Ford Sales Falter, Hurt By The Trucks It Counts On And The Model It Killed
Posted by Redeemed_Expert9694@reddit | cars | View on Reddit | 192 comments
Posted by Redeemed_Expert9694@reddit | cars | View on Reddit | 192 comments
Redeemed_Expert9694@reddit (OP)
I wonder if the people who thought Ford's discontinuation of the Escape was still a stroke of brilliance still feel that way
coffeeshopslut@reddit
To be fair, aren't escape buyers just buying bronco sports?
SamsungAppleOnePlus@reddit
A lot of us want the hybrid models lol
MotelSans17@reddit
Yes, screw that tiny turbo engine in the Bronco Sport. The only Escape I'd buy would be a hybrid with the NA 2.5.
Got tired of all the small turbo shenanigans and CVTs or over complex transmissions... I now drive an EV (Toyota) and it's such an enjoyable experience.
Zaziel@reddit
Ecobooms as I’ve seen some mechanics call them on Reddit.
Cheese_Sleeze@reddit
I currently have a bronco sport loaner while my car is in the shop. It is not pleasant to drive compared to the escape.
Mother____Clucker@reddit
Why do you say that? I ask because they were built on the same platform.
elroddo74@reddit
The bronco sport is very bare bones. The interior quality reminds me of my 96 dodge neon. I honestly wish I'd bought something different but my wife liked it. She's the one who drives it and she doesn't really like how antiquated it is other than the huge screen in the middle of the dash.
newtoaster@reddit
Which trim bronco sport? I frequently get “big bend” editions as rentals and I really like the interior. The whole car is much nicer than I expected.
elroddo74@reddit
We got the base model. We should have gone up at least one trim level but didn't.
Zaziel@reddit
It can make a big difference in the little things.
Like my Titanium Focus in 2014 had soft touch upper door plastics, where I often rest my elbow on longer highway drives. The mid and lower model both had hard ass plastic there.
gypos_caravan@reddit
I wouldn’t say they’re horrible, but the front seats are very uncomfortable, especially on long drives.
xrelaht@reddit
Is that not all Fords?
YeahItouchpoop@reddit
Ford is actually pretty decent with seats in my experience. All our fleet trucks at work are Ford’s and I personally drive a ‘22 Ranger Lariat and love the seats.
RAMBIGHORNY@reddit
F150 King Ranch seats are a nice place to be
Sparkko@reddit
The Bronco Sport seats are legitimately some of the worst I've ever sat in. It felt like they weren't designed for humans.
HimTiser@reddit
I sold mine after 6 months I couldn’t do it, just awful seats. I even had the highest trim and everything
SockeyeSTI@reddit
My boss has an ‘18 f150 xl and the drivers seat has like negative lumbar. It’s a black hole and pushes your shoulders forward. Worst seat I’ve ever sat in.
Dionegro__@reddit
They probably accounted for fat people
SockeyeSTI@reddit
That’s the problem. As a fat fuck, it’s not comfortable
newtoaster@reddit
Weird - when I travel for work I almost always end up with a bronco sport or occasionally an escape. I find the Bronco Sport to be the more comfortable of the two. They’re very similar driving but the bronco is a little more responsive and I prefer the seats and ergonomics.
future_web_dev@reddit
Really? Had it for about a week and took it on a trip. Thought it was a great little SUV
gypos_caravan@reddit
Yeah, I don’t have many complaints about it, it’s mostly fine. The Assisted Cruise Control, “GOAT” mode, and ride quality are all fine. But those seats suck. It almost feels like sitting on a wooden stool.
Gan-san@reddit
So is the Maverick Sharing hard points does not mean identical or "very similar" driving experience.
Bassracerx@reddit
I think people are thinking late 80s-early 00’s gm badge engineering where the skeleton of the cars are newrly identical. The modern modular automobile architecture is still a very new concept to wrap their heads around. There is a lot of parts that are shared but there are still a lot of things that are not.
fastlax16@reddit
The vw Jetta and the Audi rs3 are both on the same platform…
VRS302@reddit
My mom traced her escape for a bronco sport and says it feels like the same car, anecdotes being what theyre worth.
Home-Star-Walker@reddit
I got a Bronco as a rental car on my last business trip.
Holy fuck, what a shitty driving experience.
ctn91@reddit
Also you can‘t say in Dory‘s voice “essssCAPey!”
