Remember when Ford used to sell regular cars? Technically, it still does, but the Mustang is a niche model, and the Taurus pictured here is restricted to just a handful of markets. Still, the Blue Oval plans to launch new products that aren’t trucks, SUVs, or vans. That promise comes from William Clay Ford Jr., great-grandson of company founder Henry Ford, and the executive chairman since 2006.
In an interview with Autocar, “Bill” Ford admitted the company is seriously lacking in regular car offerings after discontinuing the Ka, Fiesta, Focus, Fusion, etc: “On the passenger car side, we realize we’re not as robust as we need to be.” He added there’s a plan to fix that gap in the lineup: “We’re working on our future strategy right now. But I think you’ll be surprised — pleasantly surprised — by what’s coming.”
Photo by: Ford
It’s too soon to say if any of these new cars will reach North America. Rumors once swirled about a four-door Mustang sedan, internally nicknamed “Mach 4,” but Ford never confirmed it. In Europe, however, a recent Automobilwoche report claimed dealers have already been told new cars are coming. With Ford backtracking on its plan to go electric-only on the continent by 2030, the new models will likely use combustion engines. It would be a logical move given how the Explorer and Capri EVs have struggled in sales.
Speaking of VW-based products, more could be in the works. Martin Sanders, VW’s sales and marketing boss (and Ford of Europe’s chief until last year), hinted at further collaboration: “[We] do not want to rule out that there are future opportunities here to share technology again.” It’s unclear whether he was referring to more electric cars on VW’s MEB platform or gas-powered vehicles on the MQB architecture.
Either way, Ford’s decision to bring back passenger cars marks a shift from CEO Jim Farley’s statement last year. At the time, he said Ford was “getting out of the boring-car business and into the iconic-vehicle business.” The “boring” list was made up of cars that Farley admitted were “loved by a lot of customers, but they could never justify more capital allocation — unlike commercial vehicles.”
In short, Ford wasn’t making enough money on them, so it cut them to double down on high-margin trucks and other profitable segments. For the new models, the math will presumably work in Ford’s favor. Whether they’ll take a shortcut via the VW route remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: cars are coming back.