From a business perspective, the move makes sense. That doesn't change my desire to have a normal sized sedan. I'm in the minority, but the lack of small cars in the US is extremely frustrating.
It's all a big game to drum up profits. They would ignore small car models for years and years without updating them so they'd fall behind in the competition then they'd discontinue them saying nobody wants small cars. People would want them if you stayed competitive!
Do you think you would have bought a Ford in the first place though? I'd much rather just buy an Accord than anything Ford was producing at any point. FWIW, I agree with you though.
@@GF-mf7ml Emissions equipment and weight are both huge reasons why modern cars struggle to get the same gas mileage as some cars in the 80s. If we just let modern cars spew out pollutants with no emissions treatment then modern cars would get amazing mpg, far better than any 80s car does. Also, all of the safety equipment and structural protection cars require today makes them much heavier, which reduces fuel efficiency.
Eh... gas is still pretty cheap. After a brief time way up there following Russia's initial invasion in Ukraine, it's mostly settled back down towards $3/gal.
I'll always find it ironic that there's this push towards more eco-friendly vehicles and yet so many vehicles sold are these massive 2 meter long behemoths.
Also driven by people who scream and panic about climate change and the damage we humans are doing. Then again, these people also switch through phones at alarming rates and live in massive homes with either 1 kid or no kids and a dog.
Ford betting against future regulation. Probably a safe bet in the US to be fair. Look over here at our electric motors, don't look over there at vehicle weight, tire particulates, pedestrian safety, resource sustainability, road infrastructure,
From a business perspective, Ford is spot on. From someone who wants cheap, reliable transportation and really cool good driving fun vehicles, it's just painful to see where the market has gone.
@@itshugh6750 As an American.. I'm with you. Crossovers are just taller, heavier sedans with lesser pedestrian safety. Sure they're more comfortable, but they're considerably more dangerous for pedestrian and passenger safety (which is ironic, because the US is otherwise strict about pedestrian safety. They killed pop-up headlights for that reason). The argument for "Cargo space" can literally just be solved with wagons and hatchbacks. It's dumb.
But it's so practical hahaha, used to own cars btw, but now it's just more practical to own suv's when you have a family. 1. Ride height 2. Practicality 3. Easier to get in 4. Easier to drive 5. More spacious 6. Relatively, more comfortable... I think that's why ford now only sells performance vehicles in the sedan category because suv's just sell like hotcakes. And if people want a fun little car, then they go with the performance vehicles
@@jenniferperry87 hatchbacks don't have the ride height nor the ease of entry to get into them, compared to a crossover SUV. Let's face it America has a 40% obesity rate. Bigger people need bigger vehicles. Just the way it is
@@Realwessharpe Fair point, but from the standpoint of a car that can haul a bunch of stuff, have good driving dynamics, and be pretty fuel efficient, hatchbacks are the ideal vehicle. I've got a late-model Elantra GT though, so I'm definitely biased. But as a young person without a family to cart around, who's also pretty healthy, it just makes no sense to drive a big SUV or crossover... Plus, even if we wanted to, it's not like we can afford these huge vehicles anyways.
@@jenniferperry87 there are subcompact crossovers like Kona for example, it's like a cross between a hatchback and a mid size suv, but yeah, the bottomline is different people need different things :)
Toyota and Honda sell millions cars in Asia, so they have to continue to design cars. they just need to spend some manufacturing cost to bring to North America market. Ford never has big footprint in Asia, so dedicate to design cars for North America just don’t make sense.
Everyone: Save the environment! Also Everyone: I'm not going to buy a car, but instead get an SUV that gets half the MPG and uses twice the resources to make.
An Electric Escalade (assuming you charge from a Renewable Electricity Supply) would generate less CO2 than a Chevrolet Malibu. The real problem is not the size of the car, but what's powering it.
This is America. Actually, that's a bit narrow minded. This is the world. "We do not what we say", or maybe more scientifically stated but less catchy, "What we say and believe has less correlation on our actions than most people realize." Still, the "car" market is trending in a decent direction fairly naturally. It's never really been about current electric "cars" vs gas, because electric cars actually use a lot more oil than most people realize from production to disposal. It's about the potential for efficiency. As power generation and power storage and electric motors continue to improve, they will become irresistibly efficient. As people buy them, manufacturers will compete to make them even better. In 10-15 years from now, so much competition in the electric car market will make buying a new gas vehicle too costly. At that point, no rational person would choose to buy them unless there is a specific need. Then, it won't matter much if it's a car, SUV, etc.
@@MrSmith1984 Still, buying a new electric Escalade vs. keeping your Malibu costs much more CO2 most likely. I won't do the math on how many miles you would have to drive an electric Escalade before it actually is better for the environment once you calculate production and disposal cost on the environment. The numbers would surprise you. Still, your point is valid. Electric cars are trending in the right direction.
@@MrSmith1984 If you omit selling the battery with the Escalade. Thats a ginormous vehicle that requires a ginormous battery. If GM really cared about the environment, they would be making a plug-in hybrid.
GM tried this in the early 2000s with focusing on SUVs, but that was before the market was ready. Ford focused on small cars at that time and killed it. Then Chrysler and GM had to beg for money when Ford was okay. Ford has always been good at reading markets.
@@dangraff8467 Tesla is not engineered well at all, they are built poorly, and their ad money has gone to smart viral marketing. Tesla is also an over valued stock and has never made money.
@Dan Graff yes, it is nothing any other electric car could do. It is a party trick. We have been able to do it for ages really. Shows how little you know.
Agreed Ford also didn't have to be bailed out when the Market collapsed, Ford Knows where the money is which has always been the case ever since the Model T
Ford and others abandoning the small affordable car market leaves the market open for the Chinese manufacturers to take over when the trend changes back to people driving vehicles they can afford.
Perhaps the market has changed a lot but the oil crisis and Japanese car proliferation really did occur much like this. I'm not sure Americans are going to be willing to buy Chinese cars but many willingly use TikTok so I could be wrong.
@@nathanyoung8284 Americans had no problem buying Korean cars after they proved they could make a quality product. I don't think most even know which Buicks are made in China. I bet there will be 5 Chinese brands in 5 years and the majority of the non truck market in 10.
@@Andrew-zs5tc I don't think most of the chinese brands have too much of a reason to enter the US. It's not nearly as big of a market as china, and they already sell extremely well in literally every other country in the world. Maybe we'll see Geely and BYD in the states soon, but I doubt that the state owned companies will ever have a serious presence in the US.
@@damilolaakanni makes sense it’s has a rear swinging door, that most people can’t figure out how to open (initially) and it’s so much smaller and too close in price range to the Escape so yeah it makes total sense to me, on why Ford is discontinuing it
My dad has worked at a ford dealership my whole life and I’ve owned/driven almost their entire lineup through the years. The ecosport is not as bad as everyone makes it out to be. Had mine for a year and miss it sometimes. Small little suv that fit anywhere in the city. Had awd got me where I needed to go in some big snowstorms. Felt fairly roomy for the size and had most of the creature comforts you need in a car. Is it ugly? Yes. Is it terrible? No.
I switched from a lifted truck that was almost impossible to park to a compact car that I can park anywhere and I never think about gas anymore! I realized I never used my as a truck and I could just rent one for $19.99 a day from U-Haul.
Lifted trucks aren't that hard to park. I ran a Ram 2500 with a 7" lift on 37s for 12 years. Only time I had trouble parking was in Manhattan. I booked 6 weeks in advance and got parking a block from Times Square.
@hawkeyetherailfan Car manufacturers are dumb nowadays. They think only one type of their car can be a convertible. Back in the day, you had at least 5 plus body options for each car make.
You’ve honestly convinced me of their decision to be honest, I’m still shattered there’s no focus, fiesta and in my case, the Falcon anymore, but if I want a performance sedan or hatch, there’s other brands like Hyundai smashing that market now
Yeah it's funny how a company who pissed on its customers is shocked that sales are declining on their products. I will never buy another ford product after getting hosed on the 5.4L 3V. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice? shame on me.
@@MKRN98 Which basically proves this video to be bullcrap? Doug must be getting a paycheck on the side from Ford...anyone who thinks naming the small truck "Maverick" was a good idea is a moron. Why not have the Ranger as the small truck and call the current Ranger F100? Enjoy your side job with Ford Doug.
What's insulting is that the company that was founded on the idea of offering affordable transportation to the masses with the Model T, abandoned the idea of offering affordable transportation for the working class. The base Fiesta was $13k, Focus was $15K, and both were cheap but also fun to drive, especially with their manuals. Yes, they came out with the Maverick, but that is still a far cry from sub $20k transportation for the average household. Ford decided they'd rather sell everyone a $50k truck or suv. I also deeply miss the Fiesta and Focus ST. Some of the best performance/handing value out there. Also, this myth that no one was buying their cars is completely false. They were selling 500k+ cars a year when they decided to cancel. It was purely about profit margin. The Focus outsold things like the transit connect, transit, edge, flex, ecosport, ranger, bronco sport, bronco, etc. The Fusion was selling as well as the freaking explorer.
Seems like more and more corporations these days are choosing net profit margin over total profit, and more and more corporations are choosing to cut payroll instead of spending more on payroll to do more things. It feels every day like the ladder is being pulled up as CEOs and shareholders make money hand over fist. But good luck to them selling anything when their former employees don't have any money to spend!
@@vedanttaneja4428 Buddy, why are you on a car channel mocking opinions on cars that you don't care about? Is your life that empty? Just go comment about something you care about.
I definitely get the idea, but it's also worth bearing in mind that the Fiesta and Focus still exist in other markets other than the US, so it's not as if they've stopped making them altogether. I can still buy an all-new Fiesta over here in the UK, just no longer a Mondeo (though I believe a brand new model is available in China). So the company still has to design and build cars, that don't even make it to US shores I'd be curious to see how long it takes for Saloons (Sedans) to become popular once again. Things like this come in waves, I foresee cars like the VW Buzz bringing people back to MPVs (Minivans) and there being a resurgence in the concept of a people mover once again. Maybe once people realise a heavy, un-aerodynamic, crossover with poor interior space for their footprint doesn't actually make a lot of sense...
Fiesta, Puma, Focus, Kuga. All small sized Sedans and CUV/SUV. Yepp. Ford Focus 1. L 155 HP 36.811,-- with special rebate. Model 3 325 HP 40590,-- incl. local incentives. 🤷♀🤷♀🤷♂🤷♂
@@seanthe100 Style and taste is subjective yes, but if enough people agree, and find no other redeeming qualities, they aren’t going to buy it. So making something appealing to a sizable chunk of customers is important. Needless to say, it seems a lot of the American market does not find trucks and SUVs to be too ugly to buy, so it’s working for Ford.
Ford still makes Focuses and Fiestas in Europe though. I think that undermines the argument of them being able to divert resources to the truck/SUV segment because they didn't actually stop developing them, they just stopped selling them in America.
The issue is that basically the US government subsidises large SUVs and pickups, so to the typical American buyer you're "getting more car for your money". Its absolutely stupid, as 95% of people don't need the larger vehicles or truckbeds, and they're inherently less efficient than regular cars. They're also more dangerous in a collision, have worse handling and take up more room on the road. When you have people driving in massive, lifted super-duties who barely know how to drive, it's not shocking people don't feel safe in a small hatchback.
Ford is about to rest in piss in Europe too. Long live the Fiesta and Focus. They tried to apply their 2018 decision in the US to Europe (more specifically the UK, where the Fiesta has been best selling for over a DECADE) and I expect it to backfire massively.
@@TheTanique89 I had a Maverick hybrid on order for a year and finally cancelled it last August after they couldn't even give me a ship date. It's a joke.
I think they should have kept the Focus lineup. I know it's small and niche, but the ST and RS were the best practical runaround enthusiast cars, and I think we are coming back around to that.
@David L - Ford needs to drop all of their cars. I used to work on a Hyundai lot that shared the same real estate as a Ford dealership; they were both owned by the same person. All of the deals were finalized within the Ford dealership accounting department where Ford salespeople could sell Hyundai vehicles and Hyundai could sell Ford vehicles. The potential Hyundai customers could not be flipped into a Ford if they did not like the Hyundai we had on the lot, but it was not rare for the potential Ford customers to be flipped into a Hyundai several times a month. The biggest complaint by the potential Ford customers was the quality of cars and even the smaller SUVs did not justify their price. A comparable Hyundai was $5k-$7k less, had a better looking interior, and more practical looking dashboard layout. The only thing Hyundai could not match were the larger SUVs, trucks, and Mustang. And if Ford worked on a functional Compact SUV, and not try a Hyundai knockoff of a Kona, they could forgo sedans or those "performance" compacts that sells to a very small niche market they could win back a stake of the car buying market.
My mom has a 2018 EcoSport.. talk about a complete piece of shit. Some of the plastic on the door is coming off, the plastic surrounding the passenger side A pillar is coming off (you can stick your finger in there and touch the airbag), etc. I once put down the passenger side sun visor, and it literally fell off out of nowhere. And don't get me started on the 1.0 Ecoboost..
@@darthdarthbinkss They were designed and built for India where their standards are "it's better than a moped". Terrible car that has no place in a developed country.
@@martinponce877 that would be awesome but my biggest fear would be that Ford will change the Fusion from a 4-door sedan to some sort of cross-over/wagon thing
@@ulyssesmullins3181 Amen brother, driving mine till it won't go any further. Now is a good time to buy a 2017 Sport though, before they're all high mileage, crashed, or too expensive. Decisions decisions
As a 37-year Ford employee, I'd like to say "thanks Doug!" for the thoughtful analysis and kind words. My secular humanism compels me to also be honest: the Explorer is not the best 3-row SUV. Admittedly, we've had a number of issues/recalls on the Explorer, and It's features and long-term quality are middling at best. Opinion: myself and many other Ford employees think we should have kept the Fusion in the line-up as well, as we made a very reliable hybrid version of it also.
IMHO the FOCUS/FIesta are the 2 the MARKET NEEDED unless dropping people that can NOT/DONT WANT to afford $30+K on a depreciating asset but the middle / upper segment FORD has gotten "on point" product wise
I believe the Highlander is a better 3rd row SUV in terms of quality and reliability. Explorers are nice but not exactly what I’d look for in that market.
What about the horrible quality that wasn’t recalled, like the electric rack and pinion steering? We had to replace it twice in 100,000 miles in our 2016 Explorer. So glad to have finally gotten rid of horrible vehicle, and the arrogant useless thieves who sell and service them. Never again with a Ford.
Hey there, if you catch this, what can be done? I rented a "large suv" for a week in CO, and expected a Traverse. I got an Explorer with a lot of options. Other than the dial shifter, I loved it. I didn't even realize it was a 2.3 turbo, it had so much punch. It hauled all of us and our stuff, and I drove it way too fast through mtn roads when I was late to a tourist appt I'd already paid for 😮. Would I buy one? Quality scares me too much, but darn it that was a REALLY great vacation wagon. Even got 23 mpg. How to improve the build quality enough to at least match Subaru or Mazda?
I for one actually really loved Ford's passenger vehicles, The Fusion, Focus and Fiesta were world cars designed in Europe and were great deals, I just wished they kept going...
Sorry, Doug, but it's not an interest shift. It's a forced "choice." When the marketplace has only SUVs, Trucks and Vans, what choices are the public left with? Now we have larger heavier vehicles cruising around with one person in it. How is that better? Also, no SUV, truck, or Van can match the driving dynamics of a car. This is basically a Hobsons choice.
Pretty much, manufacturers are not following the market they are creating artifical demand. Toyota still sell over 100k corollas and camrys every year.
We're about to see this in Europe, where Ford has actively made the decision to cut the Fiesta and Focus models, among other models like the Fusion (Mondeo over here) and the absolute ton of legacy models they've cut in the past. I don't expect it to go over well. Europe is NOT the same as America. We have completely different needs, and especially places like the UK where the roads are far narrower.
