Ford reiterates it's comment about killing off sedans; they're simply "reinventing the American car."
Ford rocked the industry last month when they announced they'll be stopping production of their lineup of sedans in the U.S. market. This includes the Fiesta, Focus, Fusion and Taurus models.
The only ones they'll continue to make are the Focus (a new variant) and the Mustang, a muscle car legend.
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Go Big or Go Home
Moving forward, they'll be focusing on optimizing and expanding their SUV and truck segments. Their motive aligns with the current progression of the auto industry—utility vehicles.
As much backlash as they've gotten since the announcement, Ford wants to set something straight—they're simply "reinventing the American car." This is according to CEO Jim Hackett.
The automaker, however, isn't concerned at all when it comes to the sedan customer base, "This doesn't mean we intend to lose those customers. We want to give them what they're telling us they really want."
In a statement made by Hackett on Medium, Ford projects that almost 90 percent of its lineup will be comprised of trucks and SUVs in the early 2020s. Numbers don't lie—its F-150 is still the best-selling truck, and its SUVs keep increasing in sales. Hackett comments, "these are the vehicles our customers have been looking for."
This indeed correlates with the new models coming out soon—the Bronco and Ranger. An all-new off-roader is also set to go into production in 2020. Hybrid variants of the Bronco, Explorer and Escape are reportedly in the works as well.
"Every time we launch a utility in North America, we plan to add a companion hybrid to the lineup?—?regular, plug-in or both. It's our way of bringing more excitement and emotion to electrified vehicles, offering our customers products that don't compromise on style, room, capability or range."
The Way of the Future
Their transition to more utility-focused vehicles isn't a bad move, neither is their plan for hybrid variants, but it also doesn't support their claim for the sedan class. They're still completely cutting out their Ford cars, and there has been no word whether or not any will come back in the future.
The "American car" is a car—plain and simple—not an SUV or truck. Unless, of course, Ford is trying to redefine the ideology of American sedans, which would make more sense.
On a similar note, there's also been no news regarding Lincoln's plans with car models. For now, it appears as though they'll continue to be in the lineup.
NEXT: What is the Ford Focus Global?
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