Umm Ford,What's going on?

[NYLIBUD]

Ok so I read that Ford is going to stop making most of their cars.They will continue to make the Mustang,along with trucks,and certain SUVS.I'm Not sure how I feel about this.And I believe they're going to continue their electric/Hybrid cars.Maybe I read it wrong.

[Joe Handley]

Same thing GM is planning, and to some extent, FCA. Mid sized cars aren't selling all that well and small domestics are selling worse, so they're cutting those models and focusing profits from the lines that do sell on vehicles that will move the companies forward. Seems like they're going to put more effort into electrifiction and self driving cars......like it or not, those are the future. Not sure what Chrysler is up to, especially if they aren't working on more hybrids and EVs beyond the Pacifica Hybrid or 500e.

[Ace-Garageguy]

First Fiat-Chrysler culled it's car lines. Then GM dumped all of theirs. Now Ford.

I guess it's the new game of do-whatever-everyone-else-in-the-US-car-business-does.

But hey...demand for US-built Asian cars is way down too.

Guess those urban-adventure ads aimed at the terminally clueless are working, and now they all think they need trucks and SUVs to haul their organic kale, picket signs, and penny-farthings.

                           

                                                                           

 

Edited December 30, 2018 by Ace-Garageguy

[SfanGoch]

Penny farthings for rent

Dress like Snipesy, the lovable, homicidal 19th century newsboy and gleefully pedal to the waterfront to meet the three-masted schooners bringing fair trade civet poop coffee beans to your favorite Ye Aulde artisanal cafe Est. fifteen minutes ago.

With any luck, Snipesy will end up under the wheels of a Cafe Bustelo delivery truck after blowing a red light on Atlantic Avenue.

[Joe Handley]

Don't dump that on just the Millenials, anybody who buys one because they can't be seen in a station wagon or minivan....then though it's just a fat station wagon that's the size of a minivan, want the higher seating position, or "need 4wd/AWD and 2ft of ground clearance for when there's 5ft of snow", even though they live in your neck of the woods. Then there are the Boomers that are buying them since they're easier to get into than cars/wagons but not a minivan and ride better than a proper SUV. That's pretty much killed anything that's a better option.

 

Had to have my 200 at the dealer for a couple days for some cooling system and HVAC work done, I had a Journey SE-AWD as a loaner. It's built on the same plarform as the 2008-2014 Avenger, 2008-2010 Sebring, and 2011-2014 200 (like mine). It drove like a taller, fatter 200 and is basicly the wagon version of the Avenger. What did make it interesting though, was that if you just get the FWD Journey SE, you can only get the 170hp 2.4l, 4 speed auto  and soft suspension, and 17x6.5 steelies,with plastic caps. In otherwords, it is as stripped down as you can get for a modern car. The AWD adds the 283hp 3.6l and 6 speed auto like my 200 has as well as a similarly tuned suspension, but other than the dual chromed dual exhaust and \4\ badge on the hatch, it looks just like the FWD SE, throw the "Blacktop" package at it and it could be kind of a SuperBee like CUV.  It felt like it could use about 2" or so less altitude, 18x8-19x9 wheels with shorter wider tires, and maybe the spring rates and sway bars from the GT (formerly R/T) model to make it more interesting.

[NYLIBUD]

That's Why I love my Jeep Cherokee,and my P71 Crown Vic police interceptor.Both cars will go forever.The Crown Vic is a fun car to drive.We just did some quick basic stuff to the car.We threw a set of Flow Masters on,KnN filter,Optima battery.Throttle body spacer,We are gonna to change the pulleys.Like I said basic things.Probably all together it would give me about 35-45 more Hp..And hasn't Fiat owned Jeep for some years now?Well their cars are getting uglier and uglier.Only one Jeep left,the Rubicon Wrangler,2,or 4 door.Great Jeep.Thats a body and design that will never go away.

Edited December 30, 2018 by NYLIBUD

[iamsuperdan]

Not a surprise to me. 

FCA have exactly one car platform; the Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger, Dodge Challenger. They dumped the rest of their cars a few years ago. They just didn't do a big announcement like Ford did.

Ford is only going to have the Mustang, and a couple of Lincolns. I wonder how long the Lincolns will last though. 

GM is still rocking the car lineup, and will do for the foreseeable future. Chev Camaro, Corvette, a few Buicks, a couple of Cadillacs, all continuing on. But, they have dumped and simplified the lineup, so it will be interesting to see what happens.

 

I think the domestics just can't compete with the imports, either Asian or European. Although domestic cars are better now than they've ever been, they just don't stack up in terms of features, reliability, value, etc. And the garbage that was built a few years ago has given them a reputation for building garbage. I think that's why a car like the Dodge Dart failed. It was a surprisingly good car, dare I say it...a competitor. but people saw it as the new Neon, and thus, it was treated as such. 

