End of the Fusion?

[jason1973tl]

Will Ford actually end Fusion in the America's? Do they actually think all of us want suvs? 

 

http://www.autonews.com/article/20171213/OEM01/171219856/ford-fusion-production-us-china-mexico

[akirby]

Mike Levine - Ford’s product communications mgr for North America - flatly denies this on twitter, so I wouldn’t be too worried yet.  This could just be misinterpretation by suppliers.

[jason1973tl]

That's wonderful. I hope you are right. I don't like Suvs, and the Fusion is the best looking sedan I've ever seen. 

[nForrest]

Agreed! On my 3rd one.

 

[drolds1]

This appeared on Autoblog today:

https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/why-ford-might-kill-fusion-170000280.html

[smithbt5]

While sales are down, the Fusion is still a high volume car.     It's also a car with a pretty good reputation in the industry.   Sedans will always get better mileage and handle better than SUVs.   It's physics.   If Ford is so foolish as to drop this volume seller, they will get owned by the Japanese companies the next time gas goes up.   It's hard to get a production line up and running once it's down.   Notice how long it's taken to get the Ranger going again?

[drolds1]

Latest news from The Detroit News.

Edited January 3, 2018 by drolds1

[Fusionpursuit]

• 2019 just got a slight bumper refresh....  but no idea if the Sport front gets the partial refresh.

[sirtanon]

According to this article on Bloomberg, yes. Ford is killing the Taurus, the Fiesta, and sadly, the Fusion..   Well Ford, you've lost my business.

 

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-04-25/ford-ceo-plans-11-5-billion-more-cuts-pulls-ahead-margin-goal

[drolds1]

Me too. No Fusion, no MKZ likely.

[NCEcoBoost]

Its like the doofus Ford CEO has no clue about the economy next year.  We KNOW he has no clue about the car business.  All economic indicators are showing a falling economy starting in '19.  MANY folks that overspent on SUVs will be screwed, return them to dealerships to ditch the ridiculous monthly payments, and want a reasonably priced sedan.  And Ford will have nothing to offer.  I'm seeing it on my street already.  3 Dads ditched their big SUVs (probably leased) for midsize sedans in the past few months.  Ford has fallen asleep at the wheel. 

[diakimnj]

That sucks. I drive a 2007 Fusion. When this one goes, was planning on getting another. Was hoping this one would last another couple of years.

 

I'm surprised they would get rid of the Fusions....I see tons on the road so it is pretty popular.

[sirtanon]

11 hours ago, drolds1 said:

Me too. No Fusion, no MKZ likely.

 

If I remember correctly, there are no plans to scrap the Continental or MKZ

[Ziggy]

guys, i'm a new fusion owner, owned my car for less than a month.

 

did research on this thing and was really happy to sit in my car and see that ford logo and knowing the history behind and reading about the former CEO who turned down the bailout money to rebuild a great car company.

 

this is my first post in this forum and i'm sorry its an angry one.  

 

I AM EXTREMELY DISMAYED IN THEIR DECISION TO ELIMINATE THE FUSION.  This only tells me one thing, i made a bad choice and i have no one to blame but myself, i should have known better than to pick something up that wasn't German.  when i go to BMW to grab my 328i xdrive next year, i'll be more than happy to tell them James Hackett, CEO of Ford sent me.

 

Truly disgusted.

[drolds1]

6 hours ago, sirtanon said:

 

If I remember correctly, there are no plans to scrap the Continental or MKZ

I just read that elsewhere.  I hope so.  We'll see.

[NCEcoBoost]

Due to pressure from folks like us, Lincoln and even the CEO of GM, Ford will have to reconsider this decision.  Lincoln is pissed and refuses to stop selling sedans.  Since both the Connie and MKZ are Fusion-based (for now, anyway) Ford is now not mentioning the Fusion's demise in any late releases.  The Taurus and Fiesta are gonners, I think.  But the full-line Focus may well get a reprieve as well.

[propwash]

I don't think that there's any good news in the immediate future for the Fusion.,  I just received the following email from Ford this morning.  It looks like the Vehicle Health Report is dead as well.  The following is the text of the email I received:

********************************************

 

We'd like to thank you for registering this email to receive complimentary Vehicle Health Reports for your 2012 Ford Fusion. We hope that you have enjoyed this service that we've offered over the years to Owners of 2008 - 2016 Model Year Ford SYNC^®-equipped vehicles. Unfortunately, the necessary decision has been made to discontinue this service and we want to make sure that you're aware of how this impacts your receipt of the reports. Consistent with the Terms & Conditions in the user agreement and starting August 1^st, 2018, this change will result in the following:

• Vehicle Health Information will no longer be sent through the mobile phone associated with this account
• Vehicle Health Reports will no longer be sent to this Email
• Vehicle Health Reports will no longer be available on the Ford Owner website

For more information regarding this change, including alternative ways to obtain Vehicle Health information, please review this Frequently Asked Questions page on the Ford Owner site.

Again, we appreciate you taking advantage of this complimentary service that we've brought to Ford Owners over the years and want you to know that you can still take advantage of the many technology features available in your vehicle. If you are not already aware of these features, click here and select the Year, Make, and Model of your vehicle to find out what options are available.

Thank you for being a member of our Ford family and we look forward to our next opportunity to serve you!

*********************************************

 

It looks to me like Ford is trying to do away with some of the perks and benefits they used to offer to their customers.  I guess it's a sign of the times, and I suspect that this was a decision based on purely economic criteria.

