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New "Affordable" Nameplate by 2022


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From Automotive News:

"Ford Motor Co. executives have promised for months that they wouldn't abandon customers who want the sedans it's discontinuing in North America. Now those plans are becoming clearer.  Jim Baumbick, Ford's vice president of enterprise product line management, on Wednesday said the automaker would by 2022 add an "affordable" nameplate aimed at filling the hole left by ending sales of the Fiesta, Focus, Fusion and Taurus sedans.  A Ford spokesman declined to say what sort of body style it would have or how big it would be.  "It's an example of how we're moving faster, working together differently and leveraging our five all-new flexible vehicle architectures," Ford said in a statement. "We came up with the concept in just 12 weeks using our new product creation process. Previous all-new vehicles could have taken years of research before receiving approval."

https://www.autonews.com/future-product/ford-add-affordable-nameplate-2022

 

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5 hours ago, mackinaw said:

From Automotive News:

"Ford Motor Co. executives have promised for months that they wouldn't abandon customers who want the sedans it's discontinuing in North America. Now those plans are becoming clearer.  Jim Baumbick, Ford's vice president of enterprise product line management, on Wednesday said the automaker would by 2022 add an "affordable" nameplate aimed at filling the hole left by ending sales of the Fiesta, Focus, Fusion and Taurus sedans.  A Ford spokesman declined to say what sort of body style it would have or how big it would be.  "It's an example of how we're moving faster, working together differently and leveraging our five all-new flexible vehicle architectures," Ford said in a statement. "We came up with the concept in just 12 weeks using our new product creation process. Previous all-new vehicles could have taken years of research before receiving approval."

https://www.autonews.com/future-product/ford-add-affordable-nameplate-2022

 

Oh, come on! It's going to be another CUV.

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19 minutes ago, fuzzymoomoo said:

I doubt it, that was given the green light a year ago. This new thing seems to be only a recent addition. 

Maybe the dealers are getting their way.......they were pleading with Ford to not let the Fusion name / vehicle size die as there is a lot of cache with the name.

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3 hours ago, fuzzymoomoo said:

I doubt it, that was given the green light a year ago. This new thing seems to be only a recent addition. 

I totally get your logic and you are probably right. However, there are two points unclear:

1. Where's the Ranchero cuv in that schematic pictures? At some point I thought the Ranchero would mate with Maverick / baby Bronco but Im confused about that now. The Courier is always described to be SouthAmerica bound too, and for that, it should be somehow affordable. And Maverick should have a higher price tag than Escape, not very suitable bellow the equator.

2. The green light the project got a year-or-so ago does not mean the development could not have taken place in those recent 12 weeks. This affordable but not small cuv could be the anti-Compass that Ford desperately needs in developing markets (and which would also play an important role in North America).

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2 minutes ago, passis said:

Where's the Ranchero cuv in that schematic pictures? At some point I thought the Ranchero would mate with Maverick / baby Bronco but Im confused about that now. The Courier is always described to be SouthAmerica bound too, and for that, it should be somehow affordable. And Maverick should have a higher price tag than Escape, not very suitable bellow the equator.

That schematic thing predates even the Courier getting the green light. It's from one of Hackett's first investor presentations.  

 

3 minutes ago, passis said:

The green light the project got a year-or-so ago does not mean the development could not have taken place in those recent 12 weeks. This affordable but not small cuv could be the anti-Compass that Ford desperately needs in developing markets (and which would also play an important role in North America).

I think you misunderstood what was meant. This new thing went from idea to green light in 12 weeks and is Ford's newest program. The idea itself came after the Courier project began. Actual engineering and development is only just beginning now. It's the first program to begin under Ford's new accelerated engineering ideas initiated by Jim Hackett. Now is the time where we start to see if the more efficient engineering ideas are worth a damn or not. 

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1 minute ago, fuzzymoomoo said:

It's the first program to begin under Ford's new accelerated engineering ideas initiated by Jim Hackett. Now is the time where we start to see if the more efficient engineering ideas are worth a damn or not. 

You got it.  As excited as I am about a new vehicle, the take-home message from this article is that it took only 12 weeks to make a business case for this vehicle, and to win approval.  That's moving at warp speed for a large company, for that matter, any company.  This is the fundamental structural change to product development that Hackett's has been talking about.  If this is his legacy, it will be a good one. 

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11 hours ago, mackinaw said:

You got it.  As excited as I am about a new vehicle, the take-home message from this article is that it took only 12 weeks to make a business case for this vehicle, and to win approval.  That's moving at warp speed for a large company, for that matter, any company.  This is the fundamental structural change to product development that Hackett's has been talking about.  If this is his legacy, it will be a good one. 

Lurking in the background of this seismic change is Finance. They might be quiet now, but they will be waiting for their opportunity to undercut this program, either directly or death by a thousand cuts. 

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On 4/17/2019 at 6:10 PM, mackinaw said:

From Automotive News:

"Ford Motor Co. executives have promised for months that they wouldn't abandon customers who want the sedans it's discontinuing in North America. Now those plans are becoming clearer.  Jim Baumbick, Ford's vice president of enterprise product line management, on Wednesday said the automaker would by 2022 add an "affordable" nameplate aimed at filling the hole left by ending sales of the Fiesta, Focus, Fusion and Taurus sedans.  A Ford spokesman declined to say what sort of body style it would have or how big it would be.  "It's an example of how we're moving faster, working together differently and leveraging our five all-new flexible vehicle architectures," Ford said in a statement. "We came up with the concept in just 12 weeks using our new product creation process. Previous all-new vehicles could have taken years of research before receiving approval."

https://www.autonews.com/future-product/ford-add-affordable-nameplate-2022

 

So, by "affordable nameplate" do they mean a new Ford branded vehicle or a vehicle under another moniker and sold through Ford dealers? JMC Yusheng 330 comes to mind...cheap, CUV design, made in China via joint venture between Ford and JMC for domestic Chinese market.

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4 hours ago, Harley Lover said:

Lurking in the background of this seismic change is Finance. They might be quiet now, but they will be waiting for their opportunity to undercut this program, either directly or death by a thousand cuts. 

But do keep in mind they have new leadership also-

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4 hours ago, twintornados said:

So, by "affordable nameplate" do they mean a new Ford branded vehicle or a vehicle under another moniker and sold through Ford dealers? JMC Yusheng 330 comes to mind...cheap, CUV design, made in China via joint venture between Ford and JMC for domestic Chinese market.

 "We came up with the concept in just 12 weeks using our new product creation process" would seem to dispel your concern. That statement is in direct conflict with something badge engineered from elsewhere.

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7 hours ago, Harley Lover said:

Lurking in the background of this seismic change is Finance. They might be quiet now, but they will be waiting for their opportunity to undercut this program, either directly or death by a thousand cuts. 

Most likely the guys in finance were part of the team that helped develop the business plan for this vehicle.  They came up with the cost estimate, which was then approved by management.  

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On 4/21/2019 at 6:56 AM, silvrsvt said:

Here is a question-has the Puma been approved for NA market? Haven't heard much about it outside of its sneak preview in Spain. 

The only confirmed assembly location is Romania... which likely won't be enough to supply the entire world. Until we hear of a 2nd assembly location, US plans are probably a bit unclear.

 

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Regarding Puma in the US, wouldn't it make more sense to explore the C2 architecture - and make a more compact Escape - rather than producing a B platform vehicle like the Puma?

(I am assuming the Puma shares production line with the Ecosport in Craiova)

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