 

 

 

[NYLIBUD]

Ford,....Found on road dead.

[D. Battista]

First On Race Day....! 

[Dave Van]

19 minutes ago, NYLIBUD said:

Ford,....Found on road dead.

Then why worry what they make!!! You can only build what sells. 

Speaking of 'Found on road dead' Google GM ignition switch failure.....lots of death there.....

[Rodent]

1 hour ago, iamsuperdan said:

Not a surprise to me. 

FCA have exactly one car platform; the Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger, Dodge Challenger. They dumped the rest of their cars a few years ago. They just didn't do a big announcement like Ford did.

Ford is only going to have the Mustang, and a couple of Lincolns. I wonder how long the Lincolns will last though. 

GM is still rocking the car lineup, and will do for the foreseeable future. Chev Camaro, Corvette, a few Buicks, a couple of Cadillacs, all continuing on. But, they have dumped and simplified the lineup, so it will be interesting to see what happens.

 

I think the domestics just can't compete with the imports, either Asian or European. Although domestic cars are better now than they've ever been, they just don't stack up in terms of features, reliability, value, etc. And the garbage that was built a few years ago has given them a reputation for building garbage. I think that's why a car like the Dodge Dart failed. It was a surprisingly good car, dare I say it...a competitor. but people saw it as the new Neon, and thus, it was treated as such. 

 

 

 

I wonder about the future of Buick cars. They have already pulled the plug on the LaCrosse. The Regal and Cascada are Opels and don't look like they have much future either. They have already announced that the Cascada won't be replaced with a new model. I have heard that the Regals are very nice cars, but they seem to be failing to attract an audience.

I know a few Dart owners, and they are all sorry they bought them. FCA dealer service around here is pretty awful as well. Resale value is nonexistent as well.

[Mark]

15 minutes ago, Rodent said:

I wonder about the future of Buick cars. They have already pulled the plug on the LaCrosse. The Regal and Cascada are Opels and don't look like they have much future either. They have already announced that the Cascada won't be replaced with a new model. I have heard that the Regals are very nice cars, but they seem to be failing to attract an audience.

I know a few Dart owners, and they are all sorry they bought them. FCA dealer service around here is pretty awful as well. Resale value is nonexistent as well.

Buick is actually doing well (though I believe they sell more vehicles in China than here, now).  Buick ranks pretty high in quality ratings here, last survey I saw they were fourth behind Lexus, Porsche, and Toyota.  The Regal is a bit pricey, when I looked at one a few years ago you had to drop thirty grand to get one that didn't look like a broom-pusher special.  The same money at the time would have bought a Toyota Avalon which was known to have solid resale value.

The last Dodge Dart was a rebadged Alfa Romeo sedan.  As for the original Neon, my mom had one and liked it.  Anyone I knew who had a Neon or PT Cruiser (based on the Neon) liked them. 

[Luc Janssens]

24 minutes ago, Mark said:

Buick is actually doing well (though I believe they sell more vehicles in China than here, now).  Buick ranks pretty high in quality ratings here, last survey I saw they were fourth behind Lexus, Porsche, and Toyota.  The Regal is a bit pricey, when I looked at one a few years ago you had to drop thirty grand to get one that didn't look like a broom-pusher special.  The same money at the time would have bought a Toyota Avalon which was known to have solid resale value.

The last Dodge Dart was a rebadged Alfa Romeo sedan.  As for the original Neon, my mom had one and liked it.  Anyone I knew who had a Neon or PT Cruiser (based on the Neon) liked them. 

Wonder what GM plans are for Buick since they sold Opel/Vauxhall to PSA (Peugeot-Citroën) thus can't rely on Ruesselsheim ITDC anymore...

[Ace-Garageguy]

3 minutes ago, Mark said:

 ...Anyone I knew who had a Neon or PT Cruiser (based on the Neon) liked them. 

I'm one critical SOB, an engineer, and a mechanic. I think both vehicles are just fine, and I don't understand the constant bashing of them by internet "experts". I have long relationships with PT and Neon owners. To me, they're perfectly fine little cars; somewhat unnecessarily complex to work on, but good vehicles. One client has a 2001 PT that's getting close to having 200K on the clock. She's owned it since 60K indicated, and it's been as reliable as a brick EXCEPT for things that were bodged by other "mechanics".

Same scenario with a 2005 Neon with 120K+ . For a while now, I've been de-buggering things also bodged by other "mechanics" who were just throwing parts at insignificant issues they were too incompetent to diagnose correctly. Over time, lotsa money got spent "fixing" things on the little car that never did actually get fixed, as they weren't broken in the first place. For instance: the owner paid over $1000 total for multiple cam-position sensors, plugs, wires, a coil pack and a throttle-position sensor, with NO improvement in the symptoms. The actual issue was a bad $25 sensor in the automatic gearbox, but the chimps who worked on the car just couldn't figure it out. 