@@sabersz Ford will just die in Europe & France (probably others will follow) are putting an suv tax in place making larger & heavier vehicles more expensive
I rented a Ford Focus on several trips in Europe, and always loved the vehicle. Even the base model was fun to drive (RT was amazing!), and ridiculously practical. Somehow though, I never really took buying one in the states seriously… I guess ford knew this.
Welp the pr nightmare from the dual clutch Power Shift transmission killed any momentum the Focus badge had left. Prior gens rusted too but at least they were reliable.
@@Anthony-kn8cn My Focus was in the shop for 9 months waiting for a new transmission part from Ford. I don't need to ask anyone as I lived through it myself and that didn't change anything. I LOVE my Focus. It was a lot more fun to drive with the old transmission but it's still better than any SUV on the market.
In this process Ford is practically pulling out of Europe with sales down roughly 50% over the last 5 years. The Mach-E looks good on paper but has gotten a reputation about needing to spend a lot of time in the workshop. It is more or less the only electric car one can get without a waiting list.
Yeah, Ford are going to end up as a commericial van company over here in Europe. They tried to go (slightly) upmarket (and more expensive) to compete with VW/Seat/Skoda and failed miserably. Meanwhile, the Koreans came in to take Ford's traditional customers.
Buying a Mach-E was one of the worst choices I made, it didn't even last a year with me and by the time I tried to sell it, I had 0 interest from buyers
Being down 50% in a market where sales aren't great anyways is not a great loss. Leave the business decisions to people who know what they're talking about.
Almost everyone in my neighborhood has an SUV lmao. Sedans are a rarity these days. It's funny seeing whole parking lots filled with almost nothing but SUVs. The Nissan Murano started this crossover SUV trend a LONG time ago though around 03 and 04.
Having worked as an engineer closely with marketing in multiple multi-billion dollar companies, I can confidently say this: Ford is unbelievably adaptive for being a 100+ year old mega-corp. Making big changes in a big organization that makes hard goods is really, really hard. You have to get buy in from so many people, get new equipment, get new tooling, and get all your operators trained so fast. So even if killing off cars in North America was a good idea, I'm confident Ford can always reverse it if cars ever make a big come back or they decide to get back into that market.
They need to focus on quality. Ford was #1 in 2022 for number of recalls. Sure they can make new flashy products but you can’t drive them if they are sitting at a dealership getting recalls fixed. They hired a “quality czar” in 2022 and he seems to be a dummy.
@@Blue-moon12 I've had a 2013 SHO for 10 years now and has been a blast. My only issue has been the dreaded water pump started leaking last year. I just haven't been able to find something similar, for a decent price.
Yes - but - The real problem is declining manliness. People "just" want the "BUCKET" list vehicle. The SUV is the conformist / mindless vehicle of choice. My "stupid" 370z can fit camping gear for 2 for a week, and it's done gravel roads - I love how people give me these SNOB mean mug expressions for NOT "fitting DUDE BRO!"
Dude, any single entry-level piece of crap is faster than many ten-year-old performance vehicles. Nobody even makes a car anymore that's slower than 7 seconds 0 to 60. This is a great time for adrenaline
@@ScottXC91 Jeremy Clarkson is one of the last few petrolheads that's funny and entertaining. Yet people will still whine because he is slightly offensive (as all entertainers should be).
I was so suprised about this, I have a 2013 fusion and after several raises at work, I wanted to get a new car for the first time and wanted a new fusion. My fusion has been so reliable, 130k miles on it and I swear on my grandmother's grave, I've only put oil, tires, wipers, 1 set of brakes, and 2 batteries in it. I definitely wanted another one, personally I view my Fusion as almost an asset instead of an expense. Its a shame my first new car is gonna be something else, because I enjoy driving highway miles in my full size sedan. I'm not an enthusiast, I need transportation thats comfortable and Ford chose not to make stuff for my category anymore.
I don’t remember Ford being ridiculed or laughed at; I remember car enthusiasts being quite distraught though. The writing had been on the wall with regard to sales figures.
Ford was originally built on affordable cars to the masses but they kinda went away from that. They left a big hole in the market that’s being filled by other companies. We’ll see how this choice goes as a recession takes effect. There will be a growing market for affordable cars yet again.
I stand by my theory...and this will play out in the next 10-15 years, but not right now. This is a mid-term plan at best to recover the short term hits they were taking. Their customer base has narrowed substantially and more importantly, aged up. The significance of the Japanese/Korean models is that they are building a much more loyal customer base from beginning of auto sales life cycle (16+ yr old kids - Civics/Corollas/Fortes) and a picking up the additional life chapter generational cycles while up-branding (Acura/Lexus/Genesis).
It's sad but I think the major American OEMs are basically surrendering the Non-SUV market to the Japanese/Korean auto makers. There absolutely is still a market for sedans and hatchbacks, which Ford could be in, but they would rather upsell the "American only" crowd into a crossover instead of having to fight the foreign producers for smaller profit margins.
I think this you’re right, the Asian OEMs are capturing the lifetime sale. I think the Asian OEMs are also capturing the more price conscious buyer in general. They make cheaper cars that are more fuel efficient and reliable long term, so between the sale price and the ownership cost, the Asian auto makers are focusing on the financially inclined buyer, whereas almost all American cars (certainly in fords lineup) are basically luxury vehicles, even if they’re not marketed that way. They’re more expensive to buy, less fuel efficient, and less reliable generally speaking than say, Toyota or Honda
I will never buy a US car because they don't make cars I want. I want a small efficient sedan that can get me from A to B. not some Bronson Monstrosity that costs as much as a quarter of a house
As others have pointed out, It's a savvy business move. I personally can't believe people enjoy driving SUV's. I guess people just like the extra space and the feeling of being big on the road. Trucks on the other hand are legitimately awful to drive. They make driving feel like a chore. I drive light trucks for work and every time I get out of one and back into a car it's like a breath of fresh air.
Now that Ford has "split" into two different companies (ICE and EV under different banners), the EV side of the business should bring the Fusion back as an affordable EV that gives the Bolt a run for its money.
@@aboutface102 I think the Focus makes more sense from the global perspective, but the Fusion sold EXTREMELY well for Ford in the US and it would be an easily recognizable nameplate for people to transition to all electric. Ford should take a page out of their own playbook from when they debuted the Taurus: a simple commuter vehicle for the masses. Keep it simple for production and only offer two trim levels, no additional options, and just churn them out nonstop. If they could hit a 250+ mile range (and a few other important base specs) for under $25k, they'd dominate the market.
Ford along with other legacy manufacturers are eating themselves alive trying to compete with EV manufacturers. Their ICE line is losing market share rapidly and have 100s of millions in long term debt. They don’t make $$ on electric, Tesla just dropped prices 20% because they have margins close to 30% and are growing rapidly, while Fords is in single digits with their margins. Things do not look good for their future. Car manufacturers will be vastly different in future and may not include the big names we see and love today. All you have to do is look at 10k and balance sheets with numbers and all a sudden not so optimistic about their futures.
The only concern I have is what about new buyers? The Mav is entry level, but they’re impossible to find. People tend to stick to the same brands, so they’re potentially losing out buyers down the road.
Brand loyalty for cars has not been a thing since the 80s. I am a good example. I have a Cadillac, Ford and a Toyota. My next car is probably going to be a Jaguar.
@@arthurkineard7356 You seem to like unreliable. Other than Toyota, why in the hell would you buy a Jaguar, I had one coming to my shop with 18 miles because the engine light on was on
I don't know that I 100% agree. The Focus, the Fiesta and the Fusion were all developed separately in the German R&D Center in Cologne. Ford just announced that they will be laying off most of the people working there. The only reason they kept their job this long was because they've been developing a crossover based on VWs MEB Plattform, but now that that's pretty much done, they're being let go. Same for the people in the Saarlouis plant. The move to stop making cars was really just a move to cut off the European Ford Division. Therefore it didn't really mean that Ford suddenly had more resources for the SUVs, they were simply able to reduce their resources. It was a cost saving move and not much more
The Fusion was not developed by Europe. Older Mondeos were, but the Fusion was always a North American effort. The Focus was also handed over to NA after Europe fucked up the MKIII with that lousy PowerShift transmission - which shows how incompetent Ford Europe is when North America made a better car than they did despite not even selling said car in NA.
Things change, cars started to become large to Compete with the SUV market and it started to ruin the dynamics and the sizing of cars anyway ,a bmw three series now are as big five series was ,the whole thing doesn’t make sense.
I'm pretty sure that eventually, a lot of people will want sedans. It's just that for now, people want something big, and they like how an SUV makes it seem like they will go off-roading or camping one of these weekends.
Just touching on the Santa Cruz, I'm a service writer for Hyundai and every single one of our Santa Cruz customers uses it to its full potential. Super cool to see!
This may be true in the US where fuel prices are cheap, but Ford had gone from 11% European market share in the 1990s down to 8% around 2013. They have since almost halved to 4.5% and are falling fast. People in Europe don't buy as many SUVs, they don't fit in our towns! Everything now is European or Japanese built with a few from elsewhere. A shame to see them go, but they are now a commercial ;builder only. In the UK we still have the Focus and Fiesta, but have lost the Mondeo. If you want a car now you go Japanese or mainland Europe.
Yeah, the EU is also getting all the cool small EVs. I don't want a 1mi/kWh Hummer even if I could afford it. Or a 2mi/kWh F150. Or a giant SUV, or a giant sedan, or a giant crossover. I don't want/need to lug around 5000lbs of metal to go grocery shopping, almost no one does, but that's what almost all of my options are. I got a Bolt and I love it, but it's showing it's age tech wise. Slow DCFS, not even adaptive cruise let alone any form of self driving. No built in GPS with charging locations listed. I've got a Garmin from 2010 in it still because it's easier than connecting my phone and fighting with Android Auto every time I get in it. Even the cool companies, like Apterra, are making big cars. The thing holds 2 people and some luggage, but has a footprint as big as a model 3. It's ridiculously efficient though so I might look at getting one anyway.
Ford's market everywhere has dropped significantly. Especially in USA since the 90s. Nobody aspired to buy their cars so they went to BMWs and Mercedes on the high end, and Hyundais and Kias in low end. And although there is a demand for Bronco revival, it won't last forever and will merely be a f150 brand making ford a dead end duck with no market share.
The Cars were selling just mainly Japanese cars of Honda, Toyota, and Subaru over the Domestic, also it does not help that domestics were crap for a bit but then almost everything outside a few items in every category in the mid to later 2010's from 2014 to 2017--2018 depending on catagory was made poorly or had some kind of major issue not just the domestics and in every facet of life from computers to cars, even clothes.
Americans will always live beyond their means. Economy uncertain and gas prices going up? Hey, don't sweat it. Spoil yourself, you deserve it! A long time ago I worked in a warehouse, and everybody there had an iPod and a used BMW or F150 in the parking lot. Not very smart people, let me tell you.
The issue is: the fanboys of EVs are ignoring the fact that once EVs take over the car market, they'll find they have a road tax on electricity used to cook their dinner AND electricity prices will go through the roof. Why? because demand of a product increases price. PERIOD. full stop. End of story.
The European market is very different. Where i live you'd be lucky to see a pickup truck once a month. I have seen a Raptor once, and i have never seen a bronco here. So yes, the market is shifting, yes, they are saving money from development, but they are also cutting a lot of the sales. They will be basically selling one suv (eco sport which does not sell very well i think), and a 100 versions of Puma, which is basically a lifted fiesta and sell tremendously well...but will it compensate the sales of all the fiestas,focuses and mondeos(fusion) combined...i doubt it. And it is cheap, the mrgin cannot be that great too.
@@Techjunkiero less poser and smarter. Why would you need huge pickup truck or SUV just to drive around narrower streets in cities to do your groceries? Parking spots in Europe are narrower, these SUV's/pickup trucks have really hard time fitting in one as easily as in the US. A lot of people don't even use cars to get their groceries as stores are literally within 10 minutes walk from their home. Also, gas is more expensive there, nobody needs a car that burns 20-25 L per 100 km when gas is like $1.5 per liter. There are people who want them and have them but most of the people just don't. And honestly, I like it.
Where doug misses the mark repeatedly in these videos is RELIABILITY. Cool fun etc dont mean squat if it breaks down a lot and is the shop costing you money. In his doug score reliability should have a prominent place…
My daily is a 2015 focus that I got with 3k miles for $10k, and I love the small size, sporty feel, gas mileage, and general convenience of having a compact sedan. It’s frustrating that when it eventually goes kaput, I won’t have the same affordable option without some serious wear and tear on other brand models. SUVs and trucks look great and are here to stay, but everyday people can’t afford a low mileage Ford anymore.
I have a 2012 Focus as daily driver. It averages 35mpg. I have had it for almost 6 years and had zero maintenance besides consumables. Transmission sucks, but you learn to live with it. Overall it was a great buy.
Yeah I have a 2012 that’s been out of commission for 6 months waiting on a transmission control module that is forever backordered. I’m stuck with it because it’s not worth dropping now with it being un-drivable and even when it gets fixed I can’t sell it and get anything close to what we paid for it used back in 2013. We’ll definitely be going with another brand to replace it as our high mileage compact commuter especially since it’s left my wife stranded multiple times.
@@fortheloveofnoise Just a good deal at a local Ford dealership. Was looking in the $5-8k range and snatched it up the second I saw it, despite it being over my budget. It was purchased in 2020, so it was a 5 year old car at the time (old lady in my town drove it to Walmart and nothing else). That's the only reason I can think of why it was so cheap. Still runs like a dream.
I liked the fusion. A few years ago while walking the lot (while my F-150 was getting yet some more coils), the Fusion had a price range from $22k to $42k.
The Fusion hybrid was probably the best car I've owned next to my Maverick hybrid. Ford seems to have their finger on the pulse of the US car market. I can't wait to see what they announce in the coming years.
The slighty annoying thing about the whole push towards crossovers and SUVs, for someone like me who's from the Middle East (Gulf in particular), is that we're indirectly being forced into the trend regardless if we like it or not. You see, the MENA market is a fairly small market in global scale and we unfortunately don't have that many local car companies or proper regional divisions of international brands so we're effectively stuck to whatever the international markets likes. Sedans are actually still quite popular in the Gulf Countries to this day, with the Camry, Yaris, Elantra, Mazda 6 and such are doing so well. American branded sedans were no exceptions, with the Holden based Chevy Caprice (Caprice PPV), Crown Victoria and 6th gen Taurus outselling most of their other offerings even in it's final days. However, because Ford cancelled the Taurus, now we're forced with either buying a rebadged Chinese market Mondeo that locals aren't really that fond of, buying a crossover like an Explorer or switching to buying Toyota's and Nissans. Same thing with GM after they cancelled most of their car lineup aside from the (imo) mediocre Malibu. As a result, the local market share for the big 3 dropped significantly in the recent years and it's being eaten up by the Japanese, Korean and Chinese brands. Again, i understand that we are nothing compared to global markets like China, Japan, Europe or North America and i understand why they killed the cars off but it's frustrating for someone who still wants mid/full sized sedans and economical compact hatchback.
thank you for bringing this up. It's interesting to read a witness of how choices impact other (unfortunately less media-covered) markets. I wouldn't know otherwise.
We have the same problem in Canada. For example, in 2007 Ford discontinued the Focus wagon and hatchback which were the best-selling variants in Canada, because they weren't popular in the United States.
I’d much prefer a midsize with options or a fully loaded full size/V6 sedan if I wanted to treat myself instead of a very cookie cutter crossover with the very same fuel economy of said V6 sedan but with a significantly smaller tank. The only crossovers I’d want would be either Mazdas or the more rugged Toyotas. Turn of the century, America… GM in particular of all brands… you still see plenty of their full size/v6 sedans around town today. Those things aged like fine wine while their crossovers aged like something that’s supposed to be refrigerated being left on the kitchen counter.
