Ford's Abandonment Of Traditional Sedans Blamed On Profit

Is any AutoSpies reader surprised that sedan sales have declined considerably, and SUV an Crossover sales have taken up the slack?

The decision to cut products that few people want is just business.

ANd yet in China - sedan sales still dominate

This is actually pure and simple

It has been a LONG TIME since FORD actually invested in car Platforms except for the "Mondeo" platform. THE US Taurus is still produced, as is the Explorer - on an ancient VOLVO platform. Ford is so hopelessly behind the times on producing a highly scalable platform for most of its "cars" that they had no alternative. They could not afford NOT TO produce the new Pick Up Platform - since that is where they make their money - and they simply do not have the money to produce a set of platforms similar to the VSS set that GM is in the middle of developing already. AS a result - even if they UPDATED their cars in existing platforms they would be TOO expensive to compete. The economies of scale for a Set of scalable platforms is that beneficial - but only if you actually have the money aside to start the process - something FORD doesn't.

So while FORD was showing reasonable Stock Market numbers because if the trucks - it never took off because they knew the investment in future architecture did not exist. And of course - FORD was in the same boat when they bought Volvo - they really needed a platform for the "new" Ford 500 which was to be their savior (It failed).

Of course - the problem remains - the rest of the world still buys sedans - and FORD will not be producing competitive ones - so they may as well stop - and become a Truck/SUV/Crossover manufacturer now.

It isn't sales, its the profit. Focus and Fusion currently out sells multiple Ford vehicles not being dropped.

And engineering at Ford is slated for cuts.

It would not surprise me if Ford is working on a merger with another company.

Ford has 2 very scalable platforms: C2 on the new global Focus and the CD6 on the new suv Aviator n Explorer. Both can scale by length and width and support RWD, FWD and 4WD. These also support modular systems steering, AC, suspension, hybrid and more. They are 2 of the 5 global platforms Ford will use going forward.

Ford's discontinuance of 4 sedans will be supplemented with hybrid capable cuv and suv models with greater sales and profit potential like the Bronco, baby Bronco and several new cuv's.

And Tesla decided to focus on a sedan (model 3) as its saviour. Not a good move when sedans are a dying breed.

The better move would have been a crash redesign of the Model X to ditch the pigeon doors and get rid of the stupid expanse of the front windshield. The third Tesla should have been a crossover.

See, too, Dan Neil's recent WSJ piece: Ford's also doing it to dodge CAFE requirements via a truck-friendly loophole.
That said, thanks to aero and, again, CAFE, modern sedans lack utility. The trunks are nigh-worthless, the back seats are a bitch to load with stuff that's hard to get into the trunk. So for any sort of utility, a hatch is the way to go. Sedans are dodos.
And since Mulally's comment, the tech's come on the scene to make trucks and SUVs more efficient. So, you know, times change.

sheets of plywood in a hatchback?