Idiots…..

The fourth model is the Mark Fields “Big Hair” special edition.

What are they thinking, queston is the five hunderd rear wheel drive and all wheel or front wheel or all wheel.??

I wouldn’t say they’re idiots, it’s a pretty nice platform actually, if you’re looking for a full sized vehicle. What’s let down the current cars on it is just the old engines and way too conservative styling. So long as they keep vehicle differentiation at a proper level (meaning more different than the 500 vs. Montego), there’s potential for good, spacious cars from a plan like this.
Now if they’d just do something to make the focus seem more worthwhile….and make an interesting Mercury for once…

I know that the USA Focus vs the Euro Focus is a huge cause for comments on any of the articles about Ford over the last few weeks, but can Ford really sell a car the size of the Focus for a price point higher than a Fusion?

In Europe, where Turbo’s and Diesels are plentiful and space to maneuver and parking is not, people are willing to pay $20-$25k for a small-ish car (ie, the Golf, the Mini, A2), but I don’t see Americans paying a premium (aside from the Mini which hits a niche) for a small car. Ford needs to build the entry vehicle but they won’t make any money on the car at $14k where it’s slotted today. I drive around Oakwood / Michigan Ave all the time and see the Euro Focus’ in the lots / on the streets and it’s gorgeous. But Americans equate small to inexpensive and that doesn’t fit a business case. You also see people on here complaining about an outdated Ranger when Thailand gets the new one.. but folks, people don’t want to pay $25k for a Ranger — at that price after discounts, they can buy an F150 (which Ford wants to sell all day).

The 500 is a great platform and it was taken from the S80/XC90 which have been two of Volvo’s most successful rides ever. Driving all-wheel drive from this with striking design will get these guys back on track… provided by they time something’s available, it’s not uncool to buy American.

Did u know that the Five Hundred has optional ALL WHEEL DRIVE? Highly possible for Lincoln to get standard all wheel drive using that platform. At least its what i read recently in a mag.
Don’t go off thinking there will be a front wheel drive large Lincoln model. There’s a MKZ (zeypher) with front wheel drive. No way Lincoln will have TWO front wheel drive cars.

I have money on the 4th one being a Mercury Fairlane.

im gonna bet that the fourth model will be a large MAZDA sedan. They’ve always been saying that they have been looking for a 929-like sedan.

The Five Hundred is total automotive blah. This is yet another completely retarded move by a ho-hum domestic car maker.

Yeah cause they are lining up to get the 500 now arent they?

David,

Your comments are some of the best I’ve heard yet.

It makes sense for Ford/Lincoln/Mercury to use this platform to make nice large 4drs for the 50+ crowd and then use the same platform to make a ‘crossover’ which I’m sure just means ‘$30-35k Explorer alternative’, something to cater to any family with kids. AWD and a nice V6 or a V8 might work..

I like David’s comments. I’d love a small, classy, up-scale car that wasn’t a cartoon of the 60’s. We got a Boxster because it was beautiful and refined, not because it had seating for seven.

BTW: New F-150’s are on local radio for $13,800.

j i m

GO FORD! Just don’t dare make copies for each brand like you have. All your current offerings are copied in Lincoln and Mercury (besides Freestyle which isn’t a great car. Maybe OK but not great).
I want to see Ford doing good, get on the right track.

I agree with Davids point of view, but I still want the Euro C1 Focus over here, simply put it’s a better car. And also I never liked the Ranger, hasn’t it been the same almost besides for styling updates and new grills (tell me if I’m wrong) for many years?
Ford 500= AWD and I think FWD but I’m not familiar with the car (again tell me if I’m wrong).

to those who complained about the Ford 500’s blandness, there WILL be an updated 500 coming out in spring of 2007 as 2008 model year. Now, shut up. Ford knows about the blandness, hence the updated version. (same goes for Monetgo)
my god, all of u bemoaned how the 500 will be around for a while with same bland design. It was posted on LNN like few months ago.

Im betting it might be a Volvo. Perhaps some sort of four-door coupe? I dont know, but I think it’ll be a Volvo.

Buying Volvo was the smartest thing Ford has ever done. There were those who complained that Ford paid too much for Volvo – I think it was about $6.4b, I say they paid too little. By the way, to the poster above me – I’m gay and I don’t like GM. You should change you signature and not be such a idiot.

This is the problem with EVERY US auto maker these days, they have originality left. Build something less boring, and the masses might actually buy it.

Wait… wasn’t it just stated above that in six months, we will have a new, more powerful 500, that while perhaps not the envy of the 25-35 segment, can certainly be the car of the 45-65 crowd who is tired of getting 15 mpg in an SUV?

