The "bubble" is the point in a poker tournament where the next player out will not win any money– but the rest of the players will. A player "on the bubble" is on the verge of ignominious defeat. Automotive News [sub] reporter Amy Wilson deploys the term to flag Ford's plans to kill development of its large, rear-wheel drive (RWD) platform. Or not. "[Ford product chief Derrick] Kuzak told Automotive News last week that he is reconsidering the program. 'We need to understand the role of those vehicles, given the change in the market mix,' he said. In the meantime, Ford is developing those vehicles at full speed, he said." So it's all systems go! Right until it isn't. Lincoln dealers taking delivery of the new meh MKS await Ford's final decision with bated breath. Meanwhile, here are three more decision Kuzak hasn't made, but might. 1) sticking a turbocharged, four cylinder engine into the F-150 2) adding more European-sourced small cars to the lineup and 3) amping-up EcoBoost engine production past the 500k mark. Note: Lyndon Johnson said a bad decision is better than no decision.
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“Lyndon Johnson said a bad decision is better than no decision.”
Considering his record visa-vis Vietnam I’m not sure Johnson is a decision making role model.
It won’t all be bad – it might mean the Panther platform will stick around yet again.
Simple, durable, and rear wheel drive – it’s what I like.
And also HEAVY and DATED.
Wow…a turbo 4 in a F-150? That engine should have some pretty decent torque numbers.
So, howzabout that Lincoln LS? You know, the one that was universally praised as handling slightly better than an equivalent, contemporary E39 5-Series?
Let me play Robert McNamara to Kuzak’s Lyndon Jonhson.
(1) Yes.
(2) Yes. (but what other small cars is Ford talking about? Already bringing the Fiesta and the Focus. The Ka? The Mazda2?). In addition, bring the smaller displacement engines for the Mazda3 and Focus (1.4-1.6L gas, unless that 2.0L in the new US Focus will do the job).
(3) Eh.
Pardon me – picky, I know, but doesn’t one wait with BATED breath, as in abated, or held breath. Otherwise, I’d hate to think how their breath was baited!
baabthesaab
Pardon me – picky, I know, but doesn’t one wait with BATED breath, as in abated, or held breath. Otherwise, I’d hate to think how their breath was baited!
Oops. I’ve performed the requisite bate and switch.
Four cylinder fullsize truck?
Killing RWD cars completely?
It’s no wonder US automakers are going bust at an accelerated rate. People are going to line up none-deep for a four cylinder fullsize.
First GM now Ford is going to forsake me re: RWD?
I agree with taxman100: why not keep the Panther platform around if Ford can’t shit or get off the pot re: this development program? The tooling was paid for, in, oh, probably 1983?
4 cylinder in the F-150? Sounds more like Ford’s throwing out a trial balloon and trying to make itself sound bleeding-edge than anything.
baabthesaab, “bated” is OK. From wiktionary:
to bate (third-person singular simple present bates, present participle bating, simple past and past participle bated)
1. (transitive) To reduce the force of something; to abate.
2. (transitive) To restrain, usually with the sense of being in anticipation; as, with bated breath.
3. (transitive, figuratively) To cut off, remove, take away.
* c.1658 Dr. Henry More, Government of the Tongue :
He will not bate an ace of absolute certainty.
Kind of like flammable = inflammable. English is a hell of a language.
So, howzabout that Lincoln LS? You know, the one that was universally praised as handling slightly better than an equivalent, contemporary E39 5-Series?
Then Ford would have a desirable product…and we can’t have that…
How about developing small fuel efficient RWD cars? For the 2 or 3 people who like driving?
So, there’s a little confusion here. The decision tree is not “new RWD or retain the Crown Vic.” The decision is new RWD or none. If Ford still has RWD in their line-up in 2012, it will be GRWD, and the Panthers will be dead. It has nothing to do with Ford getting their development ducks in line. It is strictly a business decision about what cars people will buy and what gas mileage those cars can produce. If Ford kills GRWD for the U.S., the Panther still dies in 2011.
I agree that they should be looking at small and mid-size RWD platforms instead of the mid-size to large setup that GRWD is designed to accomodate. However, when you don’t have cash to burn through, and CAFE/gas prices are breathing down your neck, your options are somewhat limited…
Here is one market segment where Chrysler SHOULD be making hey while the sun shines. Chrysler really does need to push the Charger harder with the Police and Taxi fleets, and the 300 with the limousine companies.
They should do whatever it takes to just OWN those markets, the way Ford has for the last 20 years. Ripe for the picking a freakin’ annuity of $25K times 200,000 units annually — what is that like $5 Billion a year?
How can Chrsler be so blind to the obvious?
Chrysler really does need to push the Charger harder with the Police and Taxi fleets, and the 300 with the limousine companies.
It remains to be seen if the LX platform can stand up to the same abuse that the Panther platform endured all these years. With (some of) the Mercedes E-Class DNA you would think so, but it’s hard to beat a full frame when curbs are cleared and suspect’s vehicles nudged off the road.
When the Charger came out for police work, a lot of agencies did try the Charger. Most of them switched back to the Panther because it is a superior product for police work.
I know that breaks the hearts of the “newer is better” crowd, but the market has spoken.
If Ford knew what they had, they would actually do something to the Panther, other than wish it could stop selling so they could kill it.
There is no way I’d spend $35-$40 k for a rwd Ford sedan over a $19,000 Panther. Maybe I’m odd, but the market is not there for an expensive Ford sedan.
Ford has the market gift-wrapped for them, and they are completely blowing it. Ford is not what I’d call the brightest bunch of people you will meet.
86er and taxman100,
You make great points. I just wish Chrysler would take the guidance they’ve recieved from Police, Taxi and Limo companies and use it to re-develop their LX to be longer lasting.
I think it would do a lot more to convince consumers to buy a Chrsyler to hear that fleets get 400K miles from them, rather than a warranty that lasts only as long as the company issuing it.
I work in Manhattan a lot — the number of yellow Siennas and Camrys on the street is scary.
How about some small RWDs instead of the big Panther???
Am wondering what a hybrid system woudl do for a Panther with a smaller V-6 ICE.
Busbodger:
How about some small RWDs instead of the big Panther???
It need not be an either-or proposition.