focus Active

The only thing noticably different than the Focus is those roof rails. Without the Focus in the picture with it, I can't tell if it sits higher or if it is just the camera angle.

I am being to think this is really much ado about nothing.

 

That's called effective downplay.

Others call it normalization.

Some say it's greenwashing.

Whatever the case, it's still a guzzler.

 

every time an american manufacturer decides to focus on the current market, they usually miss the long term boat to the foreign manufacturers.
who knows what people will be driving in 5 years? we are a very short sighted people, focused on quarterly profits.

 

John, you think anything not getting Prius level efficiency is a guzzler. The "FSP" SUVs people are buying these days get better fuel economy than the Sable sedan I recently got rid off.

Want Americans to move into more efficient cars, support gas or carbon taxes.

Agreed on the short sighted, quarterly bit, but this isn't all that going on at Ford. If it were they would be cutting back on the hybrids and even plug ins they are planning. The only thing keeping the hybrid segment up is the fact that there are SUV and crossover options now. Finally saw a Niro, it is just a wagon, but Kia calls it a crossover, and it sells better than the Ioniq. The Rav4h has replaced the Prius as Toyota's largest selling hybrid.

People like the higher seating position of these cars. The Europeans have way more options in hatchbacks and wagons than we have if it was all about cargo space, but SUV sales are also growing there. Ford's new "white space" designs are just going to end up being traditional cars with that higher seating position. Yeah, they will have lower fuel economy than the car they replaced. Some will be hybrids though, and Ford won't have to deeply discount the like the Fusion hybrid to sell them. Then others will have a plug.

Then the pessimistic view is that Ford is downing this to close down the US car factories, and will import the cars from China when the market shifts back to them.

 

Foreign trucks imported into the US have paid an import duty of 25% since 1963.

I don't know what foreign trucks are imported or are built here.


Importing a Motor Vehicle | U.S. Customs and Border Protection

 

Highlander Hybrid will be produced in Texas next year.

No. I've stated literally hundreds times that TRADITIONAL VEHICLES are what gets the "guzzler" label.
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GM doesn't have too much of a problem with Ford cutting back on cars.
General Motors Sticking With Sedans As Ford Kills Off Most Cars in North America - The Drive

 

The new Focus will be built in China and imported to the USA.

 

Only Ford I have ever owned was Taurus a couple decades ago. Was it a great car? No. Was it a fuel efficient car? No. But that was the only affordable CAR available to me with 6 seats back then. We needed a second car that would seat 6 people. Our other car was Nissan Pathfinder, 2 door SUV with only 5 seats, which we soon traded with a minivan with 7 seats. My point is people buy cars that satisfies their immediate needs and desire and certainly not for the needs of earth or environments. Sad to say, but that's the truth.

 

The plan cuts about $5B from expenses each year. The F150 generates the largest profits from ford. The fiesta loses money when sold in north america. Nobody buys the taurus any more, so why waste money redesigning it. Both die in 2019. The focus likely eeks out a tiny profit, but its probably so small that they are going to build just one crossover on that platform the active. That should drop focus sales in north america, but increase its profit margins. The profit margin only looks high enough to continue as is on the fusion (which shares design with the european mondeo) and the mustang.

Ford Says Farewell to Mass-Market Cars - Bloomberg

You wouldn't invest in something like the fiesta or taurus. The switch to only making the active ford (focus) should improve that product lines profitability. Ford decided not to redesign the fusion for the 2020 model year, and are saying they are killing it, but no date. My guess is they will sell it as long as it makes a profit, but do not want to compete hard with the new camry and accord as they see slim margins on that. Tesla looks like they will be making 15%-25% margin on the model 3.

 

big cars are great when gas prices are low. hybrid trucks will not support ford when gas goes up. if they can't compete, they'll die, or perhaps they expect the bailout they didn't need last time.

 

Man, you're getting pretty good with the trolling given your username.

Check out the "chicken tax" - it's one of the reasons you can't get a reasonable-sized truck anymore (like the old Ford Ranger).

Ford the automaker didn't take a bailout, but it looks like lending arm took more money than anyone else: Report: Ford Took Federal Funds, Too | News | Cars.com

 

iirc I just read they are bringing the ranger back, although it'll likely be the Way Tacoma did - going from decent-size to Kelo land barge creation.
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They are, but from what I've read I understand that it's supposedly about the size of the Chevy Colorado (which is already pretty large). I kind of lament the fact that all these trucks are huge these days, since I'd like a small one so I can tow my race/track car instead of driving it to the track. One thing I noticed a few years ago: the (small) Ranger was the truck that I saw most often doing pickup-truck types of things. Real contractors doing real contractor work seemed used to use them a lot; nowadays it's all commercial vans (I will admit that when I was gathering quotes for some home renovation work that I needed, the contractors that I perceived to be more "serious" all came in commercial vans).

 

i had a ranger back in the day. great ride, but admittedly, a bit too small, even for an amateur contractor. traded up to our current dakota, which is a decent compromise in size, but horribly inefficient.

 

When I bought you 2006 Dakota they were still making the Ranger and it was too small. The Dakota was the only one of the mid size trucks that you could get a V8 that year.

 

The Sprinter van is hard too beat with a diesel motor. Great MPG when compared to a Ford or GM truck with a utility bed.