Slimy_Shart_Socket@reddit
It's the shape, makes it noisy
steakpienacho@reddit
I've driven both and felt about the same about both of them. Just mid tier small SUVs that kinda suck
TheAlphaCarb0n@reddit
The sales numbers confirm what most people see, which is the bronco sport has specific appeal and if you don't like it (me, who thinks it looks tacky), there are soooo many other options in that segment.
Lilmumblecrapper@reddit
Did you read the article?
coffeeshopslut@reddit
I missed that part quickly skimming it. I guess people really don't want that "butch" image. I remember seeing Escapes everywhere until the last gen
Gilclunk@reddit
No, the article specifically calls that out. Sales of the Escape dropped by 25,000, Bronco Sport only rose by 2,000.
onlyranchmefries@reddit
They were definitely counting on more conversion sales. They were dumb for doing that.
Larcye@reddit
Same thing happened with their Sedan sales. They canned them, expecting the 500,000+ sedan customers to just shut up and buy an Escape/Exploder. Sedan Customers did not in fact shut up and buy an Escape/Exploder. Corpos really struggle to understand that the fastest way to lose a customer is to not have a product they want.
namesdevil3000@reddit
So people in my area are still dragging their Fiestas and Focus kicking and screaming along. Nevermind the hobbyist ST and RS models that actually made Fords cool (and they still offered in EU). Also so many Escapes in my area, I had no idea they discontinued it. Not everyone wants the “tough off-roader” SUV like the Bronco. The big 3 need to innovate, make good products again or be allowed to die. No president wants to preside over millions hitting the job market but they need to be showing that the gouvernement isn’t going to just bail big brands out when they act stupid. Taxpayers should not be paying for the big 3’s incompetence.
OllieFromCairo@reddit
Yup. They gave 500,000 Ford loyalists permission to test drive Corollas, Accords, Imprezas, etc.
GirchyGirchy@reddit
"Oh, these are much nicer anyway. Thanks, Ford!"
OllieFromCairo@reddit
I buy cars so infrequently that it's hard to know what's just Ford being crummy and what's "Cars are better than they were 8 years ago," but I got a Forester and never looked back.
GirchyGirchy@reddit
The last two I've driven were all Focuses (Focii?)...one was a '13 we looked at before we bought a '14 Mazda3. It was fine, but we weren't fans of the explosion of buttons and weird little screens everywhere on the dash. Plus the DCT was an obvious POS. It was a shame, other than the DCT it rode and drove much better than the Hyundai Elantra GT that was a little tin can on wheels.
The most recent was a rental '15 Focus, again it drove fine, but my wife and I each started having back pain about ten miles into the drive so we turned around and swapped it for a Camry.
Everything else was a 2010 or older so I'll discount those.
OllieFromCairo@reddit
Rentals are tricky. The shittiest car I've ever driven was a rental Nissan Versa. That car was so bad, Enterprise should have paid me to drive it into a lake. It was uncomfortable, had no power, and the interior looked like they had gone in and said, "No, the standard package has too many bells and whistles. Can you make it shittier?"
GirchyGirchy@reddit
Haha, we had a Versa once, it was a cheap little car but at least it wasn't pretending to be anything else. It certainly wasn't great on the interstate.
I think my least favorite was a Fiat Punto in Italy...they'd already been selling the same car for over a decade, and ours had the 67 hp hamster wheel with a manual. Loud, uncomfortable, underpowered, zero fun. We named it Larry.
And it's not like it was any more or less underpowered than some of our other Euro rentals, it was just a meh car overall. The Fiat 500L with a gravel-in-a-coffee-can rattletrap diesel was at least charming.
OllieFromCairo@reddit
The worst car I've ever driven was a pre-Hyundai Kia Sportage NB. If you doubled the horsepower, it might have been passable, and it smelled like burning every time it went uphill.
That1one1dude1@reddit
Especially with no Hybrid option
Redeemed_Expert9694@reddit (OP)
A friend at Ford tells me that some are, though many are believed to have gone over to the Japanese and Koreans
BeaverMartin@reddit
My MIL had 3x white Escapes in a row and switched to a Forester.
OllieFromCairo@reddit
The Escape-to-Forester pipeline is strong.
TyroneTeabaggington@reddit
Does she date ladies now too?