There is an unspoken thing here, a lot (not all) of americans have a hard time getting in and out of cars. Particularly smaller cars. The higher entry to crossovers and Maverick is a big selling point.
If you people hate that people buy crossovers, why don't you people start throwing rocks, overturning and murder people for owning crossovers? Also if your mother owns a crossover, I bet you'll overturn her crossover and even set it on fire. Americans don't really care about other people and even their own parents. Americans also don't seem to accept what other people want, stop pretending that everyone are car enthusiasts. Americans these days.
@@automation7295 your comment was removed due to too many buzzwords. It’s hilarious that the people that fought hardest for cens_orship are the worst at getting around it 😂😂 “Congratulations, you played yourself”
You make some excellent points. I do believe that the pandemic and resulting shortages have hidden some potential issues. With the exception of the Maverick, does Ford have a single decent product with an average transaction price under $40,000? $50,000? Even the Bronco Sport with a 3 cyl engine is pushing the high 30’s. Sure, profits on what they are selling now must be high… loaded with options, expensive MSRPs, no incentives, etc. But what happens when things start to level out? Higher supplies, a small recession, budget conscious consumers… they have nothing to offer. I suppose profits are more important than market share, but I do wonder about the long-term implications for Ford… and GM.
Look at Honda and Toyota, they have also cut back in making cars. Honda used to have two door Civic and Accords, no more. They cancelled Fit. Toyota removed Avalon from lineup. No more Celica even though they have BRZ and Supra which are just rebrands. Toyota does have the Prius though.
@@paulm6481 Toyota also has the Camry and multiple variations of the Corolla. Coupes have been gone from nearly everyone’s lineup for more than a decade, even VW hasn’t sold a two-door version of the GTI for years.
@@paulm6481 the new Prius looks awesome. I think it’s genuinely going to be a hit but the only drawback might actually be the ‘Prius’ name. I’m curious to see how much of a success Toyota can turn that into because shifting the culture around car names can be difficult.
They don't want the poors to be able to afford to buy new cars. This is going to be an issue in the car industry... ahem... the SUV industry. We've already seen 72 months become the new 60 months and 84 is the new 72. I promise you that within a few years to a decade that there will be 96-month terms.
But I'm still confused... as a single man, currently in the market for finding a new vehicle, with no plans on having kids, why would I want one? And there's lots of me's! Families are becoming smaller and more scarce every year. What cause is there for SUVs other than it literally being the only thing on the market so people just run with it? I can tell you straight up I'm not buying an SUV, ever. I'll just get a decade old car that doesn't weigh two tons and run on a lawnmower engine.
I miss the Fiesta so much, my dad had a rental one randomly for a couple weeks when I was in middle school and up to then, the most powerful car I have been in was a V6 RAV4. I was blown away by how quick and zippy the thing felt knowing it had an engine no stronger than my dads 05 Accord. Just my luck that Ford decides to stop selling them now that I have money for one and I got to scrounge and delve for a used ST in todays market smh.
European here... This is also happening in this side of the pond. The Fiesta stops production in a few months (with confirmation that it wont be replaced), the Focus as well stops in 2025 and Ford is looking to sell the factory in Sarlouis in Germany that makes the Focus until now. The smallest car whey will still make is the Puma. Not to mention that in the last 2 years they discontinued the diesel options. For years I wanted a brand new Fiesta or Focus with a diesel engine cause I drive a lot (~30.000 km / year). But now... No way I can get a new gasoline engine without it being LPG compatible (and the ecoboost aint...). Yes the Puma is a very very good option... If it cost 20-25.000€ with a diesel engine, not 35.000 with the 1.0 ecoboost...
This is for very different reasons, though. Ford of Europe has been a dog for decades now; massive sales volumes but tiny, tiny margins. The chip crisis, upcoming safety/emissions regs and the need for free cash to invest in upgrading factories to build EVs have all further eroded what little profit was left per vehicle, which is why it no longer makes commercial sense to build the Fiesta. Ford’s decision to kill cars in the US seemed to be more of a business model decision; for Ford of Europe it’s an existential crisis. I’m still not convinced they will be able to make it in the longer term here; they lack the brand cache to compete with the multitude of ‘premium’ brands their £40k EV crossovers will likely compete with, and there will be huge pressure coming from the volume/budget end of the segment from Stellantis and, increasingly, Chinese brands like MG. What a sorry state of affairs…
I think it is different in Europe because they stop selling small cars not because people love pickups but because they got so expensive that people would rather buy few years old bigger car than new fiesta
I think he meant to say that chevy cut the impala, Sonic, and Spark, you can still get a 2023 Chevy Malibu, I got one in 2021 and I intend to stick with the cheapest, most practical option, whatever that may be, so it is a little sad that they aren't trying to make the really efficient sedans anymore... Don't want to have to buy foreign for that if I don't have to
When they made that decision, I worked at a Ford dealership as a grease monkey. The only cars I did tire or oil changes on were mustangs. The majority was trucks and SUVs. It made sense at the time.
@@joecool9739 I wanted the maverick for fuel efficiency and practicality. Since I couldn't get it I went with the cheapest car that was practical and had a reputation of lasting a very long time.
@@vjsoeifi Dude you completely ignored what I just told you To keep costs down on the Maverick and make it "affordable", Ford cut alot of corners and used tons of cheap materials As such, the Maverick is already having major issues with rust...despite the model being only 1 or 2 years old You made the better choice, your vehicle wont split in half driving it down the road
*You need to talk about Mitsubishi* - I work in sales for them & I fail to see why they have 4 vehicles: 1 being the Mirage, the RVR/Outlander Sport, the Eclipse Cross (almost same size as RVR) and the Outlander. No sedans (even tho clients always ask for the Lancer), no full-size SUV (like the Telluride) & no halo JDM sports car (like the original Eclipse). Their line up confuses me, and even some of my clients are somewhat confused by what we offer. I’d love to see your opinion soon!
Your big problem is you work for Mitsubishi. None of their products answer the question "Why should I buy this car instead of a Honda, Toyota, or Mazda>
@Brian Miller In my market at least they are substantially cheaper than comparable other Japanese brands, and some models like the outlander are quite well reviewed too. In my market, none of Honda, toyota or Mazda offer a PHEV SUV to compete with the PHEV out-lander & Eclipse cross.
From the model Line I assume you are in the USA or Canada. Mitsubishi said back in 2020 that they were pulling back from north America, instead concentrating on southeast Asia. As such, they seem to just be cherry picking models from their existing lineup that they think are suitable to sell to north america. Mirage & 3x crossovers are what they have that is suitable. In other markets they have a fuller lineup. In the Philippines they have the marge hatch, mirage sedan, a small 7 seat mpv, a crossover version of that, the outlander phev, a ford ranger size pickup (diesel only), and a body on frame SUV based on the same underpinnings as the pickup, and a box body van. My market (NZ) gets Mirage hatch, ASX, Out lander (incl PHEV), Eclipse Cross (incl PHEV), Pajero Sport (diesel low range 4x4) & Triton. In my market, they are doing very well too. Outlander was third most popular new car or light commercial vehicle of 2022, Triton was #4, the Eclipse cross was #8, and the ASX was #10. The Thai built diesel Triton & Pajero sport make the lineup a lot fuller for my market (given they have gone away from cars other than the very dated Mirage). Not sure why, but these vehicles aren't typically sold in the USA (i.e. Toyota Hilux & Fortuner), due to different market tastes.
Absolutely. Crossovers are like living rooms on wheels. SUVs are like tanks designed to protect the passengers inside but not motorists and pedestrians outside. Pretty soon even modest compacts like the Mini will be outlawed in America.
Same. Late last year, Ford Australia unfortunately had to discontinue the ST variants of the Focus and Fiesta. It was a sad moment for us Aussie car enthusiasts.
Ford strategically left some markets either products (like cars) and geographical (like Brazil). They realized that shrinking is the only way to survive.
The only car of theirs I miss is the Fusion, but knowing how easy it is to build off of EV platforms, I can see it returning as one of those if there is enough demand.
Actually, I've read that the name *is* returning, although not on a traditional sedan. Supposedly, the next fusion will be a lifted wagon in the style of a Subaru Outback or Audi Allroad.
It would absolutely make sense for a sedan to return as an EV, even if it is a bit more bloated and crossover-like. Basically take the Mach-E, tone down the styling a bit, make the roofline a bit lower, lower the power/increase range, and call it a Fusion.
Have you seen the china-market fusion (mondeo) that they released recently? Man that thing is sweet. Cars are still all the rage there, as opposed to SUVs
Somebody needs to be informing the population about how dangerous that trend is. SUVs being heavier than cars on average increase the wear on the road infrastructure (same is true for EVs). They also lead to bigger parking lots which in most cities are liabilities as they don’t produce enough tax revue to sustain the infrastructure. That is even without mentioning that SUVs and trucks introduce are almost all high enough for toddlers and young children to fall in the blind spot all around the vehicle. A few weeks ago, where I live, a 7 year old girl was struck to death by a wrangler at a pedestrian crossing near an elementary school. With it’s lifted tires, the driver never saw the girl. This is a tragedy.
I loved my focus and now that I have a fusion I love it too. It was a sad day to see them go away. Because you had the RS and ST focus that are a enthusiast cars and then you had the fusion sport that was going under the radar as a sporty car. And the focus is still going strong in Europe and they look so sexy and I wish foes would bring it back to the us.
From like 2014-2018, Ford had probably the best overall lineup of cars that an enthusiast could ask for. The base Fiesta and Focus, for $13k and $15k were amazing values and still fun to drive with their manual transmissions. There was the Fiesta ST and ST line, the Focus ST and RS, the Fusion Sport with 325hp, the Mustang (GT, GT350R, even the ecoboost was fast with 310hp), the Taurus SHO, and finally the Ford GT was back, too. We will never have such a wide-ranged lineup of enthusiast cars like that from one brand ever again. It really was the golden age for Ford car fans.
@@sergiopereira9546 ya I figured I’m in a focus group on Facebook and I see all the focus models you got versus us and they did more wide spread over there and made it cooler.
Agree to disagree. As a FoMoCo product owner, it would be great if you got rid of cars and made the rest of your product lineup flawlessly. They're bleeding money, #1 on the MOST recall list of 2022, and have new issues rising every day which means not only can I not replace my Fusion or Focus, I can't get a F-150 with working wipers or an Expedition that won't catch on fire. Not to mention the product issues AT DELIVERY with the Bronco. Like, get your shit together.
I currently drive a coupe. I have since 2018, put a solid 90k miles on it. I love it. Sure, it’s not very practical, but it fully gets the job done. I wish there were more sedans and coupes coming out. Some people just dig smaller cars even though they’re a minority nowadays.
I think their move was great. I work as a valet for airport parking so Ive driven damn near every consumer vehicle, ford's quality has gotten so much better than where it was in the recent past. Their cars truly feel nice to drive and don't feel like junk. Every Ford car from the last 4 years are truly solid vehicles. I just think there is still a market for hatchbacks and small cars, part of me wishes they would bring back the focus and fiesta, at least as a sports car, because those are some of the best cars and are always a treat to drive, and almost nothing compares to a nice focus RS or ST, or a fiesta ST, they are truly unique and would be insane competitors to cars like the Civic Si/Type R or the gr Corolla, etc you name it.
Yeah but let's face it. When it comes to sedans- the Japanese, Koreans, and Germany completely decimated and still decimate America in terms of build quality and reliability. The Camry and Accord still sell great for a reason.
Interesting perspective, my last five company cars were Ford Fusions, from 2010 to 2018, every one of them was driven fairly hard and turned in with 80,000 miles, and never a hiccup. My 2020 Mustang has behaved itself very well so far. Agree, I think it’s a mistake to get rid of the hot hatches, should’ve at least kept one of them. Plus why not at least one sedan for the rental car market?
@@Realwessharpe also the germans excel in engineering id say their build quality sits the same as ford if not lower. those cars are very susceptible to problems and expensive when you have one.
@@haroldbeauchamp3770 I'm unaware of those lawsuits. Are they outside of North America? The Focus RS was an amazing little starter car, that could be tuned to people's heart content. It was the Golf of this generation
@@haroldbeauchamp3770 The manual transmission version was awesome. I drove mine until parts started falling off. The majority of problems were with poor seal designs compromising the clutch packs in the transmissions-the very same transmission design still in use in their SUVs today (but with fixed seals).
I'm a BIG car guy who was recently in the market for a hatchback or small crossover. I really didn't want to get a crossover because everyone and their mother has one. I narrowed my search down to the Mazda 3 hatchback turbo, Mazda cx-30, and Subaru Crosstrek. I really wanted the sportiness and speed of the Mazda 3 turbo...It looked great and had decent room to carry some of my things. But I just couldn't get past the fact that I wouldn't be able to use it on mountain or forest roads. I needed the ride height and extra room to carry my stuff. When it came down to it, the crossover (I eventually went with the Crosstrek Sport) was a no brainer. It weighs less than a Mazda 3 turbo, has more room, has more ride height, and basically gets the same MPG. For many of us, this is our only car. So it kind of needs to do everything....
As far as I remember from studies the main thing that it did was alienate a large portion of its customers. They ended up going to other manufacturers to get their cars, sedans and hatchbacks.
While they can at least... every single year, there is a car manufacturer that kills off a sedan. Give it 10 years, and there will only be a select few.
yeap, I got a used Cadillac CTS. Now when I get rid of it. I want a new CT5. Since no American luxury sedans. That's the only thing around. I wish they still made Lincoln cars.
@@reformedgarbage5415 yeah that's starting to be true but for European and Asian cars sedans and hatchbacks are as popular as ever. As long as that's the case there will most likely be localized versions of those cars.
Interesting points. Some things to consider: they pulled out of the minivan market, and minivans still continue to be sold at great volumes today - just not Fords. Cars aren't going to disappear, they're just seceding that segment of the market to their competitors - which is fine if they don't have the resources to spread themselves across the entire market. The Maverick is a good product, but if all of their eggs are in "one basket", it hamper's their ability to adapt to changes in the market in the future. Personally I consider the Mach-E to be a electric "car" though, not so much an SUV.
Nissan did this here in Australia back in 2017. Personally, although Sentra, Altima and maxima didn't sell in great numbers outside of rental companies, I wish they still had them especially when the latest models are so much better than they were.
Same here in my country. The only passenger cars you can buy here is the Nissan Almera (Versa in NA), and the Leaf, which is expensive AF. Mitsubishi, owned by Renault-Nissan, also did the same thing, the only car is the Mirage, plus an MPV (Xpander) with a 3rd row.
I think part of the reason for withdrawal from the car market was the Focus and it’s class action lawsuits for the faulty DCT’s they produced. It ended up costing them many millions in warranty and legal fees.
@@stoltz1379 5 speed not the automatic. 3 transmissions in 100000 km. Garbage and I'm glad they are getting sued. After having to pay for the 3rd one I had to sell it couldn't afford $3000 EVERY 2 years .
@@stoltz1379 Except for the transmission, the car was mint. The blue oval's reluctance to fix the faulty parts properly was the last straw. Never even consider one again.
