The Ford Motor Company is changing its operation, and this is what it’ll look like
No longer is Ford the company with a car for us all. We now have more visibility of its pivot into a much more specialised operation. Ford now wants to sell you an image of great American freedom, mostly in the form of trucks and SUVs. There will be two poles Ford says: sporty, and adventure.
Sporty? The new seventh-generation Mustang, and Mustang Mach-E. Plus, they promise, the electric five-door “sport-crossover” coupe based on the VW group platform – think Audi Q4 Sportback – due late next year.
On the ‘adventure’ side, we’ll get the new Explorer, which is also a spinoff of the VW platform. The Bronco will come to Europe, but only as left-hand-drive for the foreseeable future. RHD might just come when, or if, they do an electric Bronco.
The Ranger Raptor, in its big-dog fashion, wants to be at the pinnacle of both adventure and sporty. Ford also launched the electric F-150 Lightning pickup in Norway and the first allocation – OK a very small number – sold out in days.
There will also be an electric version of the Puma from 2024. Call it sporty if you must. It’ll soon be time for a facelift of the PHEV Kuga, which we gather will get a more robust look, nudging it ever-so-slightly toward the adventure half of the spectrum.
So, no more Fiesta now, no more Focus and Ecosport. Already we’ve seen the euthanising of the Mondeo, Edge and MPVs. Why can’t Ford do what VW, Toyota, Hyundai, Peugeot and so many others do – make a full range of cars at a profit? Why is Ford admitting defeat and abandoning those loyal customers?
