The production version of the Ford Fairlane minivan replacement won’t arrive at the Detroit auto show in January, despite a strong consensus in the industry that it would. According to the Detroit Free Press, the crossover/van/people-mover will instead debut at a later date.
Ford insists it never planned to show the vehicle at the show. “We have had a plan for some time and that plan has not changed,” said Ford spokeswoman Sara Tatchio.
The production version of the Fairlane will get a new name, but is expected to otherwise be quite similar to the 2005 concept. Oddly, Jim Hall, vice president of industry sales at AutoPacific, claims to have seen the production model, and says it is notably different from the concept. “If you thought the concept was boxy, the production version won’t be,” he said. However, Ford design chief J Mays recently stated it “looks almost exactly the same.” Stay tuned — just don’t expect anything in Detroit!
