Thoughts on Ford stopping sells of cars in North America?

[Chi-Guy]

I'm sure most of you heard that Ford is going to stop selling every car in North America except the Mustang and Focus Active. https://techcrunch.com/2018/04/25/f...rth-america-but-the-mustang-and-focus-active/

Do you guys think at some point other manufacturers like Kia will follow suit?

 

[MurlinatoR]

I'm gonna say no. Ford has a truck business that runs most of what they do. Many mfgr's have a broader platform of vehicles.

I call this natural selection. Why is the 200 gone? Why will the Fusion go? They are inferior vehicles in a struggling segment. I expect the Malibu and a few others will as well. The ones that are in the top 5-10 will stick. There are far too many buyers that do NOT want SUV's or trucks.

 

[Kale808]

I'm still a little shocked that they would discontinue both the Focus and Fusion but not surprised since Ford is more heavily interested in bringing the Bronco and Ranger back to the states. Plus the Focus is moving production to China and therefore it wouldn't make sense to export them back in the US and potentially selling them at a loss.

 

[Stingin' Away]

This may be a bit misleading when you say "car". Trucks, SUVs, the Mustang, and Focus are still going to be sold. I was thinking when I first saw this that only two platforms were to be sold in the US.

I understand their reasoning. The market is just not strong enough for coupes/sedans. Everybody likes "big" and the trucks/SUVs/CUVs check off the box for most. Change is inevitable but I would REALLY like to see more consumers buy sedans/hatchbacks/shooting brakes/wagons. Does this mean consumers don't really care about MPGs? Actually, yes. From experience in cost savings and consumer needs, people who buy the bigger vehicles don't care for gas mileage.

Go to Europe, they sell Skoda, Seat, Citroen, etc. These all have small petty turbocharged motors that wouldn't last in America's economy for two reasons: size and branding. Also, it wouldn't help with a small car like that barreling down the highway at 80 mph in 6th gear @ 4k rpm. The country is simply too big for these cars. Europe makes much more sense. According to carsalesbase.com, SUV sales in Europe alone have actually increased by 30% in 2017. The shift to these vehicles will continue for awhile.