Just a heads up but the scam your referring too did not actually come from Amazon nor is it endorsed by them but rather more likely a shady third-party seller on Amazon is simply using Amazon’s name to promote a scam product without Amazon’s knowledge. As for filtering them, that’s a lot harder then you realize. These sorts sorts of scams are now appearing on all sorts of channels on UA-cam and most of these YT channel don’t have the reassures to constantly watch for and block them. Doug probably could afford to hire a person just to moderate comments on his channel for spam/scams but unless he decides to set comments to require moderator approval before posting then this wouldn’t guarantee these scam posts never slip through. His channel is way to popular for him choose to manually filter comments before hand and there isn’t any YT comment auto-filter tech that would work well because the scammers who gotten smarter in how they write up these scam comments such that the scam nature of them isn’t as obvious to spam filters. By having fake commenters post replies to these scam comments, they make the original comment seem legitimate on the surface. I recognize them instantly because I’ve seen enough of them to have picked out traits that set them apart as scam posts. Now computer AI tech is getting better every day and soon we might have good enough computer AI to detect these sorts of scam in comments that YT could auto-filter these scam/spam comments (or at least make it option channels owners could turn on). For now until YT comes up with a better solution, I suggest you do what I do when faced with spam/scam threads on YT videos is simply click the three vertical dots to the left of the first post in a scam/spam thread and click the report button to report the thread as scam/spam.
I loved my Fusion, great gas mileage, super comfy and quiet inside and it just felt like a well built car. Once my lease was up they tried selling me a escape. When I told then I wanted a sedan they looked at me like I was crazy. I shopped around and settled on a nissan sentra. 30k miles so far and I love it so far. I will say the fusion had it beat on just an overall solid feel and gas mileage
My titanium fusion is awesome. Fast, handles great and gas mileage is acceptable. Wish it had more room but no complaints. Oh and my AWD kills in the snow with regular tires.
I went to the Chicago Auto Show today. Cadillac wasn't there, and the only sedan from the rest of GM is the Chevy Malibu. Ford's only car is the Mustang. Dodge is retiring the Charger, and Chrysler is retiring the 300. Yet, the Germans, the Japanese, and the Koreans all have sedans, as do Maserati and Alfa Romeo. I grew up in a family of GM owners, and I attended a public college in Michigan, when the recession of the early 80s wrecked havoc on the Big Three. But, I'm starting to think my next car will be a BMW 3-, 4-, or 5-Series series.
I went to Chevy’s website and it looks like the only car they’re still making is the Malibu, so we can rest assured that it will continue to be in rental fleets for years to come.
@@mikebrowne477 The issue with the malibu is that the accord and camry exist people buying new and kia/hyundai/nissan exist for people with bad credit scores. The malibu just doesn't stand out in any appealing way except to a gm loyalist
Excellent explanation Doug but I'm interested in your take on the European market. Ford sold a load of Fiesta and Focus models in Europe over the last decades. They are everywhere. The Mach-E and Kuga have been doing well I think but they are definitely not the bestsellers the Focus and Fiesta were. Europeans also buy a lot more SUV's and crossovers but with the economy and fuel prices the way they are I still think there will be a big demand for small fuell efficient affordable cars. The pick-ups and SUV's you showed in this video are never going to sell in big numbers in Europe. Many car companies are ditching their smaller models because they need to move to electric witch is to expensive to put in an affordable car. This makes the average new car much more expensive. Unless building electric cars becomes cheaper soon many consumers will not be able to afford buying a new car. I feel the smaller ford's will be on the roads for a long time to come. We will drive them until they are absolutely falling apart....
Love the dig at the EcoSport at the end, totally agree. The thing is worthless for it's intended purpose. Got one as a rental, put about 350 miles on it and averaged 25 combined.... what's the point of a shitbox if the "Eco" isn't there? Tiny inside, bad dynamics (doesn't drive like a Fiesta even though it's the same size) and relatively terrible fuel economy.
I remember thinking that this was nuts BUT also knew why they were doing it. The average consumer loves an suv. As much as (us) enthusiasts love to think they keep the lights on for these companies, that's not the case.
Has Ford and the other two Detroit Big 3 been here and done that before when they dropped the full size station wagons? Chrysler in particular had and continues to have success moving on from the "land yacht" family hauler to the now iconic mini-van. It could be argued that Chrysler did more with less with the mini-van iteration of the Town & Country then it ever did with the full-sized name sake a decade earlier. Great video and a worthwhile conversation.
They were more focused on a narrower product range. but their recalls also went up like crazy. Imagine if those quality issues were spread across more products…would’ve been nuts. I don’t think their focused product range really panned out in terms of increased quality.
This. Ford's move has a lot more to do with every redneck and country music listener demanding an F-150 than anything. They're a lifestyle brand like Harley Davidson. Back in high school in redneck nowhere in the 00's, redneck kids still prized a Mustang over all other cars. The Mustang was "American"... Even though most of us had relatives who worked for the Honda plant nearby.
This misconception of what recalls are is exactly why automakers are tempted to cover up problems rather than acknowledge them. Ford’s recall and TSB counts went up because killing off cars meant they now had the resources to address issues with the rest of their product lines. Those would’ve previously been skipped over or covered up entirely, but that doesn’t mean there wasn’t a problem.
@cal derra your statement is laughable. Trucks are the best selling segment in the U.S.. From work vehicles all the way up to family haulers. Rednecks aren't just buying them.
@@jordanbloomfield The ecosport was so bad it got Ford of Europe to develop an all new car, the Puma to replace it. No surprise, the ecosport was a quick import from developing markets into Europe where it looked extremely out of place.
I don't get why people keep buying (and manufacturers keep making) gas-only SUVs when gas prices are so high; it costs almost $100 to fill up a tank. When gas prices spiked in the 80s people went for tiny cars like Geo Metro
I've always thought that the transition to SUVs was at least in part the result of an arms race dynamic. When you're in an SUV and everyone else is driving cars, you're in a tank that sits high above everyone else. Great for you, not so great for everyone else who has to share the road with you. So over time, people have gone for SUVs just so they can see the road ahead of them and be in a vehicle large and high enough that they won't be crushed like a bug if some 3 ton SUV plows into them.
I saw a Bronco today and am still excited to see one. Every time I see a new build it's eye catching. And I love sports cars and even own a Focus RS. I certainly mourn the departure of the RS, but the Bronco is killing it.
I’m still a car guy. I’m 35, married, and two young kids. I (basically inherited/bought it half price) have a 2016 Buick LaCrosse. Grandma optioned it up so it’s pretty nice. 300HP V6 isn’t bad but the 6 speed auto sucks. I put some decent tires on her and it’s for fun what it is. I wanted a GTI, but the offer was too good and I just had my second kid. I will say it’s been dead reliable and it has some giddy up.
Same here, I detest these horrible big blocks on the road called SUV's & trucks. Even here in The Netherlands you see more and more of them. On small European roads they're even more useless then across the pond. I own a 2012 Buick Lacrosse, man I tell you, it's a dream to drive. Only 1 of 2 registered in The Netherlands. Now with almost all big US brands giving up on the sedan, I'll have to start saving to get a Lincoln or a Cadillac as my next car if I want to continue driving a US car.
After 36 years as a true-blue Ford guy, I've moved on. Ford has turned their back on people who just want a reasonably priced, reliable CAR to haul their families around in. I'm not a luxury car buyer, so I'm not interested in paying $65,000 to $85,000 for an "over priced, mostly plastic, electronic entertainment module". I guess I'll go back to buying and driving Volkswagens again.
While it may be good for business, that doesn't mean it's good for people. I think it's important to talk about why consumers are moving towards larger vehicles, because this isn't an issue everywhere. It could be assumed that this is mostly an issue of car dependent societies.
What's funny is that the US is stupidly strict about pedestrian safety, which is why they killed off pop-up headlights, but a taller, heavier sedan with roughly the same crash structure as its lighter-weight cousin is fine. I love it when a Karen in her 5,000 LBS crossover chews me out for driving an old, chome-everywhere car...which weighs 3,000 LBS less...and _still_ gets better mileage... lol
I am not sure that cancelling cars is the reason that the trucks are selling so well. There was a "car shortage", which caused inventory to drop leading to markups on a lot of "Cool" vehicles. If I look on the streets, the Model 3 is everywhere.
From a business perspective, the move makes sense. That doesn't change my desire to have a normal sized sedan. I'm in the minority, but the lack of small cars in the US is extremely frustrating.
And when Ford said they are discontinuing of the Fusion, people went to Hyundai sedan instead. I see plenty luxury sedans on the road.
There are plenty of sedans to choose from in the US
Just buy an Accord.
It's all a big game to drum up profits. They would ignore small car models for years and years without updating them so they'd fall behind in the competition then they'd discontinue them saying nobody wants small cars. People would want them if you stayed competitive!
Do you think you would have bought a Ford in the first place though? I'd much rather just buy an Accord than anything Ford was producing at any point. FWIW, I agree with you though.
i love the fact that although gas price is skyrocketing people keep buying larger and larger vehicles
Big cars are getting more efficient
@@harrycooch add all these technology just get mpg like my 80s Japanese car.
And smaller cars are even more fuel efficient.
The law of physics is not hard to understand
@@GF-mf7ml Emissions equipment and weight are both huge reasons why modern cars struggle to get the same gas mileage as some cars in the 80s. If we just let modern cars spew out pollutants with no emissions treatment then modern cars would get amazing mpg, far better than any 80s car does. Also, all of the safety equipment and structural protection cars require today makes them much heavier, which reduces fuel efficiency.
Eh... gas is still pretty cheap. After a brief time way up there following Russia's initial invasion in Ukraine, it's mostly settled back down towards $3/gal.
I'll always find it ironic that there's this push towards more eco-friendly vehicles and yet so many vehicles sold are these massive 2 meter long behemoths.
Also driven by people who scream and panic about climate change and the damage we humans are doing. Then again, these people also switch through phones at alarming rates and live in massive homes with either 1 kid or no kids and a dog.
The future is a 2 tonne hybrid crossover running a 1.0 twin turbo 3 pot paired with an electric motor
What u just said makes no sense. And no kids is best for climate change tbh. Less ppl less pollution.
Ford betting against future regulation. Probably a safe bet in the US to be fair. Look over here at our electric motors, don't look over there at vehicle weight, tire particulates, pedestrian safety, resource sustainability, road infrastructure,
I get the gist of what you're saying but over 99% of vehicles on the road in North America are 2+ meters long.
From a business perspective, Ford is spot on. From someone who wants cheap, reliable transportation and really cool good driving fun vehicles, it's just painful to see where the market has gone.
As a European.. Why all these huge cars? Lol
Right? Why do we need the Escape, EcoSport, and Edge? Why not drop one of these redundant models for the Focus to be a CrossTrek competitor?
@@itshugh6750 As an American.. I'm with you. Crossovers are just taller, heavier sedans with lesser pedestrian safety. Sure they're more comfortable, but they're considerably more dangerous for pedestrian and passenger safety (which is ironic, because the US is otherwise strict about pedestrian safety. They killed pop-up headlights for that reason). The argument for "Cargo space" can literally just be solved with wagons and hatchbacks. It's dumb.
What that people want to buy vehicles that are safer?
@@itshugh6750 Because of safety, basic physics.
I really hope Crossover madness ends in a couple of years so we can buy normal sized cars again
But it's so practical hahaha, used to own cars btw, but now it's just more practical to own suv's when you have a family. 1. Ride height 2. Practicality 3. Easier to get in 4. Easier to drive 5. More spacious 6. Relatively, more comfortable... I think that's why ford now only sells performance vehicles in the sedan category because suv's just sell like hotcakes. And if people want a fun little car, then they go with the performance vehicles
@@3dmikster776 I present to you ... the hatchback! Hauling your sh1t with excellent driving dynamics since the 80s!
@@jenniferperry87 hatchbacks don't have the ride height nor the ease of entry to get into them, compared to a crossover SUV. Let's face it America has a 40% obesity rate. Bigger people need bigger vehicles. Just the way it is
@@Realwessharpe Fair point, but from the standpoint of a car that can haul a bunch of stuff, have good driving dynamics, and be pretty fuel efficient, hatchbacks are the ideal vehicle. I've got a late-model Elantra GT though, so I'm definitely biased. But as a young person without a family to cart around, who's also pretty healthy, it just makes no sense to drive a big SUV or crossover... Plus, even if we wanted to, it's not like we can afford these huge vehicles anyways.
@@jenniferperry87 there are subcompact crossovers like Kona for example, it's like a cross between a hatchback and a mid size suv, but yeah, the bottomline is different people need different things :)
Toyota and Honda have such a strong hold on the car market I don’t blame Ford for concentrating on trucks and SUVs.
The old "you can't fire me, I quit" tactic lol
And the bulk of people will be buying cars
only in America are SUVs not considered "cars" and Honda selling well.
Toyota and Honda sell millions cars in Asia, so they have to continue to design cars. they just need to spend some manufacturing cost to bring to North America market. Ford never has big footprint in Asia, so dedicate to design cars for North America just don’t make sense.
Not to mention profits on SUVs and trucks are insane compared to a cheap car
Everyone: Save the environment!
Also Everyone: I'm not going to buy a car, but instead get an SUV that gets half the MPG and uses twice the resources to make.
An Electric Escalade (assuming you charge from a Renewable Electricity Supply) would generate less CO2 than a Chevrolet Malibu.
The real problem is not the size of the car, but what's powering it.
This is America.
Actually, that's a bit narrow minded. This is the world. "We do not what we say", or maybe more scientifically stated but less catchy, "What we say and believe has less correlation on our actions than most people realize."
Still, the "car" market is trending in a decent direction fairly naturally. It's never really been about current electric "cars" vs gas, because electric cars actually use a lot more oil than most people realize from production to disposal. It's about the potential for efficiency. As power generation and power storage and electric motors continue to improve, they will become irresistibly efficient. As people buy them, manufacturers will compete to make them even better. In 10-15 years from now, so much competition in the electric car market will make buying a new gas vehicle too costly. At that point, no rational person would choose to buy them unless there is a specific need. Then, it won't matter much if it's a car, SUV, etc.
@@MrSmith1984 Still, buying a new electric Escalade vs. keeping your Malibu costs much more CO2 most likely. I won't do the math on how many miles you would have to drive an electric Escalade before it actually is better for the environment once you calculate production and disposal cost on the environment. The numbers would surprise you.
Still, your point is valid. Electric cars are trending in the right direction.
@@MrSmith1984 If you omit selling the battery with the Escalade. Thats a ginormous vehicle that requires a ginormous battery. If GM really cared about the environment, they would be making a plug-in hybrid.
@@MrSmith1984 No, that's an EV lie. This is compounded by the slave labor to produce the battery material.
GM tried this in the early 2000s with focusing on SUVs, but that was before the market was ready. Ford focused on small cars at that time and killed it. Then Chrysler and GM had to beg for money when Ford was okay. Ford has always been good at reading markets.
@@dangraff8467 what? You make no sense.
@Dan Graff Ford has been good at reading markets. Also ads have a massive effect.
@@dangraff8467 Tesla is not engineered well at all, they are built poorly, and their ad money has gone to smart viral marketing. Tesla is also an over valued stock and has never made money.
@Dan Graff yes, it is nothing any other electric car could do. It is a party trick. We have been able to do it for ages really. Shows how little you know.
Agreed Ford also didn't have to be bailed out when the Market collapsed, Ford Knows where the money is which has always been the case ever since the Model T
Ford and others abandoning the small affordable car market leaves the market open for the Chinese manufacturers to take over when the trend changes back to people driving vehicles they can afford.
It’s shortsighted, Ford is one bad quarter from bankruptcy.
Perhaps the market has changed a lot but the oil crisis and Japanese car proliferation really did occur much like this. I'm not sure Americans are going to be willing to buy Chinese cars but many willingly use TikTok so I could be wrong.
@@nathanyoung8284 Americans had no problem buying Korean cars after they proved they could make a quality product. I don't think most even know which Buicks are made in China. I bet there will be 5 Chinese brands in 5 years and the majority of the non truck market in 10.
@@Andrew-zs5tc and the Buicks made there are rebadged Opel Insignia from when Opel was GM.