Madi473@reddit
No, which is why I bought an escape
fastlax16@reddit
Bronco sport owner. They’re very different vehicles despite some shared architecture, like comparing a Jetta and an Audi a3/s3/rs3 because they’re both on the same platform.
STMIHA@reddit
More or less. My brother has one pre-crossoverification and said if he sticks with ford it’s gonna be the sport.
ggouge@reddit
No. In the article it says they only sold an additional 1900 bronco sports with the loss of 46000 sales
Daddgonecrazy@reddit
Did you read the article? They aren’t buying them.
OllieFromCairo@reddit
They sure aren’t!
Trades46@reddit
Ford completely abandoned the low end market. The Fiesta, Focus and Fusion sedans were axed. The Ecosport replacement for it was short-lived. Now the Escape and Edge have gone to the chopping block.
It is like Ford saying they hate the customers who don't want a massive (and expensive) SUV or truck. There's no low end market to build equity or get first time buyers through the door.
Yes low end economy cars don't have that much margin if at all, but they're there for a reason, as Corolla and Civic buyers are still very much still around.
At least GM still keeps the affordable Trax and Envisita for their entry markets.
rideincircles@reddit
Their next EV offerings are designed from the ground up for affordability and they have a few new platforms they are working on.
The next vehicle will be a midsized EV truck in the $30k range. They are also doing a full EV f150 also.
I was at a conference last month where their engineering teams presented some of their digital transformation plans.
Here was the video in case anyone is interested. The vehicle discussion starts around 13 minutes and more info on what's in the works at 28 minutes.
https://youtu.be/w8kHCT4m0fg?si=W98kgvN4Q130k0LJ
xrelaht@reddit
They already had a full EV F150. This is the last model year for it.
rideincircles@reddit
The new one will be a full redesign with castings it sounds like. It's mentioned in the video I posted from a presentation last month.
nondescriptzombie@reddit
Poor people can't charge at home. They live in apartments or rent. They have to use superchargers.
EV's aren't for poor people. PHEV's are.
MetaTrombonist@reddit
If you can't charge at home why the gosh dilly darn would you buy a PHEV?
donnysaysvacuum@reddit
Poor people buy used cars.
A_Fartist@reddit
It didn’t used to have to be that way though, if you separate poor from poverty at least. Most manufacturers had cheap shitty new cars like Nissan with the Versa.
donnysaysvacuum@reddit
Buying a new car has always been expensive. Even when they made cheap cars, used was a much better deal.
Trades46@reddit
I would look forward to it more if Ford was a little more committed to EVs. Hate to keep bring it up, but compare it to GM where you got a whole lineup from the $35k Bolt right up to the MBT sized Hummer.
Ford can't even keep the Lightning in production, not to mention Lincoln has yet to receive one BEV model in 2026.
DonnieJL@reddit
"Affordability?" They and the administration keep using that word. I don't think it's means what they think it means.
TempleSquare@reddit
A few people in the upper leg of the K economy complaining about the price of an all-week trip to Disney World.
That's what they think affordability is.
Meanwhile, while they wish the rest of us to just eat cake... For us affordability is inability to find a place to live or unable to pay to go to the doctor.
I join with my neighbors of the opposite political persuasion in our collective outrage at the affordability crisis.
And it starts with Ford!
A decade ago, there were a bunch of products around $17,500. Like the fiesta. Or maybe even a low trim focus. That would be around, $23,900.
Show me a single Ford product that's genuinely under 30.
idontremembermyoldus@reddit
That's a good thing, since it was a giant piece of crap.
timetopat@reddit
It was neither eco nor sport. Also the fake tail light handle was really dumb.
ChiggaOG@reddit
But even their cars have issue. Ford still could not fix the Focus transmission issues. Other than the Mustang I say is a pet project because Ford no longer has a car. They cannot care more about bringing a quality car to the market.
Shmokesshweed@reddit
Bronco Sport. Maverick. Both in the same price point.
SonovaVondruke@reddit
Maverick MSRP is up 40-some percent in 4 model years.
Shmokesshweed@reddit
Only on the XL. XLs are likely selling for 27-28k now.
It's unfortunate they decided to kill the value in it for a lot of people.
SonovaVondruke@reddit
I had a preorder for a first-year Hybrid XLT with the luxury package, bed liner, tow hitch, etc. that was under 28k delivered. You’re paying almost 40k for that spec today.
