A few predictions from a fascinated Ford watcher...
It appears that Ford is upping the ante with the GT500 Shelby. Response has been so strong, and their financial situation is so dire, they will be offering it as the top slot of a 3 or 4 strong "boutique" Mustang lineup.
The 2006 GT and V6 will soldier on, essentially unchanged.
Next will come a new Mach 1, with styling cues from the originals, and probably the same dohc Mach 1 motor from 2004. Price will be around $32-35000. 320-325hp or so. May be offered as a convertible.
Penciled in atop the Mach 1 is a new "Boss" Mustang. This car may have the 5.4 motor in naturally aspirated form, or the 4.6 with a blower. Price will be about $40,000 or a bit more if they add the supercharger. Power will fall in the 375-400hp range. Also may be offered as a convertible.
Finally the Shelby GT500, with the initial price estimate h-i-s-t-o-r-y. Expect to pay around $50,000 if you can find a dealer willing to take msrp. 450hp, unless they quit messing arond and tune it to the 500hp it can make. Will be offered as a convertible, eventually.
Just like the ads say, "actual prices may vary".
Anyone who hasn't noticed the absence of an SVT Cobra here, raise their hands. It hasn't taken a marketing genius at Ford to recognize that they've struck gold with the Shelby renaissance. Having both a SVT and a Shelby "Cobra" offered at the same time was never their intentions, hence the vanishment of Colleti and Theodore. For marketing reasons alone, this simply won't happen.
All cars can be made on the AAI line.
SVT will soldier on as a division of Product Development, but without their prior direct production control and seperate design independence.
Mercury desperately needs this car, but can the production lines produce any more than they already are?
Ford can charge whatever they want for the top of the line Mustangs, and they will be purchased, for the next 2 years, at least.
I'm thinking, why can't lincoln get an Aston Martin Platform for a "Halo" car to be produced in TINY amounts, say 2-3,000/year?
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Woe to him who builds his palace by unrighteousness,his upper rooms by injustice,making his countrymen work for nothing...Does it make you a king to have more and more cedar?Did not your father have food and drink?He did what was right and just,so all went well with him. He defended the cause of the poor and needy,and so all went well...But your eyes and your heart are set only on dishonest gain,on shedding innocent blood and on oppression and extortion. Jer 22:13, 15-17
A few predictions from a fascinated Ford watcher...
Finally the Shelby GT500, with the initial price estimate h-i-s-t-o-r-y. Expect to pay around $50,000 if you can find a dealer willing to take msrp.
Anyone who hasn't noticed the absence of an SVT Cobra here, raise their hands. It hasn't taken a marketing genius at Ford to recognize that they've struck gold with the Shelby renaissance. Having both a SVT and a Shelby "Cobra" offered at the same time was never their intentions, hence the vanishment of Colleti and Theodore. For marketing reasons alone, this simply won't happen.
SVT will soldier on as a division of Product Development, but without their prior direct production control and seperate design independence.
SVT is dead, long live SVT!
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Woe to him who builds his palace by unrighteousness,his upper rooms by injustice,making his countrymen work for nothing...Does it make you a king to have more and more cedar?Did not your father have food and drink?He did what was right and just,so all went well with him. He defended the cause of the poor and needy,and so all went well...But your eyes and your heart are set only on dishonest gain,on shedding innocent blood and on oppression and extortion. Jer 22:13, 15-17
Interesting concept, though I'd stick a little closer to the Mustang retro-formula - add some more cues from the old cougars of the 60's and 70's.
As for where to make them, all I see from Ford is a "base closing" mentality trying to pick 4 or 5 plants to shut down due to so much excess production capacity. Having somewhere to produce hot selling new cars doesn't seem to be a problem they expect to have - and if they keep going in the direction they're heading, they are probably right.
Interesting concept, though I'd stick a little closer to the Mustang retro-formula - add some more cues from the old cougars of the 60's and 70's.
As for where to make them, all I see from Ford is a "base closing" mentality trying to pick 4 or 5 plants to shut down due to so much excess production capacity. Having somewhere to produce hot selling new cars doesn't seem to be a problem they expect to have - and if they keep going in the direction they're heading, they are probably right.
tripleblack
Bah!
Mercury needs to look FORWARD!
Once this gen of Mustang runs out in 5 years, where does it go next? Cougar pointing forward get's the marketshare the Mustang doesn't.