@@Andrew-zs5tc I don't think most of the chinese brands have too much of a reason to enter the US. It's not nearly as big of a market as china, and they already sell extremely well in literally every other country in the world. Maybe we'll see Geely and BYD in the states soon, but I doubt that the state owned companies will ever have a serious presence in the US.
That EcoSport roast at the end was priceless! 🤣
😁😄😆😅😂🤣
The Ecosport is supposed to be discontinued this year though.
time?
@@damilolaakanni It was replaced by the Puma, which is made in Romania.
@@damilolaakanni makes sense it’s has a rear swinging door, that most people can’t figure out how to open (initially) and it’s so much smaller and too close in price range to the Escape so yeah it makes total sense to me, on why Ford is discontinuing it
My dad has worked at a ford dealership my whole life and I’ve owned/driven almost their entire lineup through the years. The ecosport is not as bad as everyone makes it out to be. Had mine for a year and miss it sometimes. Small little suv that fit anywhere in the city. Had awd got me where I needed to go in some big snowstorms. Felt fairly roomy for the size and had most of the creature comforts you need in a car. Is it ugly? Yes. Is it terrible? No.
I switched from a lifted truck that was almost impossible to park to a compact car that I can park anywhere and I never think about gas anymore! I realized I never used my as a truck and I could just rent one for $19.99 a day from U-Haul.
Lifted trucks aren't that hard to park. I ran a Ram 2500 with a 7" lift on 37s for 12 years. Only time I had trouble parking was in Manhattan. I booked 6 weeks in advance and got parking a block from Times Square.
What kind of “lifted truck” were you driving?
Did you sell your balls too when you sold the truck?
Interesting... You went from an enthusiast vehicle to a toaster on wheels? Not something you hear very often.
Nice to see someone else who's seen the light.
As a fusion owner I really wish it was still in the line up. 😢
It was a Good Rental Car.
@@maureencora1 Because it can take abuse without failing. Very reliable. As such, makes for a good rental, but also a good car to own
@@maureencora1 I got a rental eco boost fusion, that was the biggest turd I ever drove
I wish they had a convertible version. I don't want to have buy a Mustang or any other kind of high performance or luxury car just to have a droptop.
@hawkeyetherailfan Car manufacturers are dumb nowadays. They think only one type of their car can be a convertible. Back in the day, you had at least 5 plus body options for each car make.
The moment everything became a $40k+ SUV was the moment I realized I was broke
You're not alone. Car manufacturers just decided to laughably inflate their prices, and the public did nothing about it.
@@RedLP5000S the public responded by getting 84 months loan 🤣
don't worry about new cars around you,most are actually owned by banks.the average car buyer gets older used cars paid in full.
If I needed an SUV and had enough to buy a $40k SUV I would buy an old Suburban, a new Vortec and pocket $25k
We are all broke and broken in this new world. Everything has gone to hell.
You’ve honestly convinced me of their decision to be honest, I’m still shattered there’s no focus, fiesta and in my case, the Falcon anymore, but if I want a performance sedan or hatch, there’s other brands like Hyundai smashing that market now
I can totally agree. Hyundai really killed it with affordable sports hatchbacks lately
Hyundai is getting really good really fast
Yeah it's funny how a company who pissed on its customers is shocked that sales are declining on their products. I will never buy another ford product after getting hosed on the 5.4L 3V. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice? shame on me.
The veloster s is pretty badass but ugly. The Nissan Juke nismo is another one that’s fast but so ugly
@@MKRN98 Which basically proves this video to be bullcrap? Doug must be getting a paycheck on the side from Ford...anyone who thinks naming the small truck "Maverick" was a good idea is a moron. Why not have the Ranger as the small truck and call the current Ranger F100? Enjoy your side job with Ford Doug.
What's insulting is that the company that was founded on the idea of offering affordable transportation to the masses with the Model T, abandoned the idea of offering affordable transportation for the working class. The base Fiesta was $13k, Focus was $15K, and both were cheap but also fun to drive, especially with their manuals. Yes, they came out with the Maverick, but that is still a far cry from sub $20k transportation for the average household. Ford decided they'd rather sell everyone a $50k truck or suv. I also deeply miss the Fiesta and Focus ST. Some of the best performance/handing value out there.
Also, this myth that no one was buying their cars is completely false. They were selling 500k+ cars a year when they decided to cancel. It was purely about profit margin. The Focus outsold things like the transit connect, transit, edge, flex, ecosport, ranger, bronco sport, bronco, etc. The Fusion was selling as well as the freaking explorer.
Seems like more and more corporations these days are choosing net profit margin over total profit, and more and more corporations are choosing to cut payroll instead of spending more on payroll to do more things. It feels every day like the ladder is being pulled up as CEOs and shareholders make money hand over fist. But good luck to them selling anything when their former employees don't have any money to spend!
Buddy why are you so upset about it? Is it a life changer or something? Just pick up a Hyundai or something.
@@vedanttaneja4428 LOLOLOL😂
@@vedanttaneja4428 Buddy, why are you on a car channel mocking opinions on cars that you don't care about? Is your life that empty? Just go comment about something you care about.
I'm curious how Ford will weather the expected economic downturn with all these more expensive offerings.
I definitely get the idea, but it's also worth bearing in mind that the Fiesta and Focus still exist in other markets other than the US, so it's not as if they've stopped making them altogether. I can still buy an all-new Fiesta over here in the UK, just no longer a Mondeo (though I believe a brand new model is available in China). So the company still has to design and build cars, that don't even make it to US shores
I'd be curious to see how long it takes for Saloons (Sedans) to become popular once again. Things like this come in waves, I foresee cars like the VW Buzz bringing people back to MPVs (Minivans) and there being a resurgence in the concept of a people mover once again. Maybe once people realise a heavy, un-aerodynamic, crossover with poor interior space for their footprint doesn't actually make a lot of sense...
Fiesta, Puma, Focus, Kuga. All small sized Sedans and CUV/SUV. Yepp.
Ford Focus 1. L 155 HP 36.811,-- with special rebate.
Model 3 325 HP 40590,-- incl. local incentives.
🤷♀🤷♀🤷♂🤷♂
You can't order a focus or fiesta anymore in Germany. And if I remember correctly they stop building them mid '23. So yeah
No more fiesta in the UK anymore from this year on
Plus the focus is also dead
Fiesta was stopped production
"If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses." - Henry Ford
Cars are better. I don't get why people like SUVs and trucks. They're so ugly and massive for no added comfort or style
Many people wouldn't have asked for a mass-production system to create cars on the fly when they ask for, a faster horse.
This
@@eannamcnamara9338 "ugly" is entirely subjective I can't believe you gave that as a valid reason for why people shouldn't buy what they want to buy.
@@seanthe100 Style and taste is subjective yes, but if enough people agree, and find no other redeeming qualities, they aren’t going to buy it. So making something appealing to a sizable chunk of customers is important. Needless to say, it seems a lot of the American market does not find trucks and SUVs to be too ugly to buy, so it’s working for Ford.
Ford still makes Focuses and Fiestas in Europe though. I think that undermines the argument of them being able to divert resources to the truck/SUV segment because they didn't actually stop developing them, they just stopped selling them in America.
For another few months ... Ford already announced they will discontinue both Fiesta and Focus by this summer.
Doesn't really count though because it's Ford of Europe developing them and not Ford Motor Company itself. Subsidiaries operate almost independently
@@zt5547 The Fiesta end production this year, Focus is 2025!
The issue is that basically the US government subsidises large SUVs and pickups, so to the typical American buyer you're "getting more car for your money".
Its absolutely stupid, as 95% of people don't need the larger vehicles or truckbeds, and they're inherently less efficient than regular cars. They're also more dangerous in a collision, have worse handling and take up more room on the road.
When you have people driving in massive, lifted super-duties who barely know how to drive, it's not shocking people don't feel safe in a small hatchback.
Ford is about to rest in piss in Europe too. Long live the Fiesta and Focus. They tried to apply their 2018 decision in the US to Europe (more specifically the UK, where the Fiesta has been best selling for over a DECADE) and I expect it to backfire massively.
It wouldn’t be so bad if it wasn’t so hard to buy a maverick
Exactly...they had the right plan but can't meet demand.
@@nickb3968
Yep… super limited production. Only if ones that can be found are way over msrp 😢
That too I’ve been waiting for one. I have yet to see one on my local ford lot
@@TheTanique89 I had a Maverick hybrid on order for a year and finally cancelled it last August after they couldn't even give me a ship date. It's a joke.
I can get one local, just not at all the one I want..... lol
I think they should have kept the Focus lineup. I know it's small and niche, but the ST and RS were the best practical runaround enthusiast cars, and I think we are coming back around to that.
Yeah I liked the Taurus also, it was really big for a sedan.
@David L -
Ford needs to drop all of their cars. I used to work on a Hyundai lot that shared the same real estate as a Ford dealership; they were both owned by the same person. All of the deals were finalized within the Ford dealership accounting department where Ford salespeople could sell Hyundai vehicles and Hyundai could sell Ford vehicles.
The potential Hyundai customers could not be flipped into a Ford if they did not like the Hyundai we had on the lot, but it was not rare for the potential Ford customers to be flipped into a Hyundai several times a month. The biggest complaint by the potential Ford customers was the quality of cars and even the smaller SUVs did not justify their price. A comparable Hyundai was $5k-$7k less, had a better looking interior, and more practical looking dashboard layout.
The only thing Hyundai could not match were the larger SUVs, trucks, and Mustang. And if Ford worked on a functional Compact SUV, and not try a Hyundai knockoff of a Kona, they could forgo sedans or those "performance" compacts that sells to a very small niche market they could win back a stake of the car buying market.
Just move to Europe. The Focus is still there.
12:27 that ecosport jab had me laughing. Well played sir well played
Yes! So glad I stayed until the end.😂
My mom has a 2018 EcoSport.. talk about a complete piece of shit. Some of the plastic on the door is coming off, the plastic surrounding the passenger side A pillar is coming off (you can stick your finger in there and touch the airbag), etc. I once put down the passenger side sun visor, and it literally fell off out of nowhere. And don't get me started on the 1.0 Ecoboost..
@@darthdarthbinkss They were designed and built for India where their standards are "it's better than a moped". Terrible car that has no place in a developed country.
I will never forgive them for cancelling my beloved Fusion. Horrible decision and I'll die on this hill.
They’ll bring it back in a few years and the launch will (hopefully) be amazing!
Same. Still got my ‘15 fusion. Riding it till the wheels fall off 😭
@@martinponce877 that would be awesome but my biggest fear would be that Ford will change the Fusion from a 4-door sedan to some sort of cross-over/wagon thing
@@ulyssesmullins3181 Amen brother, driving mine till it won't go any further. Now is a good time to buy a 2017 Sport though, before they're all high mileage, crashed, or too expensive. Decisions decisions
I’m with you on the hill!
As a 37-year Ford employee, I'd like to say "thanks Doug!" for the thoughtful analysis and kind words. My secular humanism compels me to also be honest: the Explorer is not the best 3-row SUV. Admittedly, we've had a number of issues/recalls on the Explorer, and It's features and long-term quality are middling at best. Opinion: myself and many other Ford employees think we should have kept the Fusion in the line-up as well, as we made a very reliable hybrid version of it also.
IMHO the FOCUS/FIesta are the 2 the MARKET NEEDED unless dropping people that can NOT/DONT WANT to afford $30+K on a depreciating asset
but the middle / upper segment FORD has gotten "on point" product wise
I believe the Highlander is a better 3rd row SUV in terms of quality and reliability. Explorers are nice but not exactly what I’d look for in that market.
What about the horrible quality that wasn’t recalled, like the electric rack and pinion steering? We had to replace it twice in 100,000 miles in our 2016 Explorer. So glad to have finally gotten rid of horrible vehicle, and the arrogant useless thieves who sell and service them. Never again with a Ford.
Hey there, if you catch this, what can be done? I rented a "large suv" for a week in CO, and expected a Traverse. I got an Explorer with a lot of options. Other than the dial shifter, I loved it. I didn't even realize it was a 2.3 turbo, it had so much punch. It hauled all of us and our stuff, and I drove it way too fast through mtn roads when I was late to a tourist appt I'd already paid for 😮. Would I buy one? Quality scares me too much, but darn it that was a REALLY great vacation wagon. Even got 23 mpg. How to improve the build quality enough to at least match Subaru or Mazda?
I for one actually really loved Ford's passenger vehicles, The Fusion, Focus and Fiesta were world cars designed in Europe and were great deals, I just wished they kept going...
The Fiesta was just discontinued, and the Focus will be next.
I have a fiesta and it's great.
Sorry, Doug, but it's not an interest shift. It's a forced "choice." When the marketplace has only SUVs, Trucks and Vans, what choices are the public left with?
Now we have larger heavier vehicles cruising around with one person in it. How is that better? Also, no SUV, truck, or Van can match the driving dynamics of a car. This is basically a Hobsons choice.
Pretty much, manufacturers are not following the market they are creating artifical demand. Toyota still sell over 100k corollas and camrys every year.
We're about to see this in Europe, where Ford has actively made the decision to cut the Fiesta and Focus models, among other models like the Fusion (Mondeo over here) and the absolute ton of legacy models they've cut in the past.
I don't expect it to go over well. Europe is NOT the same as America. We have completely different needs, and especially places like the UK where the roads are far narrower.
@@sabersz Ford will just die in Europe & France (probably others will follow) are putting an suv tax in place making larger & heavier vehicles more expensive
@@marciliojunior4919 compare those to rav4 numbers though and you see why
@@Starblockss rav 4 does not sell that much more and that's only in america. These are worldwide cars.
I rented a Ford Focus on several trips in Europe, and always loved the vehicle. Even the base model was fun to drive (RT was amazing!), and ridiculously practical. Somehow though, I never really took buying one in the states seriously… I guess ford knew this.
Welp the pr nightmare from the dual clutch Power Shift transmission killed any momentum the Focus badge had left. Prior gens rusted too but at least they were reliable.
I LOVE my Focus. It's by far the most fun car I've ever owned and I've had over 30 cars in my life. Beyond stupid for Ford to end cars.
Just ask any unfortunate owner about the trans failures.
@@Anthony-kn8cn My Focus was in the shop for 9 months waiting for a new transmission part from Ford. I don't need to ask anyone as I lived through it myself and that didn't change anything. I LOVE my Focus. It was a lot more fun to drive with the old transmission but it's still better than any SUV on the market.
@Alexander Ratisbona Got an 06 4.0 mustang 5spd and it's old but reliable.
In this process Ford is practically pulling out of Europe with sales down roughly 50% over the last 5 years. The Mach-E looks good on paper but has gotten a reputation about needing to spend a lot of time in the workshop. It is more or less the only electric car one can get without a waiting list.
Yeah, Ford are going to end up as a commericial van company over here in Europe. They tried to go (slightly) upmarket (and more expensive) to compete with VW/Seat/Skoda and failed miserably. Meanwhile, the Koreans came in to take Ford's traditional customers.
@@Xenon0000000000001 Couldn't ever imagine Ford as an upmarket brand lol
Buying a Mach-E was one of the worst choices I made, it didn't even last a year with me and by the time I tried to sell it, I had 0 interest from buyers
Being down 50% in a market where sales aren't great anyways is not a great loss. Leave the business decisions to people who know what they're talking about.
Yep, I haven't seen any new Fords in a while. The Fiesta, Focus and Mondeo was very popular vehicles here. Rip
Almost everyone in my neighborhood has an SUV lmao. Sedans are a rarity these days. It's funny seeing whole parking lots filled with almost nothing but SUVs. The Nissan Murano started this crossover SUV trend a LONG time ago though around 03 and 04.
