Ford plans to stop making all cars except the Mustang in the North American market in favor of trucks and SUVs · 38
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This seems to me like a patently retarded idea with specious reasoning. The numbers given on the Mustang vs. every other car they make should be enough for anyone at the company to know this is dumb
The return of the Ranger is pretty cool I guess
WanderingEng · 59 days ago · link ·
This leaves the number of American cars I would consider buying at one: the Chevy Bolt. I like the Fusion and Focus.
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francopoli · 59 days ago · link ·
I test drove a Focus and a C-Max. Both cars were bad. The interior was uncomfortable, cheaply made and even looked cheap. The Focus wagon/hatchback was small and drove like shit. The only C-Max I see on the road are taxis, the only Focus I see on the road have HERTZ stickers on them. I know mo real normal people with either car.
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WanderingEng · 59 days ago · link ·
Interesting. A coworker has a plug-in hybrid C-Max. I've seen another regular hybrid C-Max, and it was rare enough I still remember where I saw it. I realize I know of nobody with a Focus. I see them on the roads, but I don't know anyone with one. Another coworker has a Fusion, though. My impression of Ford is they make decent cars, but maybe my impression is flawed and evidenced by their lackluster sales.
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Focus has gas terrible luck with transmissions. The dual clutch auto was bad. The fit fair and drive feel was also inferior to the Mazda 3, all it could compete on was price. It will be interesting to see how ford will make their fleet average mileage numbers without cars though. There is going to be a segment of Kia Soul clones out there that Ford will have to sell to make MPG figures
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francopoli · 59 days ago · link ·
The Mazda 3 is a great car. Drives great, neat interior, good visibility, great build quality. I was a bit upset when the telescope could not fit in the car and I had to go with a different car. It's better than the Ford cars in every way, and less expensive.
The EPA is entertaining the idea of rolling back future target mpg standards. Ford has been playing with the idea of dropping sedans for a while and maybe they think now they'll be able to if the pressure from the EPA for efficiency targets is let up a bit.It will be interesting to see how ford will make their fleet average mileage numbers without cars though.
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It's close to irrelevant, because a huge number of "crossovers" are just large hatchbacks. The way car architecture is designed these days, there are platforms on which cars, trucks, and SUVs are all built. The difference, e.g., between a Malibu and an Equinox, is mostly window dressing; same applies to a Prius and a Rav4, and there are many other examples across manufacturers (although I admittedly know very little about Ford). The fuel economy differences are real due to the added weight of a bigger body, and often AWD, but they're not huge.
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My understanding is that the overall fuel economy of the fleet has to reach a certain number. I'm no expert, so I may be incorrect. I think that if Ford introduces an all electric truck that would count for a lot no matter that it's a truck (or that electric cars aren't really that great for the environment!). Edit: I mean to say that it's irrelevant in terms of fuel economy by my understanding. I actually think they're making a huge mistake strategically, as fashions change with the wind.
I know a guy who had a Focus. I'm 5'8" and the front seat was cramped. He's six something and I don't know how he drove it. I drive a Chevy Spark which is in the same class as a Smart Car and people are usually surprised by its interior size. In the front. It has a back row in theory more than practice
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WanderingEng · 59 days ago · link ·
I've never driven a Focus, admittedly, but I like the size. I had a two door Civic that was small for my height but sort of just right. I think I could manage a Focus.
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WanderingEng · 59 days ago · link ·
Does Ford refer to more than one Focus as Foci? What about Nissan with the Leaf? If I went to a dealer, would I ask "do you have many Leaves on the lot?" I've always wondered this. I assume they'd say Leafs, but I kind of hope it's Leaves.
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My wife and I are looking this weekend at the Chevy Malibu. So far, from online research it looks pretty solid. Anyone have any personal experience with it? She's getting rid of her 2008 Saturn Aura. It's been a great car, and only now is starting to show it's age in terms of now costing us some bucks in repairs to keep it in top shape.
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The new malibu is very different from any previous version. I'm actually surprised they didn't change the name. It's a fantastic car. I drive one for a year, and I loved it. I would recommend the 1.5L engine. They also make a 2.0 (both are turbo), but I never found I needed the extra power, and the milage is a lot better in the 1.5 (I averaged about 33, but I drive like an old person). It drives much more like a perfomance car than you would expect for a mid size sedan. For what it is, I'd give it an A, for sure.