Shmokesshweed@reddit
That's Lariat territory. Not XLT.
xrelaht@reddit
You might find one for less at a dealer, but an XLT Hybrid AWD with Luxury & Tow Packages and spray-in bedliner is $39360 on Ford’s website.
SonovaVondruke@reddit
Try it
iamkeerock@reddit
Can confirm. I purchased a 22 Mav Hybrid XLT new, Lux pkg, bed liner, bed extender, sliding rear window, tow hookup. $27,500.
BruceBaller@reddit
2022? As in 4 years ago?
RiftHunter4@reddit
The low end of the market never any money and it certainly would not save them now. There is no low end market at the moment because most Americans have no money. Repo rates shot up and everyone is just broke.
NotoriousCFR@reddit
If you exclude pickup trucks from the list, the best selling vehicles are the CRV, RAV4, Equinox, Tucson. Not having a serious competitor, with a decent hybrid option, in this segment, is downright stupid.
Shmokesshweed@reddit
Sure do. The Escape was tired and was doing lots of low margin fleet sales.
hells_cowbells@reddit
It was tired because they never did any major updates on it. They did the same thing with the Fusion. It was basically the same car from 2013-2020. Both the Camry and Accord received at least one major generation update in the same time.
Shmokesshweed@reddit
They would've made it worse. Both of its C2 brethren the Bronco Sport and Maverick have terrible quality interiors compared to the Escape. Especially the Maverick.
hells_cowbells@reddit
You aren't kidding about the interior on the Maverick. I had been considering one, but a friend got one a while back, an XLT model. I was shocked at how bad the interior is on that thing. I could see it on a base model, but the XLT is mid trim level.
Shmokesshweed@reddit
Unfortunately, the quality is the same between trims. Literally the only three differences on the door cards between trims is color of some of the plastic, a B&O sticker on the speaker cover on the Lariat, and different arm padding.
There's just more stuff on the Lariat. Lipstick on a pig.
ThunderGod_Cid13@reddit
to be fair, the vehicle it's replacing hasn't launched yet so the full evaluation can't be made.
Redeemed_Expert9694@reddit (OP)
An evaluation certainly can be made that Ford is foolish
What company discontinues one of their most popular models, when a replacment is still years away?
They make decisions like this, and then they wonder why Toyota and Hyundai are eating their lunch
ThunderGod_Cid13@reddit
You don't understand plant tool change timing. They are switching that whole plant over to be the foundation for their new EV architecture that's their "Model T" event. That will take years of tooling changes. The Escape sells pretty well, but isn't a brand defining vehicle that they're trying to make this EV vehicle be.
ElegantBiscuit@reddit
And considering its a low margin economy car with declining sales, they were probably losing money on it. If they're selling less than the amount needed to amortize the fixed costs of production over enough units to be net positive, it only ever makes financial sense to cut their losses and stop throwing good money after bad.
Its why they cancelled all their compacts and sedans, because they were 7th or 8th in popularity with slowing sales in a slowing segment that was as low margin as they come. They replaced that production capacity with maverick, bronco, and bronco sport, and it was absolutely the right decision.
ThunderGod_Cid13@reddit
Agreed.
Such a shame about the DPS6. If they didn't have that shitty transmission and had something reliable, the Focus and Fiesta would've been more popular and they may not have cancelled the small cars. At launch in 2012, the Focus was the best selling car in the world. Such a massive opportunity completely ruined.
Shmokesshweed@reddit
The kind that's not making money from the Escape.
Redeemed_Expert9694@reddit (OP)
lol do you consider every decision Ford made to be a good one?
Shmokesshweed@reddit
Me? 🤣🤣🤣🤣
I've gotten called out multiple times on this exact sub for shitting on Ford too much.
Redeemed_Expert9694@reddit (OP)
In that case, I respect your opinion for your reasoning why you think the Escape should die.
If anything is killing the car community, it's blind brand loyalty and tribalism.
Shmokesshweed@reddit
Yep. I'm an equal opportunity hater.
totallybag@reddit
Yep killing the escape and edge was stupid.
V8-Turbo-Hybrid@reddit
It does work by that decision if you've reared this part from your post article.