Having worked as an engineer closely with marketing in multiple multi-billion dollar companies, I can confidently say this: Ford is unbelievably adaptive for being a 100+ year old mega-corp. Making big changes in a big organization that makes hard goods is really, really hard. You have to get buy in from so many people, get new equipment, get new tooling, and get all your operators trained so fast. So even if killing off cars in North America was a good idea, I'm confident Ford can always reverse it if cars ever make a big come back or they decide to get back into that market.
yep
If only they could put that corporate agility to work making cars that don't break down as soon as you drive them off a lot
@@thecianinator they are now
They need to focus on quality. Ford was #1 in 2022 for number of recalls. Sure they can make new flashy products but you can’t drive them if they are sitting at a dealership getting recalls fixed. They hired a “quality czar” in 2022 and he seems to be a dummy.
@@thecianinator Says the person who probably never owned a Ford vehicle. Ford’s today, are not those of the 80’s and earlier. They’re very reliable!
Ford helped the Korean twins (Hyundai/KIA + Genesis) walk all over the American market. Smart move? I’m not so sure. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
I went from a SHO to an Accord to G80 Sport. SHO was so much fun but build quality was lacking. The Genesis has not let me down yet (it's a 2018).
@@Blue-moon12 I've had a 2013 SHO for 10 years now and has been a blast. My only issue has been the dreaded water pump started leaking last year. I just haven't been able to find something similar, for a decent price.
You gotta love the SHO!
Long term those brands will establish loyalty too, just like Toyota did.
@@zaxter2001 Urrgh. Such a terrible design. I had leaking turbos despite meticulously maintaining it. Such a shame.
"When practicality starts triumphing over adrenaline, that's when we'll know we petrol heads are a dying breed"
-Jeremy Clarkson
Jeremy Clarkson IS a dying breed.
And the worst part is, I’m not sad to say that anymore.
Yes - but - The real problem is declining manliness. People "just" want the "BUCKET" list vehicle. The SUV is the conformist / mindless vehicle of choice. My "stupid" 370z can fit camping gear for 2 for a week, and it's done gravel roads - I love how people give me these SNOB mean mug expressions for NOT "fitting DUDE BRO!"
Dude, any single entry-level piece of crap is faster than many ten-year-old performance vehicles. Nobody even makes a car anymore that's slower than 7 seconds 0 to 60.
This is a great time for adrenaline
@@07wrxtr1 seems like your idea of "Manliness" is being overly concerned with what everybody else thinks.
@@ScottXC91 Jeremy Clarkson is one of the last few petrolheads that's funny and entertaining. Yet people will still whine because he is slightly offensive (as all entertainers should be).
I was so suprised about this, I have a 2013 fusion and after several raises at work, I wanted to get a new car for the first time and wanted a new fusion. My fusion has been so reliable, 130k miles on it and I swear on my grandmother's grave, I've only put oil, tires, wipers, 1 set of brakes, and 2 batteries in it. I definitely wanted another one, personally I view my Fusion as almost an asset instead of an expense. Its a shame my first new car is gonna be something else, because I enjoy driving highway miles in my full size sedan. I'm not an enthusiast, I need transportation thats comfortable and Ford chose not to make stuff for my category anymore.
I don’t remember Ford being ridiculed or laughed at; I remember car enthusiasts being quite distraught though. The writing had been on the wall with regard to sales figures.
Ford was originally built on affordable cars to the masses but they kinda went away from that. They left a big hole in the market that’s being filled by other companies. We’ll see how this choice goes as a recession takes effect. There will be a growing market for affordable cars yet again.
and when gas is $5 a gallon again too
Kia and Hyundai have filled there role here. Ford is more or less a dead brand where I live.
@@TechedOff And it will be, gas will always go up
?????????
Did you miss the Maverick and Bronco Sport? Maverick starts at 20k
Them making crappy cars might've had something to do with it.
Maybe.....
I stand by my theory...and this will play out in the next 10-15 years, but not right now. This is a mid-term plan at best to recover the short term hits they were taking. Their customer base has narrowed substantially and more importantly, aged up.
The significance of the Japanese/Korean models is that they are building a much more loyal customer base from beginning of auto sales life cycle (16+ yr old kids - Civics/Corollas/Fortes) and a picking up the additional life chapter generational cycles while up-branding (Acura/Lexus/Genesis).
It's sad but I think the major American OEMs are basically surrendering the Non-SUV market to the Japanese/Korean auto makers. There absolutely is still a market for sedans and hatchbacks, which Ford could be in, but they would rather upsell the "American only" crowd into a crossover instead of having to fight the foreign producers for smaller profit margins.
@@goldengooch1867 Tesla offers 50% of its lineup as sedans. Its the only major American OEM that is also making the most money per car.
I think this you’re right, the Asian OEMs are capturing the lifetime sale. I think the Asian OEMs are also capturing the more price conscious buyer in general. They make cheaper cars that are more fuel efficient and reliable long term, so between the sale price and the ownership cost, the Asian auto makers are focusing on the financially inclined buyer, whereas almost all American cars (certainly in fords lineup) are basically luxury vehicles, even if they’re not marketed that way. They’re more expensive to buy, less fuel efficient, and less reliable generally speaking than say, Toyota or Honda
I will never buy a US car because they don't make cars I want. I want a small efficient sedan that can get me from A to B. not some Bronson Monstrosity that costs as much as a quarter of a house
@@turinggirl6432 agreed
As others have pointed out, It's a savvy business move. I personally can't believe people enjoy driving SUV's. I guess people just like the extra space and the feeling of being big on the road. Trucks on the other hand are legitimately awful to drive. They make driving feel like a chore. I drive light trucks for work and every time I get out of one and back into a car it's like a breath of fresh air.
Now that Ford has "split" into two different companies (ICE and EV under different banners), the EV side of the business should bring the Fusion back as an affordable EV that gives the Bolt a run for its money.
They are waiting until nuclear fusion powered cars come out in the 2150s.
Or focus
@@aboutface102 I think the Focus makes more sense from the global perspective, but the Fusion sold EXTREMELY well for Ford in the US and it would be an easily recognizable nameplate for people to transition to all electric.
Ford should take a page out of their own playbook from when they debuted the Taurus: a simple commuter vehicle for the masses. Keep it simple for production and only offer two trim levels, no additional options, and just churn them out nonstop. If they could hit a 250+ mile range (and a few other important base specs) for under $25k, they'd dominate the market.
Ford along with other legacy manufacturers are eating themselves alive trying to compete with EV manufacturers.
Their ICE line is losing market share rapidly and have 100s of millions in long term debt.
They don’t make $$ on electric, Tesla just dropped prices 20% because they have margins close to 30% and are growing rapidly, while Fords is in single digits with their margins.
Things do not look good for their future.
Car manufacturers will be vastly different in future and may not include the big names we see and love today.
All you have to do is look at 10k and balance sheets with numbers and all a sudden not so optimistic about their futures.
Futura or Galaxie.
The only concern I have is what about new buyers? The Mav is entry level, but they’re impossible to find. People tend to stick to the same brands, so they’re potentially losing out buyers down the road.
Brand loyalty for cars has not been a thing since the 80s. I am a good example. I have a Cadillac, Ford and a Toyota. My next car is probably going to be a Jaguar.
@@arthurkineard7356 You seem to like unreliable. Other than Toyota, why in the hell would you buy a Jaguar, I had one coming to my shop with 18 miles because the engine light on was on
@@AdventureswithaaronB Cadillac should be fine, and I would hope the Ford is
Thats exactly why I'm choosing mitsubishi, they are one of the only ones to talk to me with sub 700 credit score
Yes you can't find a Mav, just order one when you can this fall. That is how I got 2 at msrp that I show on videos on my channel.
I don't know that I 100% agree. The Focus, the Fiesta and the Fusion were all developed separately in the German R&D Center in Cologne. Ford just announced that they will be laying off most of the people working there. The only reason they kept their job this long was because they've been developing a crossover based on VWs MEB Plattform, but now that that's pretty much done, they're being let go. Same for the people in the Saarlouis plant. The move to stop making cars was really just a move to cut off the European Ford Division. Therefore it didn't really mean that Ford suddenly had more resources for the SUVs, they were simply able to reduce their resources. It was a cost saving move and not much more
There is no Fusion in Europe. But i guess no Mondeo in the US.
@@pharkasj The Fusion was just a Mondeo with a different name
@@pharkasj the Mondeo still exists and so does the Taurus.
The Fusion was not developed by Europe. Older Mondeos were, but the Fusion was always a North American effort. The Focus was also handed over to NA after Europe fucked up the MKIII with that lousy PowerShift transmission - which shows how incompetent Ford Europe is when North America made a better car than they did despite not even selling said car in NA.
@@eptdy New Mondeo only available in China.
The Fiesta and Focus ST are sorely missed. And I wish they still made the Fusion hybrid. I got the last year model, 2020. I would buy another.
I love my mk3 st
Total garbage transmission
Mustang with a manual and a 5.0 is very affordable these days.
@@Flying_Lexus better research that transmission before you spend any money.
Kinda sad, 100 years of cars... gone in an instant...
Things change, cars started to become large to Compete with the SUV market and it started to ruin the dynamics and the sizing of cars anyway ,a bmw three series now are as big five series was ,the whole thing doesn’t make sense.
I'm pretty sure that eventually, a lot of people will want sedans. It's just that for now, people want something big, and they like how an SUV makes it seem like they will go off-roading or camping one of these weekends.
Just touching on the Santa Cruz, I'm a service writer for Hyundai and every single one of our Santa Cruz customers uses it to its full potential. Super cool to see!
This may be true in the US where fuel prices are cheap, but Ford had gone from 11% European market share in the 1990s down to 8% around 2013. They have since almost halved to 4.5% and are falling fast. People in Europe don't buy as many SUVs, they don't fit in our towns! Everything now is European or Japanese built with a few from elsewhere. A shame to see them go, but they are now a commercial ;builder only.
In the UK we still have the Focus and Fiesta, but have lost the Mondeo. If you want a car now you go Japanese or mainland Europe.
Fiesta is also done here now sadly.
@@DaveSpecC Still showing on Ford UK.
@@ChrisGBusby It goes in the summer, with the Focus following it in 2025
Yeah, the EU is also getting all the cool small EVs.
I don't want a 1mi/kWh Hummer even if I could afford it. Or a 2mi/kWh F150. Or a giant SUV, or a giant sedan, or a giant crossover. I don't want/need to lug around 5000lbs of metal to go grocery shopping, almost no one does, but that's what almost all of my options are.
I got a Bolt and I love it, but it's showing it's age tech wise. Slow DCFS, not even adaptive cruise let alone any form of self driving. No built in GPS with charging locations listed. I've got a Garmin from 2010 in it still because it's easier than connecting my phone and fighting with Android Auto every time I get in it.
Even the cool companies, like Apterra, are making big cars. The thing holds 2 people and some luggage, but has a footprint as big as a model 3. It's ridiculously efficient though so I might look at getting one anyway.
Ford's market everywhere has dropped significantly. Especially in USA since the 90s. Nobody aspired to buy their cars so they went to BMWs and Mercedes on the high end, and Hyundais and Kias in low end. And although there is a demand for Bronco revival, it won't last forever and will merely be a f150 brand making ford a dead end duck with no market share.
The Cars were selling just mainly Japanese cars of Honda, Toyota, and Subaru over the Domestic, also it does not help that domestics were crap for a bit but then almost everything outside a few items in every category in the mid to later 2010's from 2014 to 2017--2018 depending on catagory was made poorly or had some kind of major issue not just the domestics and in every facet of life from computers to cars, even clothes.
The problem with most of the cars and suv you mentioned are 60k some well over 80K which most people can’t afford
Americans will always live beyond their means. Economy uncertain and gas prices going up? Hey, don't sweat it. Spoil yourself, you deserve it!
A long time ago I worked in a warehouse, and everybody there had an iPod and a used BMW or F150 in the parking lot. Not very smart people, let me tell you.
@@Waccoon Yeah and repos are now at an alltime high.
Everyone in America can afford a $60K car they just can’t afford it and also health insurance
I'm legitimately scared of a world with only eletric suvs
Absolutely! However, clown world knows no bounds it seems.
Fortunately, there's a whole rest of the planet beyond the USA
@@hisham_hm what does the USA have to do with it?
The world can't support EV's . We can't make enough electricity.
The issue is: the fanboys of EVs are ignoring the fact that once EVs take over the car market, they'll find they have a road tax on electricity used to cook their dinner AND electricity prices will go through the roof.
Why?
because demand of a product increases price. PERIOD. full stop. End of story.
The European market is very different. Where i live you'd be lucky to see a pickup truck once a month. I have seen a Raptor once, and i have never seen a bronco here. So yes, the market is shifting, yes, they are saving money from development, but they are also cutting a lot of the sales. They will be basically selling one suv (eco sport which does not sell very well i think), and a 100 versions of Puma, which is basically a lifted fiesta and sell tremendously well...but will it compensate the sales of all the fiestas,focuses and mondeos(fusion) combined...i doubt it. And it is cheap, the mrgin cannot be that great too.
The Puma is the Escape here in ‘Murica
@@CarringtonHollister The Escape is the Kuga in Europe (or do you mean, when comparing the scale?)
I want all of you guys Audi wagons
Euro are definitely less poser people. Love to see that.
@@Techjunkiero less poser and smarter. Why would you need huge pickup truck or SUV just to drive around narrower streets in cities to do your groceries? Parking spots in Europe are narrower, these SUV's/pickup trucks have really hard time fitting in one as easily as in the US. A lot of people don't even use cars to get their groceries as stores are literally within 10 minutes walk from their home. Also, gas is more expensive there, nobody needs a car that burns 20-25 L per 100 km when gas is like $1.5 per liter. There are people who want them and have them but most of the people just don't. And honestly, I like it.
Where doug misses the mark repeatedly in these videos is RELIABILITY. Cool fun etc dont mean squat if it breaks down a lot and is the shop costing you money. In his doug score reliability should have a prominent place…
then go watch a specific cars' review lol, demand right where it needs to, not this
@@baoquoc3710 thats the point reliability is never a factor in his reviews
@@noName-kn1lxhe does new car reviews, reliability can’t be tested or shown on a brand new car
eh? whatever
Yes, because gm, dodge, Toyota, Honda, the European cars are all paragons of reliability.🙄
My daily is a 2015 focus that I got with 3k miles for $10k, and I love the small size, sporty feel, gas mileage, and general convenience of having a compact sedan. It’s frustrating that when it eventually goes kaput, I won’t have the same affordable option without some serious wear and tear on other brand models. SUVs and trucks look great and are here to stay, but everyday people can’t afford a low mileage Ford anymore.
I have a 2012 Focus as daily driver. It averages 35mpg. I have had it for almost 6 years and had zero maintenance besides consumables. Transmission sucks, but you learn to live with it. Overall it was a great buy.
How in the hell did you get it for that price? Flood damage? Accident?
@@nickcpv You shoulda got the manual
Yeah I have a 2012 that’s been out of commission for 6 months waiting on a transmission control module that is forever backordered. I’m stuck with it because it’s not worth dropping now with it being un-drivable and even when it gets fixed I can’t sell it and get anything close to what we paid for it used back in 2013. We’ll definitely be going with another brand to replace it as our high mileage compact commuter especially since it’s left my wife stranded multiple times.
@@fortheloveofnoise Just a good deal at a local Ford dealership. Was looking in the $5-8k range and snatched it up the second I saw it, despite it being over my budget. It was purchased in 2020, so it was a 5 year old car at the time (old lady in my town drove it to Walmart and nothing else). That's the only reason I can think of why it was so cheap. Still runs like a dream.
I liked the fusion. A few years ago while walking the lot (while my F-150 was getting yet some more coils), the Fusion had a price range from $22k to $42k.