Get over the “boring.” I have to say, Toyota has packed our streets with far less interesting and more bland driving vehicles, but have suffered not near as much criticism for it. The 500 has a fantastic European platform which, by American standards, needs extra horsepower that will never actually be used by any of the people who drive it.

The platform that they are talking about IS NOT the styling. So, Ford could build the most beautiful car ever on this platform, but it still shares a platform with the “boring” 500. Why is it so difficult to grasp these concepts? It is a great platform – Ford just put a slightly underwhelming body on it.

Robert, I agree 100%

First, I have to say I love the name Szczupak. (: I think the fourth mystery car should be called that!

To comment on David’s comment. Yes, they cannot sell the Euro Focus here at the prices of the current Focus, they’ll have to move it up market a little to sell it here. To bring the Euro Focus here, they’ll have to bring the Fiesta as well to fill the lower price and size range (the Euro Focus is slightly larger) and shuffle the Fusion lineup. There are people who would pay more for a Focus than for a Fusion. The Foci that would be more expensive that the Fusions would be the high end sports models (Euro SVT). People looking at that Focus would want the sport, and most likely wouldn’t be looking at the Fusion.

One thing Ford could try (though they would get even more greif for it) is to bring the Focus over as a Mercury, thus allowing them to charge more since Mercury is seen as a more premium brand…

As for the 500, I see a lot of them on the roads. Yes, they’re mostly piloted by grey haired grannies and grampies, but they need cars too. There is always going to be a market for large cars here in America. Most people who are seriously considering the 500 care about safety, size, and reliability. Yes, the larger engine would be nice, but for the target demographic of this car, it’s not nessecary. I think they should invest more in this platform and make this their “flagship” platform and then they can finally finally kill the Crown Vic.

Well said Robert. If it were between Ford and GM surviving this slump that the both are in, I say go Ford. GM has been #1 for far too long and they haven’t deserved the title in decades.

So could the possible 4th car to use the platform be a Mazda 9? I wish Mazda would have kept the RWD Mazda 929.

So as an open question to the group: Is it time to splinter vehicle lines and drive lots of 150k annual units provided they are on the equivalent platforms but aren’t too “badge engineered”? Is platform engineering and flexible manufacturing evolved enough to derive profits off of multiple vehicles with different body panels? Hasn’t DCX done it with the 300/Charger/Magnum?

I know Ford made the decision/statement 3 years ago that they would make mfg flexible because the days of a 450,000 unit passenger car died when the Taurus stopped getting refreshed and moved to the 500/Freestyle/PeopleMover idea. However, can the marketing arms of any car maker afford the time or budget to have as many vehicles as we wanna-be automotive strategy consultants want them to have at a time when media buying is more splintered than ever (internet, print, tv, radio, alternative)?

Is there enough momentum and money to move that many different nameplates under the same car division? Or is this where the Mercury and Lincoln differentiation come into play?

Oh, come on guys. Honda uses the same platform for the Acura MDX, Pilot, Odyssey, and even their truck (with modifications) the Ridgeline. No one talks about that, they just immediatly pile on the domestic brands. I’ve test driven a 500 and would recomend it to anyone needing a large car. I suggest those critical of the car to drive it yourself instead of just believing the car mags and retyping their gripes.

I say kill the Five Hundred and make Ford European design studios design an all new body and interior on the platform and call it the new Taurus.

I believe the Taurus still outsells the 500 and Fusion combined. FoMoCo needs to update and upgrade the Taurus and keep it in their lineup. It was America’s best selling sedan for years, folks loved it. And always remember the old saying, “…you can sell an old man a young mans car, but you can’t sell a young man an old mans car….” Very true indeed!

Yeah but the majority of Taurus sales were to fleets. If they can sell a smaller number of Fusion’s and keep most of those retail sales and not fleet sales they will be in better shape. If you talk to the any Ford dealers they will tell you that the Fusion is the hottest selling car they’ve had since the Taurus. If they can keep increasing retail sales of the Fusion, Milan, and MKZ(or whatever the Zepher is now) cousins they will be in better shape than just selling huge numbers of Taurus to rental fleets.

volume reliance on fleet sales is both bad on the front end (no margin) and on the back end with forced buyback programs and thus a flooded / depressed used market.

If you can put up with plasticky dashes, lame engines, brakes that last 10,000 miles,, poor materials, engine failures, undersigned steering, suspension and transmissions, buy a Ford. I forgot to mention as others have, lousy dealershops with neaderthal service depatements and usbstandard sales departments with lousy vehicle marketing, buy a Ford.

I’ve bought three new Fords in my liefetime, and I’m done wtih that company.

I don’t think that Ford would know its way forward from drving sideways.

Even if Ford offered what customers wanted, I don’t htink that they could overcome the negative press and customer sentiment that they’ve developed over the years.