Here's Why Ford Was Right to Kill Cars

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A few years ago, Ford decided to kill cars -- and it was the right decision. Today I'm going to go back and look at Ford's decision to kill cars, and I'm going to explain why it was clearly the right one.

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DOUGSCORE CHART:

[andybrinegar]

From a business perspective, the move makes sense. That doesn't change my desire to have a normal sized sedan. I'm in the minority, but the lack of small cars in the US is extremely frustrating.

[person.w]

I'll always find it ironic that there's this push towards more eco-friendly vehicles and yet so many vehicles sold are these massive 2 meter long behemoths.

[cheemstv]

i love the fact that although gas price is skyrocketing people keep buying larger and larger vehicles

[SkiDaBird]

From a business perspective, Ford is spot on. From someone who wants cheap, reliable transportation and really cool good driving fun vehicles, it's just painful to see where the market has gone.

[EnthusiastsGarage]

Toyota and Honda have such a strong hold on the car market I don’t blame Ford for concentrating on trucks and SUVs.

[FreshHesh]

I really hope Crossover madness ends in a couple of years so we can buy normal sized cars again

[lordcorgi]

Everyone: Save the environment!
Also Everyone: I'm not going to buy a car, but instead get an SUV that gets half the MPG and uses twice the resources to make.

[meatbyproducts]

GM tried this in the early 2000s with focusing on SUVs, but that was before the market was ready. Ford focused on small cars at that time and killed it. Then Chrysler and GM had to beg for money when Ford was okay. Ford has always been good at reading markets.

[Andrew-zstc]

Ford and others abandoning the small affordable car market leaves the market open for the Chinese manufacturers to take over when the trend changes back to people driving vehicles they can afford.

[danieljdtaylor]

You’ve honestly convinced me of their decision to be honest, I’m still shattered there’s no focus, fiesta and in my case, the Falcon anymore, but if I want a performance sedan or hatch, there’s other brands like Hyundai smashing that market now

[atomicsmith]

I rented a Ford Focus on several trips in Europe, and always loved the vehicle. Even the base model was fun to drive (RT was amazing!), and ridiculously practical. Somehow though, I never really took buying one in the states seriously… I guess ford knew this.

[PiersBailey]

I definitely get the idea, but it's also worth bearing in mind that the Fiesta and Focus still exist in other markets other than the US, so it's not as if they've stopped making them altogether. I can still buy an all-new Fiesta over here in the UK, just no longer a Mondeo (though I believe a brand new model is available in China). So the company still has to design and build cars, that don't even make it to US shores

I'd be curious to see how long it takes for Saloons (Sedans) to become popular once again. Things like this come in waves, I foresee cars like the VW Buzz bringing people back to MPVs (Minivans) and there being a resurgence in the concept of a people mover once again. Maybe once people realise a heavy, un-aerodynamic, crossover with poor interior space for their footprint doesn't actually make a lot of sense...

[SCARFACE]

I switched from a lifted truck that was almost impossible to park to a compact car that I can park anywhere and I never think about gas anymore! I realized I never used my as a truck and I could just rent one for $19.99 a day from U-Haul.

[rw]

What's insulting is that the company that was founded on the idea of offering affordable transportation to the masses with the Model T, abandoned the idea of offering affordable transportation for the working class. The base Fiesta was $13k, Focus was $15K, and both were cheap but also fun to drive, especially with their manuals. Yes, they came out with the Maverick, but that is still a far cry from sub $20k transportation for the average household. Ford decided they'd rather sell everyone a $50k truck or suv. I also deeply miss the Fiesta and Focus ST. Some of the best performance/handing value out there.

Also, this myth that no one was buying their cars is completely false. They were selling 500k+ cars a year when they decided to cancel. It was purely about profit margin. The Focus outsold things like the transit connect, transit, edge, flex, ecosport, ranger, bronco sport, bronco, etc. The Fusion was selling as well as the freaking explorer.

[simiken]

Ford still makes Focuses and Fiestas in Europe though. I think that undermines the argument of them being able to divert resources to the truck/SUV segment because they didn't actually stop developing them, they just stopped selling them in America.

[jordanyeager]

As a fusion owner I really wish it was still in the line up. 😢

[Pumpmaster]

As a 37-year Ford employee, I'd like to say "thanks Doug!" for the thoughtful analysis and kind words. My secular humanism compels me to also be honest: the Explorer is not the best 3-row SUV. Admittedly, we've had a number of issues/recalls on the Explorer, and It's features and long-term quality are middling at best. Opinion: myself and many other Ford employees think we should have kept the Fusion in the line-up as well, as we made a very reliable hybrid version of it also.

[nicholasstocker]

That EcoSport roast at the end was priceless! 🤣

[THEsquatterbike]

The moment everything became a $40k+ SUV was the moment I realized I was broke

[davidl]

I think they should have kept the Focus lineup. I know it's small and niche, but the ST and RS were the best practical runaround enthusiast cars, and I think we are coming back around to that.