Repulsive-Club7866@reddit
Ford/Lincoln deserve it by killing all their affordable vehicles worldwide no wonder their sales are falling even faster outside US/Canada especially Europe and China where there is a bigger need for affordable cars. Ford/Farley FAOF and now they seem to regret their decision.
Mother____Clucker@reddit
To be fair, a lot of companies seem to have taken that strategy. Ditch the low profit economy cars, and push upmarket. I've thought it to be a foolish decision for years, and it seems to be finally taking it's toll.
dphoenix1@reddit
Brilliant move, especially now that more and more people find themselves being priced out of the new car market.
I was able to comfortably buy a new car in 2011, replaced it with a new truck in 2015. At this stage, 11 years later, I just don’t see myself ever buying another new car ever again. Nobody makes anything that is at once appealing, fits my needs, and is within what I’d call a reasonable price range.
OverSquareEng@reddit
My thoughts exactly. I bought a 2018 certified pre-owned car with 3,000 miles on it in 2019 before prices went crazy. I'll be driving that thing as long as possible. And before it gets to the end of its life, I'll fix up a reliable used car to be the next one to replace it.
mt6606@reddit
I'm sure it could work for one or 2 makers. But... All of them? Beyond stupid.
Larcye@reddit
Every manufacture went up market apart from like Mitshibishi.
OllieFromCairo@reddit
Didn’t Mitsubishi axe all their sedans, though?
Larcye@reddit
Yeah, they still make cheap crossovers however.
willpc14@reddit
Presumably that means all of them ran the numbers and realized that competing in the low-margin, economy segment isn't viable in the long run regardless of how much/little competition you face. It's kinda like in F1 where you see a convergence in car design after a few years because there is a correct solution to the fastest car or most profitable/viable business model in this case.
Shmokesshweed@reddit
Revenue doesn't keep you solvent in a low margin, high capital investment business.
takao-obi@reddit
On the flip side selling less cars means you have to distribute the same R&D costs across less vehicles. This vehicles become more expensive. Economies of scale is a real thing with cars. That was the reason why FCA and PSA merged. Their economies of scale weren’t competitive enough.
And this moving upmarket strategy means moving into other market segments and having other competitors. Which might have much stronger brands or better marketing in those segments than you. Automotive history is littered with brands who died like that.
Nobody will buy a Ford over a Mercedes/BMW/Audi/Volvo at the same pricepoint in Europe so the spaces 5k right below their prices are riddled with competition.
Repulsive-Club7866@reddit
Yes but Ford went the extreme route
Mother____Clucker@reddit
They sure did. And it all works until the economy softens.
rootbeer123@reddit
Why should they care about long term though? The government has already proven it will just bail out any company "too big to fail".
V8-Turbo-Hybrid@reddit
In Europe, yes, their cars are basically rebadged VW and Renault soon. In China, they still offer affordable models and even sedans, but all these models are come from their Chinese partners JAC and Changan.
icona_@reddit
How much value could the ford brand even have in China by now?
OkSchool619@reddit
Weird is this an irrelevant sub now. Who talks about Ford its like speaking about last place in a race
sasquatch_melee@reddit
These gas prices are going to drive us straight into what happened around 2009 where the big 3 needed bailed out because their product line was all gas guzzling suvs and trucks which no one wanted with $5 gas or whatever.
We're right back there currently. Ford has nothing. GM has nothing. Stelantis I don't follow but I don't recall any sedans.
275MPHFordGT40@reddit
Ford didn’t take the TARP bailout, but they did take out a loan from the Department of Energy.
sasquatch_melee@reddit
Technically correct. Still needed gov money to survive though. And funny enough is the fact the DOE loans were spent to develop fuel efficient sedans, which Ford has completely discontinued now 😂
275MPHFordGT40@reddit
I’m sure all $5.8 billion made its way to retooling 😂
IMA_5-STAR_MAN@reddit
All stellantis has is the smaller jeeps and gas guzzlers. The new Cherokee Hybrid is actually pretty cool. I had a Cherokee 4 cylinder which was slow as balls but in the 9 years owning it, I put MAYBE 2500 in repairs? And it was like a tank in the snow.
dont-YOLO-ragequit@reddit
Max financing was what? 4 years?
Now it's up to 8-9 years so they have lots of ways to keep putting people in raised subcompact hatch backs or more special edition trucks.
bentnotbroken96@reddit
Uh... no. 60 month financing was pretty much the norm in the 90s.