The Fusion hybrid was probably the best car I've owned next to my Maverick hybrid. Ford seems to have their finger on the pulse of the US car market. I can't wait to see what they announce in the coming years.
I had a rental one in 2019. Great car. A shame they didn't at least continue the hybrid.
I was looking at getting a MKZ right about the time Ford made the announcement. Then I went and got a Mazda 6 instead.
The slighty annoying thing about the whole push towards crossovers and SUVs, for someone like me who's from the Middle East (Gulf in particular), is that we're indirectly being forced into the trend regardless if we like it or not.
You see, the MENA market is a fairly small market in global scale and we unfortunately don't have that many local car companies or proper regional divisions of international brands so we're effectively stuck to whatever the international markets likes. Sedans are actually still quite popular in the Gulf Countries to this day, with the Camry, Yaris, Elantra, Mazda 6 and such are doing so well. American branded sedans were no exceptions, with the Holden based Chevy Caprice (Caprice PPV), Crown Victoria and 6th gen Taurus outselling most of their other offerings even in it's final days.
However, because Ford cancelled the Taurus, now we're forced with either buying a rebadged Chinese market Mondeo that locals aren't really that fond of, buying a crossover like an Explorer or switching to buying Toyota's and Nissans. Same thing with GM after they cancelled most of their car lineup aside from the (imo) mediocre Malibu.
As a result, the local market share for the big 3 dropped significantly in the recent years and it's being eaten up by the Japanese, Korean and Chinese brands. Again, i understand that we are nothing compared to global markets like China, Japan, Europe or North America and i understand why they killed the cars off but it's frustrating for someone who still wants mid/full sized sedans and economical compact hatchback.
thank you for bringing this up. It's interesting to read a witness of how choices impact other (unfortunately less media-covered) markets. I wouldn't know otherwise.
We have the same problem in Canada. For example, in 2007 Ford discontinued the Focus wagon and hatchback which were the best-selling variants in Canada, because they weren't popular in the United States.
I’d much prefer a midsize with options or a fully loaded full size/V6 sedan if I wanted to treat myself instead of a very cookie cutter crossover with the very same fuel economy of said V6 sedan but with a significantly smaller tank. The only crossovers I’d want would be either Mazdas or the more rugged Toyotas.
Turn of the century, America… GM in particular of all brands… you still see plenty of their full size/v6 sedans around town today. Those things aged like fine wine while their crossovers aged like something that’s supposed to be refrigerated being left on the kitchen counter.
Slightly annoying? I couldn’t be more annoyed by that.
@@OntarioTrafficMan Funny seeing you here!
There is an unspoken thing here, a lot (not all) of americans have a hard time getting in and out of cars. Particularly smaller cars. The higher entry to crossovers and Maverick is a big selling point.
And back issues, etc. with some people getting into low-sitting sedans
Twelve minute video to just take a knock at the EcoSport.
I Approve.
I still mourn the Taurus SHO and hot hatch twins. I hate NPCs that buy crossovers
Don’t forget about the NPCS that buy the very base model of the Camaro challenger and mustang and then show up at car meets
I had two SHOs (2010 and 2013) great when running well but build quality was poor. However I loved both of them.
If you people hate that people buy crossovers, why don't you people start throwing rocks, overturning and murder people for owning crossovers?
Also if your mother owns a crossover, I bet you'll overturn her crossover and even set it on fire. Americans don't really care about other people and even their own parents.
Americans also don't seem to accept what other people want, stop pretending that everyone are car enthusiasts. Americans these days.
@@automation7295 your comment was removed due to too many buzzwords. It’s hilarious that the people that fought hardest for cens_orship are the worst at getting around it 😂😂
“Congratulations, you played yourself”
@@Blue-moon12 it’s probably why a lot of police departments dropped them, even before the cars were cancelled.
You make some excellent points. I do believe that the pandemic and resulting shortages have hidden some potential issues. With the exception of the Maverick, does Ford have a single decent product with an average transaction price under $40,000? $50,000? Even the Bronco Sport with a 3 cyl engine is pushing the high 30’s. Sure, profits on what they are selling now must be high… loaded with options, expensive MSRPs, no incentives, etc. But what happens when things start to level out? Higher supplies, a small recession, budget conscious consumers… they have nothing to offer.
I suppose profits are more important than market share, but I do wonder about the long-term implications for Ford… and GM.
Decent points, all.
Look at Honda and Toyota, they have also cut back in making cars. Honda used to have two door Civic and Accords, no more. They cancelled Fit. Toyota removed Avalon from lineup. No more Celica even though they have BRZ and Supra which are just rebrands. Toyota does have the Prius though.
@@paulm6481 Toyota also has the Camry and multiple variations of the Corolla. Coupes have been gone from nearly everyone’s lineup for more than a decade, even VW hasn’t sold a two-door version of the GTI for years.
@@paulm6481 the new Prius looks awesome. I think it’s genuinely going to be a hit but the only drawback might actually be the ‘Prius’ name. I’m curious to see how much of a success Toyota can turn that into because shifting the culture around car names can be difficult.
They don't want the poors to be able to afford to buy new cars. This is going to be an issue in the car industry... ahem... the SUV industry. We've already seen 72 months become the new 60 months and 84 is the new 72. I promise you that within a few years to a decade that there will be 96-month terms.
But I'm still confused... as a single man, currently in the market for finding a new vehicle, with no plans on having kids, why would I want one? And there's lots of me's! Families are becoming smaller and more scarce every year. What cause is there for SUVs other than it literally being the only thing on the market so people just run with it? I can tell you straight up I'm not buying an SUV, ever. I'll just get a decade old car that doesn't weigh two tons and run on a lawnmower engine.
Just because it is right now doesn't mean it is right for the future
I miss the Fiesta so much, my dad had a rental one randomly for a couple weeks when I was in middle school and up to then, the most powerful car I have been in was a V6 RAV4. I was blown away by how quick and zippy the thing felt knowing it had an engine no stronger than my dads 05 Accord. Just my luck that Ford decides to stop selling them now that I have money for one and I got to scrounge and delve for a used ST in todays market smh.
In Europe the Fiesta is still sold and the Puma and Focus as well.
@@chrish.7965 I miss it too. We had a bright red Fiesta as a rental ad it was so cool.
I have a 2017 Fiesta Titanium and the thing is great, I love driving it. I'm upset I can't ever upgrade it though.
A Fiesta is great car for urban areas.
@@chrish.7965 nope both the fiesta and focus are being discontinued after this current generation
European here... This is also happening in this side of the pond. The Fiesta stops production in a few months (with confirmation that it wont be replaced), the Focus as well stops in 2025 and Ford is looking to sell the factory in Sarlouis in Germany that makes the Focus until now. The smallest car whey will still make is the Puma.
Not to mention that in the last 2 years they discontinued the diesel options. For years I wanted a brand new Fiesta or Focus with a diesel engine cause I drive a lot (~30.000 km / year). But now... No way I can get a new gasoline engine without it being LPG compatible (and the ecoboost aint...). Yes the Puma is a very very good option... If it cost 20-25.000€ with a diesel engine, not 35.000 with the 1.0 ecoboost...
i mean the uk is supposedly banning new ICE cars 7 years from now...the European market is moribund. Get used to waiting for the bus
Self proclaimed "elites" want the masses to be less mobile
This is for very different reasons, though. Ford of Europe has been a dog for decades now; massive sales volumes but tiny, tiny margins. The chip crisis, upcoming safety/emissions regs and the need for free cash to invest in upgrading factories to build EVs have all further eroded what little profit was left per vehicle, which is why it no longer makes commercial sense to build the Fiesta. Ford’s decision to kill cars in the US seemed to be more of a business model decision; for Ford of Europe it’s an existential crisis. I’m still not convinced they will be able to make it in the longer term here; they lack the brand cache to compete with the multitude of ‘premium’ brands their £40k EV crossovers will likely compete with, and there will be huge pressure coming from the volume/budget end of the segment from Stellantis and, increasingly, Chinese brands like MG. What a sorry state of affairs…
I think it is different in Europe because they stop selling small cars not because people love pickups but because they got so expensive that people would rather buy few years old bigger car than new fiesta
disagree, cars are still selling strong in europe and wont get killed anytime.
I think he meant to say that chevy cut the impala, Sonic, and Spark, you can still get a 2023 Chevy Malibu, I got one in 2021 and I intend to stick with the cheapest, most practical option, whatever that may be, so it is a little sad that they aren't trying to make the really efficient sedans anymore... Don't want to have to buy foreign for that if I don't have to
When they made that decision, I worked at a Ford dealership as a grease monkey. The only cars I did tire or oil changes on were mustangs. The majority was trucks and SUVs. It made sense at the time.
myself as well, but at our store it was F150, Fusion, Focus. Seemed stupid then and still does now.
@@eclipsegst9419 It could have been a regional thing, with some regions not really being car markets.
The maverick is genius.
I tried to buy one last summer but they stopped taking orders.
Ended up getting a subaru.
The Maverick is made out of cheap parts and is already prone to rust damage even though its a brand new model
You made the better choice
@@joecool9739 I wanted the maverick for fuel efficiency and practicality. Since I couldn't get it I went with the cheapest car that was practical and had a reputation of lasting a very long time.
Subaru was a better choice
@@vjsoeifi
Dude you completely ignored what I just told you
To keep costs down on the Maverick and make it "affordable", Ford cut alot of corners and used tons of cheap materials
As such, the Maverick is already having major issues with rust...despite the model being only 1 or 2 years old
You made the better choice, your vehicle wont split in half driving it down the road
@@joecool9739 no I was reinforcing what you said.
*You need to talk about Mitsubishi* - I work in sales for them & I fail to see why they have 4 vehicles: 1 being the Mirage, the RVR/Outlander Sport, the Eclipse Cross (almost same size as RVR) and the Outlander. No sedans (even tho clients always ask for the Lancer), no full-size SUV (like the Telluride) & no halo JDM sports car (like the original Eclipse). Their line up confuses me, and even some of my clients are somewhat confused by what we offer. I’d love to see your opinion soon!
Your big problem is you work for Mitsubishi. None of their products answer the question "Why should I buy this car instead of a Honda, Toyota, or Mazda>
@Brian Miller In my market at least they are substantially cheaper than comparable other Japanese brands, and some models like the outlander are quite well reviewed too. In my market, none of Honda, toyota or Mazda offer a PHEV SUV to compete with the PHEV out-lander & Eclipse cross.
From the model Line I assume you are in the USA or Canada.
Mitsubishi said back in 2020 that they were pulling back from north America, instead concentrating on southeast Asia.
As such, they seem to just be cherry picking models from their existing lineup that they think are suitable to sell to north america. Mirage & 3x crossovers are what they have that is suitable.
In other markets they have a fuller lineup. In the Philippines they have the marge hatch, mirage sedan, a small 7 seat mpv, a crossover version of that, the outlander phev, a ford ranger size pickup (diesel only), and a body on frame SUV based on the same underpinnings as the pickup, and a box body van.
My market (NZ) gets Mirage hatch, ASX, Out lander (incl PHEV), Eclipse Cross (incl PHEV), Pajero Sport (diesel low range 4x4) & Triton. In my market, they are doing very well too. Outlander was third most popular new car or light commercial vehicle of 2022, Triton was #4, the Eclipse cross was #8, and the ASX was #10.
The Thai built diesel Triton & Pajero sport make the lineup a lot fuller for my market (given they have gone away from cars other than the very dated Mirage). Not sure why, but these vehicles aren't typically sold in the USA (i.e. Toyota Hilux & Fortuner), due to different market tastes.
Every day we skirt closer and closer to the future that Rush's "Red Barchetta" predicted.
Absolutely. Crossovers are like living rooms on wheels. SUVs are like tanks designed to protect the passengers inside but not motorists and pedestrians outside. Pretty soon even modest compacts like the Mini will be outlawed in America.
I do miss the Fiesta ST though.
The Fiesta Is better than any Pick-up truck combined.
@@saggioperduto_7566 how
Same. Late last year, Ford Australia unfortunately had to discontinue the ST variants of the Focus and Fiesta. It was a sad moment for us Aussie car enthusiasts.
Ford strategically left some markets either products (like cars) and geographical (like Brazil). They realized that shrinking is the only way to survive.
The only car of theirs I miss is the Fusion, but knowing how easy it is to build off of EV platforms, I can see it returning as one of those if there is enough demand.
Actually, I've read that the name *is* returning, although not on a traditional sedan. Supposedly, the next fusion will be a lifted wagon in the style of a Subaru Outback or Audi Allroad.
My dad (in a fusion) got t boned on the driver side a few years ago and was physically fine, all thanks to the fusion. Plus it had a sweet interior
It would absolutely make sense for a sedan to return as an EV, even if it is a bit more bloated and crossover-like. Basically take the Mach-E, tone down the styling a bit, make the roofline a bit lower, lower the power/increase range, and call it a Fusion.
Have you seen the china-market fusion (mondeo) that they released recently? Man that thing is sweet. Cars are still all the rage there, as opposed to SUVs
@@rickosborne6521 I have, so salty about it not being in the US market. Looks so good
Somebody needs to be informing the population about how dangerous that trend is. SUVs being heavier than cars on average increase the wear on the road infrastructure (same is true for EVs). They also lead to bigger parking lots which in most cities are liabilities as they don’t produce enough tax revue to sustain the infrastructure. That is even without mentioning that SUVs and trucks introduce are almost all high enough for toddlers and young children to fall in the blind spot all around the vehicle. A few weeks ago, where I live, a 7 year old girl was struck to death by a wrangler at a pedestrian crossing near an elementary school. With it’s lifted tires, the driver never saw the girl. This is a tragedy.
I loved my focus and now that I have a fusion I love it too. It was a sad day to see them go away. Because you had the RS and ST focus that are a enthusiast cars and then you had the fusion sport that was going under the radar as a sporty car. And the focus is still going strong in Europe and they look so sexy and I wish foes would bring it back to the us.
as a european citizen i do agree : the new focus looks great and its still the ford that i see the most around here
From like 2014-2018, Ford had probably the best overall lineup of cars that an enthusiast could ask for. The base Fiesta and Focus, for $13k and $15k were amazing values and still fun to drive with their manual transmissions. There was the Fiesta ST and ST line, the Focus ST and RS, the Fusion Sport with 325hp, the Mustang (GT, GT350R, even the ecoboost was fast with 310hp), the Taurus SHO, and finally the Ford GT was back, too. We will never have such a wide-ranged lineup of enthusiast cars like that from one brand ever again. It really was the golden age for Ford car fans.
@@sergiopereira9546 ya I figured I’m in a focus group on Facebook and I see all the focus models you got versus us and they did more wide spread over there and made it cooler.
@@rw0037 for sure it was the golden area of ford
The Focus is being canned in 2025 unfortunatel!
This is the actual reason why Nissan Sentras and Altimas are multiplying like a scourge…
They’re good cars atleast
Agreed, they’re great cars for the first 50,000 miles. Then they become expensive paperweights
Here in Mexico we have more versas and sentras than people
@@isaakfaulk8067 your definition of "good" is at odds with actual reality
they still make crossovers that use the same type of chassis anyway, so if they wanted to they could go back to making cars pretty easily
Agree to disagree. As a FoMoCo product owner, it would be great if you got rid of cars and made the rest of your product lineup flawlessly. They're bleeding money, #1 on the MOST recall list of 2022, and have new issues rising every day which means not only can I not replace my Fusion or Focus, I can't get a F-150 with working wipers or an Expedition that won't catch on fire. Not to mention the product issues AT DELIVERY with the Bronco. Like, get your shit together.
I currently drive a coupe. I have since 2018, put a solid 90k miles on it. I love it. Sure, it’s not very practical, but it fully gets the job done. I wish there were more sedans and coupes coming out. Some people just dig smaller cars even though they’re a minority nowadays.