Just about anything ever built (other than cars with major flaws like the first Yugos snapping crankshafts) is really pretty decent. They usually start going bad when ham-handed and ignorant "techs" start "fixing" them, at dealerships while under warranty, and at independents as they age.

This sort of statement by me always ticks off a lot of folks, but I know the business inside-out, worked my way up in it from floor-sweeper to owner of multiple shops over the years, and employer. It's almost impossible to find a COMPETENT mechanic anywhere. Sad, but very, very true.

[OldTrucker]

16 hours ago, NYLIBUD said:

That's Why I love my Jeep Cherokee,and my P71 Crown Vic police interceptor.Both cars will go forever.The Crown Vic is a fun car to drive.We just did some quick basic stuff to the car.We threw a set of Flow Masters on,KnN filter,Optima battery.Throttle body spacer,We are gonna to change the pulleys.Like I said basic things.Probably all together it would give me about 35-45 more Hp..And hasn't Fiat owned Jeep for some years now?Well their cars are getting uglier and uglier.Only one Jeep left,the Rubicon Wrangler,2,or 4 door.Great Jeep.Thats a body and design that will never go away.

No, they ( the jeeps) won't go away, just rust away faster with each new year!LOL

Love that Crown Vic!

 

Edited December 30, 2018 by OldTrucker

[Badluck 13]

This was brought up at one of the last Ford meetings I was at in February, the sales show that the car line is just not what most of the public wants and like already said most manufactures are following as well.....

[Rob Hall]

1 hour ago, Luc Janssens said:

Wonder what GM plans are for Buick since they sold Opel/Vauxhall to PSA (Peugeot-Citroën) thus can't rely on Ruesselsheim ITDC anymore...

I assume Buick will be all crossovers in the US, since the Regal has tanked in the market. 

[Rob Hall]

20 hours ago, NYLIBUD said:

Ok so I read that Ford is going to stop making most of their cars.They will continue to make the Mustang,along with trucks,and certain SUVS.I'm Not sure how I feel about this.And I believe they're going to continue their electric/Hybrid cars.Maybe I read it wrong.

Yes, this was announced several months ago.  The Mustang, CUVs, SUVs, and trucks remain for the US market..several new CUVs and SUVs are coming in the next couple of years--a new generation Explorer, the Bronco, and a baby Bronco. 

Edited December 30, 2018 by Rob Hall

[NYLIBUD]

This is all news to me.And I wonder what the other big guys are planning on doing.....Hey whatever sells.$$$$??????

[NYLIBUD]

1 hour ago, OldTrucker said:

No, they ( the jeeps) won't go away, just rust away faster with each new year!LOL

 

 

Thas is true

[Rob Hall]

2 minutes ago, NYLIBUD said:

This is all news to me.And I wonder what the other big guys are planning on doing.....Hey whatever sells.$$$$??????

GM is dropping a bunch of small and full size cars, to focus of CUVs, SUVs, and trucks.  FCA is focusing on their cash cows--Jeep and Ram with several new Jeep products in the next couple of years.  Likely not much for Chrysler or Dodge. 

[Dave Van]

Ford backed off a tiny bit.....along with Mustang Focus will stay along with a police only sedan of some version. I fully understand as my kids all own at least one SUV type vehicle........seems the best solution when they have kids. 

[Rob Hall]

7 minutes ago, Dave Van said:

Ford backed off a tiny bit.....along with Mustang Focus will stay along with a police only sedan of some version. I fully understand as my kids all own at least one SUV type vehicle........seems the best solution when they have kids. 

US production of the Focus ended in May, and they had planned to bring the Focus Active CUV hatchback here next year from China, but that got scuttled.  The Taurus has been cancelled, not sure if that will include the Police Interceptor version, but I suspect Ford will focus on the police version of the Explorer, especially since the next Explorer is switching to the new RWD/AWD platform. 

[1930fordpickup]

Don't tell people but SUV's / crossovers are just a station wagon anyway. Still cracks me up when someone replaces a name and we humans fall for it. 

The biggest  reason people love the crossovers and suvs is they are easy to get in and out of and you can see better.

[Dave Van]

27 minutes ago, 1930fordpickup said:

Don't tell people but SUV's / crossovers are just a station wagon anyway. Still cracks me up when someone replaces a name and we humans fall for it. 

The biggest  reason people love the crossovers and suvs is they are easy to get in and out of and you can see better.

I call them 'tall wagons'.....it's like the 1960's all over.....every drive had a wagon!!!