"Ford's product innovation continued into the next decade, with 1993's debut of the Ford Mondeo, European "Car of the Year" and the first of Ford's family-size world cars, and the redesigned 1994 Mustang. Also new for 1994 was the Ford Windstar minivan. The Ford Contour and Mercury Mystique, North American versions of the Mondeo, outsold their nearest Japanese competitor by 88 000 units in the 1995 calendar year. "
gosh what happened
Ford stopped making things people wanted, the contour, the cougar, the old T-Bird. Then, they started focusing on SUVs, and their cars got worse and worse. They decontented a lot of things from different models. They stopped listening to what people wanted. Who wants a back seat that weighs over 100 lbs. (in a Windstar), when a Honda van has a seat that folds flat into the floor, and it can be done with one hand. Who wants a longer driver door on a Windstar, when everyone else has two sliding doors. They tried to say the Focus would replace both the contour, and the escort. People who bought escorts would buy cheap foci, and people who bought zetec contours would buy nicer foci. They hoped that V6 contour buyers would buy a Taurus. Well, they were wrong, and that's what happened. They no longer know what people want, the Japanese do. While I won't buy another Ford unless I can lease one, which I can't, and I have been hard on Ford lately, I have a soft spot for Ford. My Dad worked for Ford, and they used to make products that people wanted and were of decent quality. It's all Jack the Knife's fault, he drove the company into the ground. Sure he did a couple of decent things like the contour, but he also screwed up royally.
Jack the Knife??? Isn't that a Sinatra song?
That's what people who worked for Ford called its former CEO Jacque Nasser.
actually it's Mack the Knife Mac Tonight was a MacDonalds commercial that switched the lyrics around to that song.
(big moon head playing piano on rooftops).
I like how exclusive the Contique and Cougars have become.
Slightly off topic but worth mentioning is that Ford now owns Volvo, Land Rover and Jaguar. Ford also owns nearly 40% of Mazda. The relevance is that the automotive industry is changing and partnerships are made to cover a broader market. The percentage of people who can appreciate the handling and performance of the contour are minimal (most people I see driving a contour are still elderly and most contours are zetec AT with hub caps). Perhaps ford figures that cars like the Mazda 6s with it's duratec 3.0L and 5spd will fill the void for the few of us.
Don't forget Austin Martin. There might be something interesting from there in the next few years.
Best I can figure, Ford is playing to the BIGGEST & most lucrative markets - Baby boomers & the free-spending youngsters. Retro styling for the boomers, & cheap, mod-able utilitarian vehicles for the kids. Add to that the best selling trucks, F-150 & Ranger, and the formula may come out in their favor in the end. They just may be a bit early on the retro side for the boomers.
)of a return of the Mondeo to the US; maybe we'll get lucky. Also, it sounds like "Jack the Knife" was at least partially a scapegoat for the whole Firestone/Ford Explorer debacle. Maybe he deserved some of the blame, but I find it hard to believe he was the only person responsible for what happened.