Financed my first (and only) new car in 1990 with a 60 month loan.
I did kick when they started offering 72 and 84 month loans.
sasquatch_melee@reddit
Iirc 5 years was common, maybe 6 on the upper end. The 84-120 month shit now is insane.
dont-YOLO-ragequit@reddit
Wait? They are at 10 years now?
They should make a law that says you can't finance a new car longer than the manufacturer's warranty.
Would kill 2 bird with one stone.
sasquatch_melee@reddit
Not common to my understanding but yes 120 month loans exist now.
Jimbo415650@reddit
don't forget the quality recalls
Lord_Vas@reddit
Not surprised. Who in their right mind wants an A to B truck right now and for the current fuck you pricing.
I had to borrow my dad's 2016 F-150 while my car was getting work done on it this week.
I put 8 gallons into his truck. The drive from the gas station to my house (day 1) to his house and back to the body shop to pick up my car (day 2) burned through all 8 gallons.
That drive was no further than 50 miles and I was feather stepping the gas.
My entire week of normal driving in my civic is 8-10 gallons. That truck wouldn't make it three days on my normal commute.
Riverrattpei@reddit
There must be something wrong with that truck if you're only getting 6mpg from it, that's Ram SRT10 levels of bad
We used to have a '15 5.0 4x4 and averaged 17mpg in it, I don't think it got as low as 6mpg even when towing
Lord_Vas@reddit
I was thinking the same thing. The average mpg reader stated I was getting 12.5. Given how much fuel I was burning that definitely wasn't the case.
That truck isn't OEM height. Whoever had the truck before my dad installed a lift kit. It's maybe 4-8 inches higher than it should be and it ain't the tires doing that.
That could be a contributing reason for the poor mpg and the measurements being off.
mdwieland@reddit
Ford hasn't made a smart decision, nor built a decent car, in over a decade.
Krankjanker@reddit
This is simply untrue. There is a reason the F-150 is the #1 selling car in America every year. It's simply a fantastic vehicle, that is miles ahead of its competition right now.
Drzhivago138@reddit
Ackshually, the F-150 alone isn't always the best selling model. Some years the RAV4 outsells it.
Krankjanker@reddit
The F-series has been the best selling car in America for 40 years straight. Rav4 has never been the best selling car.
Drzhivago138@reddit
Exactly, F-Series. Ford doesn't publish sales of the F-150 alone, but reportedly it's around 60% of total F-Series sales. There have been some years where RAV4 sales > 0.6(F-Series sales).
Krankjanker@reddit
As you pointed out, they don't public the breakdown, so there is no way to know if the Rav4 outsold the F-150. But the F-series has always outsold the Rav4.
Also, 60% is outrageously low. It's much more likely to be 80-85%.
Drzhivago138@reddit
Correct, but your initial comment said F-150.
Based on my own observance, 60% is too high. But I live where every farmer has a 3/4 ton or heavier truck.
Tric4rboN8@reddit
I've put many hours and miles on both the 2025 F150 and 2025 Silverado 1500. The F150 is a good truck but it really is not miles ahead of the competitors in my opinion.
While the layout is better, the interior feels significantly cheaper than the Silverado. Same goes for the outside of the truck. Looks nice but bumpers and grills feel cheap, and the plastic cracks easy. Panel alignment is very poor and so is the paint quality.
I still would buy an F150 over the Silverado simply due to the fact that the 5.0 is incredible. Also Ford paints their frames, unlike the Chevy's wax coating.
randeus@reddit
The s550 Mustang generation was fantastic though.
nekmatu@reddit
Agreed. I have one too. The counterpoint to that is the exploding engine on the gt350. When the running joke is how many engines are you on in your car …. It doesn’t help the situation.
Super cool car. They pooched it with the voodoo on reliability and I don’t mean it needs to run 300k miles but let’s be real about how fragile it is.
ChasedWarrior@reddit
I think my 2020 Fusion is a decent car. It's been reliable and dependable for me. I guess it depends on what you mean about decent.
Snoo93079@reddit
I'm optimistic about their new EV.
But yeah the Maverick is legit too
Repulsive-Club7866@reddit
Besides Broncos and Maverick
paulcthemantosee@reddit
No sedans either. Both Ford and GM should have kept their hybrid sedans.
7eregrine@reddit
Yep. Chevy fucked up. "Let's kill the Malibu, surely they'll all just get SUVs.....
