Ford losers

[Reynoma]

In Motor Trend's July issue, they have a grid that shows the 1/2 year report for sales trends. It states that the three biggest losers (comparing 2004 vs 2003) among the top 25 models were all Fords!Taurus (down 26%)Ranger (down 19%)Focus (down 12%) - this one surprised meAlso interesting are the sales trends for "all established models" (ones that have been around for at least two years)Toyota Echo (down 83%) - yikes!Suzuki Aerio (down 54%) - wasn't there a topic a while back comparing the Vibe to the Aerio?Mitsubishi Galant (down 50%) - and they just realeased a new model!I just thought this was pretty interesting stuff. I think Ford needs to get back on track!

[ragingfish]

The Echo doesn't surprise me...I think when the gave the Corolla a facelift it stole a lot of Echo buyers...

[Fformula88]

The Taurus is basically a lame duck at this point, with replacement models coming very soon. So Ford most likely is no longer marketing it and is basically letting it die. Its about time for that model too. The Focus is getting a restyle for '05, and they are already on dealer lots. So the loss of sales might be due to lower volume since they got an early jump on producing '05's. The Ranger, well, can you say ancient? Its not a very good truck, even for a pint size one anymore, and Chevy's new Colarado is a LOT better. Its in need of a ground up redesign, and I am surprised they still sell many of these things at all.Your totally right, Ford needs to get it turned around. Luckily it is with the new Five Hundred, Futura (although it will be named something else) the new crossover wagon based on the 500/Futura, and the new Mustang. All have a lot of promise to be good vehicles!

[MJN2]

The Mercury version of the 500 is going to be wearing the Montego nameplate, as I recall.Far cry from the '76 Montego station wagon my folks had when I was a little kid (sky blue w/imitation woodgrain - stylish! lol)The Ranger is way overdue for a full re-design. It hasn't had one since the '93 model year. It's just gone through cosmetic changes since then.The '05 Focus is out, and looks quite a bit more refined than it's predecessor. The lack of an SVT version is annoying to me though.The new Mustang, F-150, Freestyle, and 500/Montego are definitely signs that Ford is getting off their collective backsides.The Monterey minivan and the soon-to-be-released Mercury Mariner (think Mercury Escape) are puzzling to me, however.