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Thanks man. In our research online, finding the Malibu's limitation of a 4-cylinder engine looked like a stopper for my wife. A car with a 6-cylinder, or larger, engine was on her short list of deal breakers to begin with. Some extra anecdotal evidence should help us keep an open mind when we test drive them.
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Have to remember it's a 4cyl turbo. That's totally different than your mother's 4. 2.0T engines are in performance cars from the WRX to the Evoque to the ATS, etc, etc. It's a very popular engine because it's fast when you want it to be and fuel efficient when you aren't in a hurry. The Malibu's 2.0 makes 250hp, which on a car of that size is more than enough. Taste is one thing, so you may or may not like the car as much as I did, but I highly doubt you'll be disappointed by the performance.
They were kind of leaning this way, then kind of not, and now I guess they're going all in. The Ford Sedans, like the Ford Mustang, are about brand loyalty and getting people onto the lot. In raw numbers though, Ford sells trucks. According to Wikipedia, last year they sold in the North America alone over 1 Million Ford F-Series trucks, 300k Ford Escapes, and 270k Ford Explorers. In comparison, last year they sold about 48k Fiestas, 170k Focuses, 209k Fusions, 40k Tauruses, and 81k Mustangs. There's your difference in raw numbers. I can't think today, so here are some random thoughts. 1) I see more Ford SUV police vehicles on the road than I see Sedans. I know police officers, everyone I talk to hates the sedans Ford, Chevrolet, and Dodge makes because they're too cramped but everyone loves the SUVs. The guys repairing them miss the hell out of Crown Vics though. 2) During the '80s, '90s, and early '00s, Ford's cars had a dodgey reputation where their trucks were often still highly regarded. Which would you be willing to buy? A Ford Fusion or a Honda Accord? Why? 3) Fleet sales are probably a factor here, but that's more than I know how to look up. 4) There's a larger profit margin in Truck sales than Sedan sales. Don't ask me to explain why, cause I don't know, but that fact is part of the reason why GM gave Pontiac and Saturn the axe when they were restructuring but decided to keep GMC even though everyone and their mother pointed out that Chevrolet, Pontiac, and Saturn all sold different cars while GMC trucks were basically upbranded Chevrolet trucks. 5) The Mustang, like the Corvette, like the Toyota 86, like the Mazda Miata, is a flagship car. It's not about sales numbers or profit margins for those cars. It's about keeping the brand in your mind by creating excitement when you see them on the road and letting you know the company exists through T-Shirts, Calendars, Magazine Ads, etc. The Mustang is core to Ford's image. The day they announce they're gonna stop making Mustangs is the day they decide to announce they're taking the company in a completely different direction. 6) The Mustang is cool. The Ford Focus RS is fucking sick.
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It'll be a different beast than the Ranger you remembered. Bigger, but also probably more refined. Today's Civics for example dwarf Honda Accords from the '90s but drive a lot better and are even more reliable. You'll see something similar with the new generation of Ranger. If I recall, they stopped selling it in the states because it cost only slightly less than the entry level F-150 and had only slightly better gas mileage. They figured, pretty correctly, that it wouldn't hurt their sales too much to cut it out. It's death didn't really come as a surprise. Light Trucks kind of faded from the American market due to a mix of reasons, namely a combination of The Chicken Tax and CAFE standards.
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speeding_snail · 59 days ago · link ·
I'm not sure what is meant here: Do they mean they are expensive? Or that they make the most money per transaction? Anyway, it seems to me that Ford cannot keep up with what people actually want and instead of innovating and improving, doubles down on the markets where they already have a sizable part of the market. I wonder what the effects are for Ford globally (Ford is a rather popular brand in the Netherlands for example). Ford says that it "maintains the highest transaction prices of any full-line automaker – $36,300 per vehicle."
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Jesus. Well, when was the last time you saw a Ford Fusion driving around? Honda Civic 2015 335,384 2016 366,927The deep cuts to Ford's car lineup are part of the company's goal of creating "a winning portfolio and focusing on products and markets where Ford can win," the company said.
With the planned cuts, Ford will say farewell to the Fusion sedan, of which 43,176 have been sold so far in 2018 — and the Focus, of which Ford has sold 35,046 cars this year.
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I've gotten them as rental cars a few times. I'll bet Enterprise, National etc. accounted for a good chunk of those 40,000 Fusions sold so far this year. They aren't bad cars, but they have a distinct vibe of "I drive a sedan but still want my car to be an extension of my personality" that I wasn't entirely comfortable with.the last time you saw a Ford Fusion driving around
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