The separate markets and regions Ford serves can almost be treated as separate brands, such is the spread of products on offer globally.
For example, the Mustang and F-150 have been mainstays of the North American region but have failed to do well elsewhere. Likewise the Focus and Fiesta were a success story for Europe, though they didn’t sell in huge numbers globally.
In the case of the latter two vehicles, they’ve now disappeared from Ford’s lineup entirely, leaving the world without a Ford Focus or Fiesta due to ever-decreasing demand in the passenger car market.
Speaking to Top Gear earlier this year, Ford CEO Jim Farley said the company’s ambition is to have “no more generic vehicles”, ironically while citing the two models which were recently axed as examples of what customers want.
“I’m very proud that [the] Puma is the bestselling vehicle in the UK. We shouldn’t just walk past that,” Farley said.
“And it’s based on the Fiesta platform and when I ran Ford of Europe that was my car.
“Look, I don’t know how to simplify it other than to say we have the same aspiration in Europe with our EV strategy as we do anywhere, which is no more generic vehicles.
“People loved Focus and Fiesta because they were affordable vehicles with great driving dynamics. They were not boring vehicles.”
Currently, Ford’s European lineup consists of vans and people movers (Transit, Transit Custom, Tourneo), SUVs (Puma, Mustang Mach-E, Explorer, Capri), a ute (the Ranger, including a de-tuned Raptor), and the Mustang coupe.
The demise of the Fiesta and Focus also took their hotter performance ST versions with them, while killing off any truly hot models Ford had on sale in Europe.
Farley has previously expressed his desire to focus (pardon the pun) on interesting vehicles, saying in 2024 that the brand is about “passion projects”.
“There are a lot of car companies, but what is going to make Ford different? And for me it’s very simple: we don’t make commodity products,” Farley said at the 2024 Ford Performance season launch.
“We make products for people who work, and work with their hands, and we make passion products like Bronco and Mustang. And that’s what we do at Ford, and when we’ve gotten away from that formula, it hasn’t worked out.
“We want Ford to be a powerhouse when it comes to passion products and work products. No more boring products, and that’s what this night is all about.”
Ford’s US division has its fair share of non-boring cars – think the Ranger, Bronco and F-150 Raptor, as well as the Mustang Dark Horse, Dark Horse SC and GTD – though the vast majority of its lineup isn’t offered outside North America.
In Australia, the Mustang and Ranger Raptor serve as the performance options of the lineup, while both the Ranger and related Everest are also offered in adventurous variants for off-roading buyers.
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