[akirby]

3 hours ago, NCEcoBoost said:

Due to pressure from folks like us, Lincoln and even the CEO of GM, Ford will have to reconsider this decision.  Lincoln is pissed and refuses to stop selling sedans.  Since both the Connie and MKZ are Fusion-based (for now, anyway) Ford is now not mentioning the Fusion's demise in any late releases.  The Taurus and Fiesta are gonners, I think.  But the full-line Focus may well get a reprieve as well.

 

MKZ and Continental will move to CD6 at some point so they're not dependent on Fusion.

[akirby]

On 4/26/2018 at 6:57 AM, NCEcoBoost said:

Its like the doofus Ford CEO has no clue about the economy next year.  We KNOW he has no clue about the car business.  All economic indicators are showing a falling economy starting in '19.  MANY folks that overspent on SUVs will be screwed, return them to dealerships to ditch the ridiculous monthly payments, and want a reasonably priced sedan.  And Ford will have nothing to offer.  I'm seeing it on my street already.  3 Dads ditched their big SUVs (probably leased) for midsize sedans in the past few months.  Ford has fallen asleep at the wheel. 

 

If they can't make enough money selling Fusions now, how will selling more of them help?   They'll just lose more money faster.    The high dollar sedan buyers have moved to utilities.  What is left is a race to the bottom to sell cheaper stuff.   Even Accords are being discounted heavily and it's brand new!

 

They'll still have cheaper vehicles - they'll just all be utilities or something like Focus Active - hatchbacks and wagon styles with a more aggressive look but still lower to the ground.

 

Also - Fusion isn't going away until 2020 so if 2019 changes something they'll be just fine.

[drolds1]

1 hour ago, propwash said:

I don't think that there's any good news in the immediate future for the Fusion.,  I just received the following email from Ford this morning.  It looks like the Vehicle Health Report is dead as well.  The following is the text of the email I received:

********************************************

 

We'd like to thank you for registering this email to receive complimentary Vehicle Health Reports for your 2012 Ford Fusion. We hope that you have enjoyed this service that we've offered over the years to Owners of 2008 - 2016 Model Year Ford SYNC^®-equipped vehicles. Unfortunately, the necessary decision has been made to discontinue this service and we want to make sure that you're aware of how this impacts your receipt of the reports. Consistent with the Terms & Conditions in the user agreement and starting August 1^st, 2018, this change will result in the following:

• Vehicle Health Information will no longer be sent through the mobile phone associated with this account
• Vehicle Health Reports will no longer be sent to this Email
• Vehicle Health Reports will no longer be available on the Ford Owner website

For more information regarding this change, including alternative ways to obtain Vehicle Health information, please review this Frequently Asked Questions page on the Ford Owner site.

Again, we appreciate you taking advantage of this complimentary service that we've brought to Ford Owners over the years and want you to know that you can still take advantage of the many technology features available in your vehicle. If you are not already aware of these features, click here and select the Year, Make, and Model of your vehicle to find out what options are available.

Thank you for being a member of our Ford family and we look forward to our next opportunity to serve you!

*********************************************

 

It looks to me like Ford is trying to do away with some of the perks and benefits they used to offer to their customers.  I guess it's a sign of the times, and I suspect that this was a decision based on purely economic criteria.

All Sync owners got this letter, not just Fusion owners.

Honestly, I used it once out of curiosity and never again.  I didn't find it all that useful.

[JoeyToronto]

I've had my 2011 Fusion for 7 years, 91,000 Km's and never had to go to the mechanic for any issue.  Knock on wood. It's a shame they're discontinuing the Fusion. But once this car is done,  my next car will be an SUV. The New Edge looks really nice. But most likely will not be a Ford. 

[akirby]

17 hours ago, JoeyToronto said:

 once this car is done,  my next car will be an SUV. 

 

And now you know why they’re going to discontinue them.

[NCEcoBoost]

OK, I've been posting about this in the Sync forum ( separate website).  The discontinuation of the Vehicle Health Reports, while being sent in error to a bunch of folks like me, means that, simply, VHRs are dead if you don't have Sync3.  If you do, like me, they live on.  Not sure of Ford's rationale, but that's it in a nutshell.  Has nothing to do with the Fusion's potential demise.

On another topic from above, several blogging sites are commenting on Ford's upcoming lack of ANYTHING for first-time buyers.  Its (like everyone else) CUVs/SUVs are all overpriced (a result of obsessive demand), even the EcoSport, so there will be NOTHING to attract first-timers.  Wanna bet the Focus Active will be thousands more than a Crosstrek?  Ford's decision to drop sedans means a windfall for the Japanese and Koreans, especially if gas hits $5/gallon (as many are predicting) and/or the economy tanks.  Some with crystal balls are even predicting bankruptcy for Ford, FCA and quite possibly GM.  Again.  These 3 companies are always chasing the latest trends, with no regard for long-term viability, they say.  I don't completely agree, but sort of. 

Edited April 29, 2018 by NCEcoBoost

[drolds1]

What they're banking on this time is that many of the CUVs/SUVs now available get equal or better MPG than cars did in 2008, when the bottom fell out.  In 2008, would you have ever conceived of a 4-cylinder Explorer?

Edited April 29, 2018 by drolds1

[akirby]

Once again everybody forgot Ford’s earlier announcement that every vehicle will be available as a hybrid and/or a plug in hybrid.  That means a subcompact utility will get 40-50 mpg.    So tell me again how high gas prices will hurt Ford?   They may be the only ones able to sell larger utilities because they’ll be the only ones with so many hybrids available.