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Woe to him who builds his palace by unrighteousness,his upper rooms by injustice,making his countrymen work for nothing...Does it make you a king to have more and more cedar?Did not your father have food and drink?He did what was right and just,so all went well with him. He defended the cause of the poor and needy,and so all went well...But your eyes and your heart are set only on dishonest gain,on shedding innocent blood and on oppression and extortion. Jer 22:13, 15-17
Another Star Trek plot device finds real world application.
tripleblack
heh- resistance is futile!
wonder what's going to happen with that 300C designer they hired on?
How long d'ya think Mays will allow him to run without a leash?
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Woe to him who builds his palace by unrighteousness,his upper rooms by injustice,making his countrymen work for nothing...Does it make you a king to have more and more cedar?Did not your father have food and drink?He did what was right and just,so all went well with him. He defended the cause of the poor and needy,and so all went well...But your eyes and your heart are set only on dishonest gain,on shedding innocent blood and on oppression and extortion. Jer 22:13, 15-17
Looking forward without paying attention to current market realities got us the Euro-Cougar, including car styling care of origami modeling.
If Ford and Mercury were stronger, maybe they could take the chance. Given their weakened condition, a more likely candidate would be a body skin directly from the S 197 Mustang (which shares many styling cues from the 68-69 mustangs), which is readily adapted with styling cues from the 69-70 Cougars, which were also built with common mechanicals and body skins (now that I think of it, those concept drawings look a lot like the next gen all aluminum, no paint Shelby concept).
tripleblack
Quote:
Originally Posted by kscoyote
Bah!
Mercury needs to look FORWARD!
Once this gen of Mustang runs out in 5 years, where does it go next? Cougar pointing forward get's the marketshare the Mustang doesn't.
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tripleblack
"You can never be free until you let yourself go."
Looking forward without paying attention to current market realities got us the Euro-Cougar, including car styling care of origami modeling.
If Ford and Mercury were stronger, maybe they could take the chance. Given their weakened condition, a more likely candidate would be a body skin directly from the S 197 Mustang (which shares many styling cues from the 68-69 mustangs), which is readily adapted with styling cues from the 69-70 Cougars, which were also built with common mechanicals and body skins (now that I think of it, those concept drawings look a lot like the next gen all aluminum, no paint Shelby concept).
tripleblack
The EuroCougar sold well teh 1st two years (which is standard for the FWD coupe market). The styling has been copied most recently by Toyota, Honda, and GM. The last evolution using Roush bits was quite fetching. The early models were a little wimpy . .
The real problem with the car was it's (de)handling & suspension (the only good model was the Special Edition 35th anniversary model which got the SVT contour suspension bits-even the standard 35th annv models handled like mush) and a lack of power that really became apparent after the 2000 model year when 170 hp was among the lowest in the segment for a v6 -it needed at LEAST 200hp to be competitive.
One of the reasons Jasmine went for the S40 was that it handled like the SE 35th Cougar.
But I don't think they should have called it Cougar.
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Woe to him who builds his palace by unrighteousness,his upper rooms by injustice,making his countrymen work for nothing...Does it make you a king to have more and more cedar?Did not your father have food and drink?He did what was right and just,so all went well with him. He defended the cause of the poor and needy,and so all went well...But your eyes and your heart are set only on dishonest gain,on shedding innocent blood and on oppression and extortion. Jer 22:13, 15-17
Must admit I never warmed to the folded metal styling of the new Cougar.
The new BMW's are origami exercises as well, and I feel their designs are flat to the eye and only a few years old.
Like yourself, I thought it the Cougar was a waste of a valuable nameplate - and not equipped with the German engineering that should have been its birth right. To be so severely modified from its European specifications, softening and isolating the ride, shifter, and steering - then detuning the motor's response, power, and the transmission's gearing - well, it was a big disappointment to those of us who looked for a GTi and found a Fiat instead.
Ford has a habit of doing this - the Capri was a good example.
Hope the Volvo is doing well - I believe you got a much better car than the Mercury, and I'm certain your resale value is far better. Volvo dealers tend to exercise customer service superior to Mercury, as well.
tripleblack
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tripleblack
"You can never be free until you let yourself go."
If Ford really wants to be saved, they'll bring us the Focus RS!
The tuner crowd would EAT IT UP! And with its numbers and potential, it would EAT THE COMPETITION!
But sadly, its in Europe right now with no sign of crossing the pond...
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Why ford insists on leaving a marketing advantage such as their Focus autocross performance in Europe, including cars like the RS, is beyond me.
If the assumption is that marketing fast little cars with shots of Foci tearing up the dirt roads in northern europe won't work in the US, they're wrong. For one thing, the visuals (combined with the right hardware, of course) would be dynamic - and far more compelling than the iminently forgetable current Focus ad program (frankly, as car aware as I am, I can only dimly recall the ads). Put a RS (probably sporting the still potent SVT moniker) on the tag line, and they would sell. Put the goods under the hood (ie, turbo, awd, etc) and Subaru and Honda would feel the heat.