Wait .. they're leaving the brand?!?" 🤦♂️
Drzhivago138@reddit
GM has plenty of small crossovers that get comparable MPG to the Malibu.
7eregrine@reddit
And GM assumes people will settle for that. Some will, many won't.
Larcye@reddit
They went over to Toyota/Honda/Hyundai/KIA. Same thing happened with Ford. "You don't make the product I want to buy? I'll just go to a manufacture that does."
I knew a guy who worked as a sales manager at a ford dealership. He was fucking incensed when they cancelled the Focus and Fusion becuese that was their cash cow. They would buy one of them, or come in wanting a focus and fusion and mabye get something bigger instead. When they both got cancelled they lost a lot of business from not having that happen.
7eregrine@reddit
Not to even mention people will keep their cars longer. The receptionist at my job has a cherry red Malibu. It's a nice car. She let me drive it. Not bad at all. She intended to get another one. She's not the type to keep a car for 10 years. Or I should say... Wasn't the type. Now she's planning to keep it til the wheels fall off.
paulcthemantosee@reddit
I have a Malibu hybrid with 143k miles, will drive it until it can't run anymore. Then who knows. I want a sedan not an SUV.
Riverrattpei@reddit
Neither of them could make money on sedans even back then and sedans sales have done nothing but drop like a rock since then
Even things like the Accord are only selling half as many as they did 5-10 years ago
paulcthemantosee@reddit
Not true, they just were not making the same amount as suv models. You need to have a good product line, not just SUVs and trucks.
dont-YOLO-ragequit@reddit
At one point compacts cars were loss leaders, they gave the market to Japanese cars by using Korean manufacturers.
Now midsize cars are declining and they are also off loading it.
At some point they have to realise it's making these cheap cars with a personality, well built and reliable that raises loyalty.
I doubt making subcompact SUVs will have the same effect.
Then again, the Big 3's biggest problem has been fighting against quarterly profits to raise brand loyalty.
turboash78@reddit
Bring back regular cab stepsides!
Drzhivago138@reddit
Stepside was Chevy. Ford was the last holdout with Flaresides, over 15 years ago, and they made them until they ran out of leftover 2008 beds. Nobody lamented their passing at the time.
2ingredientexplosion@reddit
Overpriced trucks along with dealers charging ridiculous fees for no reason. I wonder why their sales are down?
Iccy5@reddit
Im not justifying their prices but last month it easy easy to get 15k off a new lariat.
androk@reddit
But the 75k sticker will scare away a lot of the people that might want a 60 k truck
SnowDucks1985@reddit
They really have to get a grip on their reliability issues, that’s what’s killing Ford the most right now. Cars are too expensive nowadays for them to live in the shop and extra repair bills
Not2plan@reddit
Yep my 21 Ranger got a new engine at 25k miles (stripped head bolt from the factory) and is now in the shop getting the 10R80 CDF drum fixed at 47k miles. My warranty expires 4/11...
Super_Baime@reddit
My 2007 focus was one of my favorite cars.
Powerful, reliable and economical 2.0L 4 cylinder engine, with a wonderful 5 speed transmission.
The next generation of Focus had unreliable engines and transmissions. Ugh.
djseto@reddit
Dealers fucked everyone during Covid and now they don’t negotiate like they did before Covid. Manufacturers let dealers get away with it. They can all eat a dick now. Karma is a real bitch.
Shmokesshweed@reddit
They do. Just depends whether you want a popular vehicle or not and how long the specific unit has been rusting on the lot.
I negotiated 14% off MSRP on a top trim Corolla hybrid for my pops in November. For stuff that's not selling, they wanna move it.
OllieFromCairo@reddit
I was going to say, I bought a WRX this year for 0% interest and was expecting to pretty much have to pay MSRP because of the financing deal, but I hour 12% off. 🤷♂️
DoubleTime53@reddit
I might actually feel bad if they made a 2026 Focus. But because they don't, I don't.
OllieFromCairo@reddit
You can still get the Puma.
If you live in Europe.
Welikeme23@reddit
I'd buy a new Focus RS today if they didn't kill it off so fast. Least Toyota and VW still have hot hatches
the_northpole@reddit
No Fiesta, no Ka, no Mondeo. And I believe it's the last generation of Focus. Same. Also, the Ecoboost engine and powershift transmission was not the pinnacle of reliability.
