By Leftlane Staff
Monday, Jun 5th, 2006 @ 9:33 am

Ford ’s new “Bold Moves” doctrine has led the company to delay — or even cancel — some key products due to uninspiring designs. One example is the company’s Fiesta-sized subcompact B-car, which has been pushed back by two years or more, according to AutoWeek. Apparently, the Mercury version of the Ford Freestyle has been scrapped entirely. Ford is also taking more time to improve the Mustang, which will be updated in 2009 instead of the originally planned 2008, the report said. In the case of small cars, Ford made the mistake of trying to “out-Korean the Koreans,” Mark Fields said in a recent interview. Instead, Ford now plans to introduce a boldly styled vehicle with superior features. The automaker is also said to have scrapped plans for a Lincoln front-wheel-drive car based on the Ford Five Hundred (codenamed E386). Meanwhile, the other Five Hundred-based Lincoln — the E385 MKS — is on track for September 2008. A month ago we reported that the MKS might end up being rear or all-wheel-drive, instead of the expected front-wheel configuration.

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