Or not. Then we can all meet again in 5 years or so and debate the merits of the new management team installed by Nissan in the shrunken Ford headquarters in Detroit.
tripleblack
Quote:
Originally Posted by mac_mogul
If Ford really wants to be saved, they'll bring us the Focus RS!
The tuner crowd would EAT IT UP! And with its numbers and potential, it would EAT THE COMPETITION!
But sadly, its in Europe right now with no sign of crossing the pond...
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tripleblack
"You can never be free until you let yourself go."
Poor SVT sales guy lasted what, 3 months? If the 300C fellow (first I've heard of that move - wonder where he'll be assigned) has any gumption, he'll avoid getting tasked to take the axe for the CCO's more wacky moves.
If not, he may be just cannon fodder to feed the Board when sales lose steam.
tripleblack
Quote:
Originally Posted by kscoyote
heh- resistance is futile!
wonder what's going to happen with that 300C designer they hired on?
How long d'ya think Mays will allow him to run without a leash?
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tripleblack
"You can never be free until you let yourself go."
Just recalled an article in which Ford was asked why they aren't considering AWD in the Focus. Mushy answer that mentioned difficulties with the flat floor pan and rear suspension.
Flat floor pans are nice to have to yield more interior foot room in small cars, but NOT a reason to avoid a small hump to route actual mechanical bits that make the car GO! As for the rear suspension, that's lame - no more comment needed.
Upside down car design. Can't make the car AWD when it needs to be so as to preserve a few cubic inches of interior space and protect a mediocre rear suspension design!
These people are nuts.
tripleblack
Quote:
Originally Posted by tripleblack
Why ford insists on leaving a marketing advantage such as their Focus autocross performance in Europe, including cars like the RS, is beyond me.
If the assumption is that marketing fast little cars with shots of Foci tearing up the dirt roads in northern europe won't work in the US, they're wrong. For one thing, the visuals (combined with the right hardware, of course) would be dynamic - and far more compelling than the iminently forgetable current Focus ad program (frankly, as car aware as I am, I can only dimly recall the ads). Put a RS (probably sporting the still potent SVT moniker) on the tag line, and they would sell. Put the goods under the hood (ie, turbo, awd, etc) and Subaru and Honda would feel the heat.
Or not. Then we can all meet again in 5 years or so and debate the merits of the new management team installed by Nissan in the shrunken Ford headquarters in Detroit.
tripleblack
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tripleblack
"You can never be free until you let yourself go."
Lamentably, it seems you are correct. Found this brief article: LINCOLN TOWN CAR/LS: The Ford 500/Mercury Montego platform will do double duty at Lincoln. A mid-size sedan based on the standard 500/Montego platform will replace the rear-drive LS, and be powered by Ford’s new 3.5-liter "Cyclone" V6. Stretch the wheelbase, increase the width slightly, and there’s the replacement for the aging Town Car. It will use a version of Volvo’s transverse V8 and all-wheel-drive. To amortize costs, Ford and Mercury may get their own versions to replace the Crown Victoria and Grand Marquis.
The next LS will be a Ford 500 clone, and the new Town Car will be a rebodied version of the Ford 500 with the Volvo V-8 drivetrain.
In a stunning case of reverse logic, they also seem to be about to replace the big Merc and Crown Vic with the slightly oversize Ford 500 as well. The idea seems to be that the change will be cheaper if they can use the same platform for Volvos, Fords, Lincolns and Mercuries (why not Jaguar, one wonders, for a clean sweep).
Lincoln needs rwd, loads of horsepower, and sophisticated luxury appointments. Not this.
Lets see, you test the waters with the Ford 500, it flops, so having proved your point, you move to use the same mid-sized setup to replace your flagship full size cars; your only full size luxury car; a small luxury car created to infuse a little Jaguar luxury into a line rapidly losing its hold on the "luxury" title; and the cars you make that have an absolute lock on the profitable local, state and federal government sales for police and law enforcement cruisers...
Wow.
My position that Ford management is clueless has just been massively reinforced. My suggestion to all the members and non-members of this forum is sell any Ford stock you have and invest it in parts for your Mustangs that the aftermarket will never make, but you're going to be needing in the years ahead - and that "years ahead" part just got a bit shorter...
tripleblack
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheStangRookie
Heard on the news they are phasing out the Lincoln LS and Town car... I thought those sold decently?
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tripleblack
"You can never be free until you let yourself go."
