Ford exec explains decision to keep SVT brand

In the weeks surrounding Ford's "Way Forward" announcement, there was a great deal of speculation that the SVT performance division would be closed. Later, it was revealed the Ford had decided to keep the unit alive. So what exactly went into that decision? According to SVT's product director Hau Thai-Tang, Ford's top brass concluded "SVT still fits." Thai-Tang said in a recent interview with Edmunds that the issue was not whether Ford would have high-performance vehicles, but rather if SVT needed its own specific label. The conclusion, he said, was that the SVT brand still hold a lot of weight, so it will be kept. However, SVT will be less prominent in the immediate future. "We are not going to do everything we want to do," he admitted. For the time being, SVT will focus on the GT500 and a high-performance Truck, Thai-Tang said.