Ford to end US car sales besides Mustang

...and just concentrate on crossovers, SUVs, and trucks.

https://arstechnica.com/cars/2018/0...all-us-car-sales-focusing-on-suvs-and-trucks/

The US market will no longer sell the Fiesta, the Focus (besides a Subaru CrossTrek-esque Focus Active crossover), the Fusion, and the Taurus in the USA.

As someone planning on going to a big American-style sedan, this is jaw-dropping. And with GM reportedly killing the Impala and Lacrosse, and even rumors of Chrysler not coming out with an next-gen Charger, this means that the Detroit Three have ceded the "big American-style sedan" market to Toyota (next-gen Avalon is getting glowing reviews) and Kia (the Cadenza may lack mindshare, but it certainly doesn't lack refinement or competence).

 

I guess US market has no demand for such cars...
Real shame though, Fiesta and Focus (together with Mondeo, which I think is called Taurus in the US) are pretty nice cars. Really like their handling.

 

The thing is, I don't think the US market as a whole actually lacks demand for such cars. Toyota just created new generations of the Camry and Avalon. Honda has just released new versions of the Civic and Accord, plus the Clarity flagship, plus the new Insight. VW just gave the US the new Jetta and the Arteon. Nissan just unveiled a new Leaf and a new Altima. Kia has the normal subcompact/compact/midsize sedan lineup, plus the Soul and Niro hatchbacks, and three different flagship sedans released in the past two years (second-gen Cadenza, the Stinger, and the second-gen K900). Hyundai has the new Ioniq plus a new luxury brand that consists entirely of sedans right now. Tesla's biggest problem right now is that it can't make Model 3 sedans fast enough to meet demand.

It's not that the sedan is disappearing from the US market. It's that the sedan is disappearing from US manufacturers for the US market.

 

Ballsy move. It will be interesting to see what happens.

 

Toyota introduced the new Camry, then within weeks of availability was offering it with 0% APR for 72 months financing. Honda came out with the new Accord, and it's been stacking up like cord wood on dealer lots, reaching a more than 100 days supply, an unheard of number of the brand. Dealers were on the verge of revolt at their annual meeting if the factory didn't come up with some more trunk money to help them sell it. Hyundai's product mix is has been too car-heavy for too long. They redesigned the Accent, Elantra, Sonata, and Veloster all within the last 2 model years. The Santa Fe has been around since 2013 (though a new one is on the way for model-year '19). The Tucson has, for all intents and purposes, been a non-starter due to its lousy dual-clutch automatic, which has been replaced with a traditional 6-speed automatic as part of its 2019 mid-lifecycle refresh. Kia classifies the Niro and Soul as crossovers, even though they're not available with all-wheel drive. That's kind of a new thing in the subcompact CUV segment. You have those two vehicles, plus the Toyota C-HR and upcoming Nissan Kicks.

Now I'm not saying what Ford is doing is necessarily smart, especially since gas prices have been rising. If it ever gets back to around the $4/gallon mark for a sustained period of time, demand for cars could pick up, leaving them in a bit of a pickle.

 

I generally agree that the sedan market has cooled in the US, however, I don't believe it will ever pick up again. Crossovers have reached near parity with sedans when it comes to fuel economy. Sure, it's not 40mpg, but crossovers are no longer 22mpg while sedans are hanging around 35 (we're striking Hyundai's lying 40mpg claim altogether).

Ford isn't ditching small cars altogether (a Focus hatchback variant is staying around), and I believe claims I've read elsewhere about "Ford needing a sedan to draw in customers" are outlandish. Ford does need better small cars, but a sedan is no longer the market to focus on. Ford isn't moving police fleet sales of Taurus cars, anymore. The pursuit-rated Explorer blew that market away. Fusion (Mondeo for the European market) is okay, but having driven and ridden in the competition, I just don't see the purchase motivation behind it (unless if "buy a Fusion," was the top motivator). Focus was a wretched little car 12 years ago, and I've never been back inside one. I've read they don't feel like deathtraps with poor brakes, anymore, but now suffer from an automatic that is even worse than the old one.

On the other hand, in contrast to their sedans, their crossovers are generally decent. Focus on those. The sedans will still stay around for market that appreciate Ford's specific attributes.



I almost forgot, I liked the Fiesta, but I'm not in that market. AFAIK, that market is basically dead in the US. MPG of that segment isn't good enough (bad aero, cheap engines) and the cars are really expensive for what they are. Like the Fusion, I feel the primary motivation for buying one of those subcompact cars (from almost any manufacturer) is because "I wanted that one, and no other."

 

I get that a lot of people what a truck, SUV, or crossover, but in my experience, there's still demand for sedans as well, even if it's not what it was five years ago. I live in stereotypical "flyover country," and the typical driveway has one truck/SUV and one sedan. We have a 4Runner and a Civic. Across the street, it's a Silverado and Kia Spectra. Just down the street, it's a Tahoe and Hyundai Genesis. One block over, a Silverado and Malibu.

Maybe Ford and Chrysler think they can do just one-half of this, but in my mind, when you don't even try to give these two-vehicle families a sedan as well as a truck/SUV, you risk losing their truck purchase as well if someone else gives them a really good sedan experience.

 

With trucks like the Colorado 2.8 Duramax getting 28 mpg then why would you want a sedan? And with the new 1500 going to diesel as well(EcoDiesel 3.0, Duramax 3.0, and Powerstroke 3.0) Its getting to the point where the trucks are close enough in mpg to the cars that most people will buy a truck instead.

I know if I was buying new I wouldn't touch a sedan right now with all the new truck options coming out. Unless of course I was getting something with a supercharged V8 under the hood or the likes.

 

Problem is trucks are getting stupid expensive. A modestly equipped F-150 XLT 4WD with the 2.7-liter Ecoboost V-6 can break $50,000. Yes, there are often massive incentives available, but you're still talking an out-of-pocket cost of more than $40,000. Midsize rigs aren't any better. A diesel Colorado is more than $40,000, and they're not incentivized nearly as much. For similar to slightly more money, you can get a far more capable full-size.

 

Same can be asked about a truck, why would you want one?
Different people different lifestyles.