SoupPot23@reddit
I still want a maverick, but anything other than a base model cost more than a ranger and that is fucked.
Foolgazi@reddit
So now we need to know how the rest of the industry did by comparison.
oreo1298@reddit
I know people on here always say they wish a certain car was still made but I used to drive a focus st and if they made a new one with the same spirit I would buy it day one
PurpleHairedLoon@reddit
What the hell happened to Ford?
1makfly@reddit
Got a Ford Escape 2022 ST and it’s such a pleasant drive. It’s our daily and we use it on short weekend trips. From the intelligent headlights to the lane assist and smart cruise control, electric tailgate and nice 9-speed auto, to the manual dash buttons it’s one of the few cars that offer modern amenities without any of the nagging. Good size too for a daily that fits a family of four. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND at all why they killed it.
lunchbox15@reddit
Killing off the lightning right before gas prices went through the roof was a peak ford move for sure.
fcknwayshegoes@reddit
I like my 2017 Escape with the 2.0 EB engine. It's pretty quick for what it is and maintenance in the almost 4 years I've owned it hasn't been bad.
I don't have any desire to own a Bronco sport, and I especially wouldn't buy one since there's no hybrid/plugin hybrid option on it. So my next vehicle will likely be a hybrid or full EV from another manufacturer like Subaru or Kia. I'm not sure what they were thinking by killing the Escape.
VRS302@reddit
Would genuinely have bought a Mercury Cougar s650 tricked out with nice inside materials over a gt premium if it had been an option. Am I the only one?
Going from a 23 Chrysler 300 C to a 24 Mustang gt “premium” didn’t feel so premium.
winter_is_poop@reddit
So are you still in the 300C? I adore mine and would have a very hard time trading it in for anything other than a durango hellcat since I need the practicality of 4 doors. I wouldn't even consider a mustang as a replacement even if I didn't need 2 doors, and I love the Coyote 5.0 in my F150.
I get what you mean though. Throttle House nailed it in their 300C video, "it's NEARLY luxury". The seats are soft and comfortable, I love the heated and cooled cupholders, and the touch points all feel great. It's a step above many other cars like the mustang but not quite luxury. A lincoln-ized mustang would be very interesting!
VRS302@reddit
Traded it. Overall I’m happy, wanted a smaller sportier car but they decided to not make challengers so I had only one choice and I wanted to buy new.
Really wish they hadn’t killed them off, as a challenger was what I went in for.
costafilh0@reddit
They forgot about the most important part, EV sales.
2025
Units sold: 80.000
Profit: -$4.8B
In other words, everything else would be fine, if they didn't had 5 billion dollars in losses in EVs.
Wonderful-Ring7697@reddit
Hmm, they charge 100k for at 50k truck and are suprised. But wait we have the bronco sport, the cheapest one on lots is 45k.
ChasedWarrior@reddit
Stop building the most recalled vehicles on the planet with the last 15 years of engines and transmissions self destucting and focus on quality control maybe sales don't implode. Also build an affordable sedan too.
schwartzki@reddit
I was in a massive ford dealer late this afternoon getting an oil change. There were about 15 sales guys and only 1 person in shopping. People don’t seem to want broncos and f150s that cost 60k+ and get mpg in the teens apparently.
Mobile619@reddit
I didn't see the article mention this but Isn't the F150's Q1 16% drop attributed to the plant fire at it's aluminum supplier? That'll certainly have a large impact and i've heard it will carryover into Q2 at minimum with inventories set to recover the second half of the year.
TenguBlade@reddit
That doesn’t allow tabloids to generate clickbait articles about how the US auto industry is collapsing again.
Shmokesshweed@reddit
Yup. Was looking at grabbing a used F-150 and the deals evaporated quickly.
TyburnCross@reddit
The people that write these articles don’t want you to know about the Novelis fire. I work at a T1 automotive supplier and it is absolutely a lack of builds impacting sales.
Temporary_Shirt_6236@reddit
Found
On
Road
Dead
One_Evil_Monkey@reddit
Driver
Returns
On
Foot
sat5ui_no_hadou@reddit
This is karma for putting a wet belt in their 1.0 eco-boost.
deleted_by_reddit@reddit
[removed]
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mariojcc31@reddit
Ford transit FTW