Which one?
I think their move was great. I work as a valet for airport parking so Ive driven damn near every consumer vehicle, ford's quality has gotten so much better than where it was in the recent past. Their cars truly feel nice to drive and don't feel like junk. Every Ford car from the last 4 years are truly solid vehicles. I just think there is still a market for hatchbacks and small cars, part of me wishes they would bring back the focus and fiesta, at least as a sports car, because those are some of the best cars and are always a treat to drive, and almost nothing compares to a nice focus RS or ST, or a fiesta ST, they are truly unique and would be insane competitors to cars like the Civic Si/Type R or the gr Corolla, etc you name it.
Yeah but let's face it. When it comes to sedans- the Japanese, Koreans, and Germany completely decimated and still decimate America in terms of build quality and reliability. The Camry and Accord still sell great for a reason.
@@Realwessharpe not all German cars are reliable
Interesting perspective, my last five company cars were Ford Fusions, from 2010 to 2018, every one of them was driven fairly hard and turned in with 80,000 miles, and never a hiccup. My 2020 Mustang has behaved itself very well so far. Agree, I think it’s a mistake to get rid of the hot hatches, should’ve at least kept one of them. Plus why not at least one sedan for the rental car market?
@@Realwessharpe completely disagree with the korean part. if you worked on any of those cars you would too.
@@Realwessharpe also the germans excel in engineering id say their build quality sits the same as ford if not lower. those cars are very susceptible to problems and expensive when you have one.
I wasn't aware of the sales figures of the Fusion, but I fully admit I was shocked when they discontinued the Focus, especially the RS model.
Shocked that they discontinued a vehicle that costs them millions upon millions in warranty claims and lawsuits?
@@haroldbeauchamp3770 I'm unaware of those lawsuits. Are they outside of North America? The Focus RS was an amazing little starter car, that could be tuned to people's heart content. It was the Golf of this generation
@@Shawn-ik6dr the Focus RS was selling well, but not the lower end models
@@haroldbeauchamp3770 The manual transmission version was awesome. I drove mine until parts started falling off.
The majority of problems were with poor seal designs compromising the clutch packs in the transmissions-the very same transmission design still in use in their SUVs today (but with fixed seals).
I'm a BIG car guy who was recently in the market for a hatchback or small crossover. I really didn't want to get a crossover because everyone and their mother has one. I narrowed my search down to the Mazda 3 hatchback turbo, Mazda cx-30, and Subaru Crosstrek. I really wanted the sportiness and speed of the Mazda 3 turbo...It looked great and had decent room to carry some of my things. But I just couldn't get past the fact that I wouldn't be able to use it on mountain or forest roads. I needed the ride height and extra room to carry my stuff. When it came down to it, the crossover (I eventually went with the Crosstrek Sport) was a no brainer. It weighs less than a Mazda 3 turbo, has more room, has more ride height, and basically gets the same MPG. For many of us, this is our only car. So it kind of needs to do everything....
As far as I remember from studies the main thing that it did was alienate a large portion of its customers. They ended up going to other manufacturers to get their cars, sedans and hatchbacks.
While they can at least... every single year, there is a car manufacturer that kills off a sedan. Give it 10 years, and there will only be a select few.
yeap, I got a used Cadillac CTS. Now when I get rid of it. I want a new CT5. Since no American luxury sedans. That's the only thing around. I wish they still made Lincoln cars.
@@reformedgarbage5415 yeah that's starting to be true but for European and Asian cars sedans and hatchbacks are as popular as ever. As long as that's the case there will most likely be localized versions of those cars.
Interesting points. Some things to consider: they pulled out of the minivan market, and minivans still continue to be sold at great volumes today - just not Fords. Cars aren't going to disappear, they're just seceding that segment of the market to their competitors - which is fine if they don't have the resources to spread themselves across the entire market. The Maverick is a good product, but if all of their eggs are in "one basket", it hamper's their ability to adapt to changes in the market in the future. Personally I consider the Mach-E to be a electric "car" though, not so much an SUV.
You consider the Mach-E to be electric?
@@jamesengland7461
You do know the Mach-E doesn't have a combustion engine, right?
@@Appletank8 I was referring to the last line of the OP.
@@jamesengland7461 that the Mach-E is an electric car? Its fairly compact for an SUV
@@Appletank8 Crossover
Nissan did this here in Australia back in 2017. Personally, although Sentra, Altima and maxima didn't sell in great numbers outside of rental companies, I wish they still had them especially when the latest models are so much better than they were.
Same here in my country. The only passenger cars you can buy here is the Nissan Almera (Versa in NA), and the Leaf, which is expensive AF. Mitsubishi, owned by Renault-Nissan, also did the same thing, the only car is the Mirage, plus an MPV (Xpander) with a 3rd row.
I think part of the reason for withdrawal from the car market was the Focus and it’s class action lawsuits for the faulty DCT’s they produced. It ended up costing them many millions in warranty and legal fees.
Yeah I had a focus, long story short , never buy a blue oval.
A shame, because my 5spd 2014 Focus is a perfect little car...
@@stoltz1379 5 speed not the automatic. 3 transmissions in 100000 km. Garbage and I'm glad they are getting sued. After having to pay for the 3rd one I had to sell it couldn't afford $3000 EVERY 2 years .
@@darrinmarchand2092 right. Had they done the transmission right it would be a brilliant all around car.
@@stoltz1379 Except for the transmission, the car was mint. The blue oval's reluctance to fix the faulty parts properly was the last straw. Never even consider one again.
Doug, please filter out the Amazon crap in the comment section!
Maybe Elon could clean up UA-cam next.
@@amazingjason455 Twitter isn't even paying rent to the company that owns its office building now under Elon, ain't no way he could run youtube
@@amazingjason455 lol Musk, what a joke!
Just a heads up but the scam your referring too did not actually come from Amazon nor is it endorsed by them but rather more likely a shady third-party seller on Amazon is simply using Amazon’s name to promote a scam product without Amazon’s knowledge. As for filtering them, that’s a lot harder then you realize. These sorts sorts of scams are now appearing on all sorts of channels on UA-cam and most of these YT channel don’t have the reassures to constantly watch for and block them. Doug probably could afford to hire a person just to moderate comments on his channel for spam/scams but unless he decides to set comments to require moderator approval before posting then this wouldn’t guarantee these scam posts never slip through.
His channel is way to popular for him choose to manually filter comments before hand and there isn’t any YT comment auto-filter tech that would work well because the scammers who gotten smarter in how they write up these scam comments such that the scam nature of them isn’t as obvious to spam filters. By having fake commenters post replies to these scam comments, they make the original comment seem legitimate on the surface. I recognize them instantly because I’ve seen enough of them to have picked out traits that set them apart as scam posts. Now computer AI tech is getting better every day and soon we might have good enough computer AI to detect these sorts of scam in comments that YT could auto-filter these scam/spam comments (or at least make it option channels owners could turn on). For now until YT comes up with a better solution, I suggest you do what I do when faced with spam/scam threads on YT videos is simply click the three vertical dots to the left of the first post in a scam/spam thread and click the report button to report the thread as scam/spam.
I miss the Lincoln Continental!
I loved my Fusion, great gas mileage, super comfy and quiet inside and it just felt like a well built car. Once my lease was up they tried selling me a escape. When I told then I wanted a sedan they looked at me like I was crazy. I shopped around and settled on a nissan sentra. 30k miles so far and I love it so far. I will say the fusion had it beat on just an overall solid feel and gas mileage
Had a Sentra 2 years ago. Built like crap!
Well my titanium AWD! sucked on gas lucky i got 20 MPG traded it in for A Nissan Altima.
My Fusion is at 220k and still running great, plus the 30+ mpg on the highway
My titanium fusion is awesome. Fast, handles great and gas mileage is acceptable. Wish it had more room but no complaints. Oh and my AWD kills in the snow with regular tires.
the Fusion was a Mazda 6, that's why it was good.
I went to the Chicago Auto Show today. Cadillac wasn't there, and the only sedan from the rest of GM is the Chevy Malibu. Ford's only car is the Mustang. Dodge is retiring the Charger, and Chrysler is retiring the 300.
Yet, the Germans, the Japanese, and the Koreans all have sedans, as do Maserati and Alfa Romeo.
I grew up in a family of GM owners, and I attended a public college in Michigan, when the recession of the early 80s wrecked havoc on the Big Three.
But, I'm starting to think my next car will be a BMW 3-, 4-, or 5-Series series.
I went to Chevy’s website and it looks like the only car they’re still making is the Malibu, so we can rest assured that it will continue to be in rental fleets for years to come.
The Malibu is such a mediocre car.
I forgot the Malibu existed.
@@TSL73 You ever drive one? Or just making assumptions?
@@mikebrowne477 most people just regurgitate other peoples’ opinions about domestic cars without having any actual experience themselves.
@@mikebrowne477 The issue with the malibu is that the accord and camry exist people buying new and kia/hyundai/nissan exist for people with bad credit scores. The malibu just doesn't stand out in any appealing way except to a gm loyalist
Excellent explanation Doug but I'm interested in your take on the European market. Ford sold a load of Fiesta and Focus models in Europe over the last decades. They are everywhere. The Mach-E and Kuga have been doing well I think but they are definitely not the bestsellers the Focus and Fiesta were. Europeans also buy a lot more SUV's and crossovers but with the economy and fuel prices the way they are I still think there will be a big demand for small fuell efficient affordable cars. The pick-ups and SUV's you showed in this video are never going to sell in big numbers in Europe. Many car companies are ditching their smaller models because they need to move to electric witch is to expensive to put in an affordable car. This makes the average new car much more expensive. Unless building electric cars becomes cheaper soon many consumers will not be able to afford buying a new car. I feel the smaller ford's will be on the roads for a long time to come. We will drive them until they are absolutely falling apart....
You can already see their market share plumetting over here in the UK. Very few competitive cars and rapidly dropping reputation unfortuntately
Love the dig at the EcoSport at the end, totally agree. The thing is worthless for it's intended purpose. Got one as a rental, put about 350 miles on it and averaged 25 combined.... what's the point of a shitbox if the "Eco" isn't there? Tiny inside, bad dynamics (doesn't drive like a Fiesta even though it's the same size) and relatively terrible fuel economy.
Yeah the ball was dropped on that one.
I remember thinking that this was nuts BUT also knew why they were doing it. The average consumer loves an suv. As much as (us) enthusiasts love to think they keep the lights on for these companies, that's not the case.
Lets see how this will work in other markets like europe in the future… 😅
Has Ford and the other two Detroit Big 3 been here and done that before when they dropped the full size station wagons? Chrysler in particular had and continues to have success moving on from the "land yacht" family hauler to the now iconic mini-van. It could be argued that Chrysler did more with less with the mini-van iteration of the Town & Country then it ever did with the full-sized name sake a decade earlier.
Great video and a worthwhile conversation.
They were more focused on a narrower product range. but their recalls also went up like crazy. Imagine if those quality issues were spread across more products…would’ve been nuts. I don’t think their focused product range really panned out in terms of increased quality.
This. Ford's move has a lot more to do with every redneck and country music listener demanding an F-150 than anything. They're a lifestyle brand like Harley Davidson. Back in high school in redneck nowhere in the 00's, redneck kids still prized a Mustang over all other cars. The Mustang was "American"... Even though most of us had relatives who worked for the Honda plant nearby.
This misconception of what recalls are is exactly why automakers are tempted to cover up problems rather than acknowledge them. Ford’s recall and TSB counts went up because killing off cars meant they now had the resources to address issues with the rest of their product lines. Those would’ve previously been skipped over or covered up entirely, but that doesn’t mean there wasn’t a problem.
@cal derra your statement is laughable. Trucks are the best selling segment in the U.S.. From work vehicles all the way up to family haulers. Rednecks aren't just buying them.
@@KevinJDildonik your brain is washed by marketing, trucks are for work and a life style
@@KevinJDildonik Rednecks use to be smarter than they are now...now they are just social media zombies
My only issue with Ford is that they need to get a handle on all the recalls that have taken place. Otherwise I definitely wish them success!
I'm a Ford guy(with a C8) looking for a new SUV. The recall numbers for Ford are horrible. I can't buy one of those!!
“Except for the eco-sport”. Doug, you never fail to amuse me.
Lol I thought they had cancelled the ecosport the way no one talks about it
@@jordanbloomfield The ecosport was so bad it got Ford of Europe to develop an all new car, the Puma to replace it. No surprise, the ecosport was a quick import from developing markets into Europe where it looked extremely out of place.
I don't get why people keep buying (and manufacturers keep making) gas-only SUVs when gas prices are so high; it costs almost $100 to fill up a tank. When gas prices spiked in the 80s people went for tiny cars like Geo Metro
I've always thought that the transition to SUVs was at least in part the result of an arms race dynamic. When you're in an SUV and everyone else is driving cars, you're in a tank that sits high above everyone else. Great for you, not so great for everyone else who has to share the road with you. So over time, people have gone for SUVs just so they can see the road ahead of them and be in a vehicle large and high enough that they won't be crushed like a bug if some 3 ton SUV plows into them.
I saw a Bronco today and am still excited to see one. Every time I see a new build it's eye catching. And I love sports cars and even own a Focus RS. I certainly mourn the departure of the RS, but the Bronco is killing it.
Killing engines. The bronco will be one of the biggest blunders in automotive history.
I’m still a car guy. I’m 35, married, and two young kids. I (basically inherited/bought it half price) have a 2016 Buick LaCrosse. Grandma optioned it up so it’s pretty nice. 300HP V6 isn’t bad but the 6 speed auto sucks. I put some decent tires on her and it’s for fun what it is. I wanted a GTI, but the offer was too good and I just had my second kid. I will say it’s been dead reliable and it has some giddy up.
I had a caddy with that same engine/transmission and I couldn't agree more about those transmissions sucking.
Same here, I detest these horrible big blocks on the road called SUV's & trucks. Even here in The Netherlands you see more and more of them. On small European roads they're even more useless then across the pond. I own a 2012 Buick Lacrosse, man I tell you, it's a dream to drive. Only 1 of 2 registered in The Netherlands. Now with almost all big US brands giving up on the sedan, I'll have to start saving to get a Lincoln or a Cadillac as my next car if I want to continue driving a US car.
After 36 years as a true-blue Ford guy, I've moved on. Ford has turned their back on people who just want a reasonably priced, reliable CAR to haul their families around in. I'm not a luxury car buyer, so I'm not interested in paying $65,000 to $85,000 for an "over priced, mostly plastic, electronic entertainment module". I guess I'll go back to buying and driving Volkswagens again.
While it may be good for business, that doesn't mean it's good for people. I think it's important to talk about why consumers are moving towards larger vehicles, because this isn't an issue everywhere. It could be assumed that this is mostly an issue of car dependent societies.
Because Americans are getting bigger. When was the last time you met someone outside of a gym that wasent overweight?
Cars are good for countries with small roads and short distances.
America is exactly NOT that.
@@Abandonsoyciety What makes an SUV better suited to long distances than a sedan?
What's funny is that the US is stupidly strict about pedestrian safety, which is why they killed off pop-up headlights, but a taller, heavier sedan with roughly the same crash structure as its lighter-weight cousin is fine. I love it when a Karen in her 5,000 LBS crossover chews me out for driving an old, chome-everywhere car...which weighs 3,000 LBS less...and _still_ gets better mileage... lol
Vehicles in all markets keep getting bigger. Some faster than others but it does constitute a global trend.
I am not sure that cancelling cars is the reason that the trucks are selling so well. There was a "car shortage", which caused inventory to drop leading to markups on a lot of "Cool" vehicles. If I look on the streets, the Model 3 is everywhere.
You must live in a wealthy large metropolitan area.