Ford's Thunderbird Gets Axed

Forbes ^ | April 22, 2003 | Jerry Flint

[Timesink]

Backseat Driver

Ford's Thunderbird Gets Axed

Jerry Flint, 04.22.03, 7:00 AM ET



The news is out and official. Ford will kill the Thunderbird.

I've been down this road before. The original little T-bird, a two-seater, came out in 1954. It wasn't really a sports car, but it was great-looking. Sales were never much--15,000 to 18,000 a year. So the moneymen made it into a four-seater in 1958. Sales went up, all right. Ford built 87,000 in 1960, but the car never looked so good again. Eventually the Thunderbird evolved into a mediocre, bloated car that was put out its misery during the reign of Ford (nyse: F - news - people ) President Jacques Nasser.

A few years back, and with great hoopla, a new, sleek Thunderbird was unveiled on the auto show circuit. The car returned to its roots as a smaller, stylish, two-passenger convertible. The production vehicle came out late in 2001, and it turned heads wherever it went. But Ford expected sales of about 25,000 a year, and the car never met this goal.

For starters, the new Thunderbird came out a full year late. So much time had passed from the unveiling of the show car to the release of production models that the buying public had lost some its enthusiasm.

Quality was also a problem. The plastic top (for winter) scratched the body. And Ford dealers got an early reputation for ripping off customers by overcharging for the car. Although the car's exterior was beautiful, the interior was a bit of a letdown, especially for a car with a $40,000 price tag. And the T-Bird could have used a bit more pep.

Selling a $40,000 car through the Ford channel may have also hurt the Thunderbird, which was far more expensive than its high-volume predecessor. Ford dealers have been successful selling $35,000 to $45,000 trucks but have little experience selling automobiles in the near-luxury price range. If there was a marketing effort by Ford Motor, I wasn't aware of it. Naturally, sales didn't meet expectations.

Ford figured it could sell 25,000 Thunderbirds a year at $40,000 apiece, but last year it moved only 19,000 cars. In first-quarter 2003 only 4,000 were sold. The automotive press went on a deathwatch.

Automotive News, the industry's fine trade publication, just reported that Steve Lyons, head of the Ford Division, said the Thunderbird run would end after four or five years, in 2005 or 2006.

"While it may go away for a short period of time, it may reappear from time to time," Lyons told Automotive News. "When you really stand back and think about the volumes we're trying to sell that vehicle in, it is meant to be a collector's item. And it doesn't have to have a production run every year."

Collectors' item? No, you don't sell 19,000 collector's item cars in a year.

I don't doubt for a moment that someone will suggest adding two backseats to the Bird to improve sales. Heck, someone will probably suggest making it a four-door. That happened once before, too.

Instead of fixing the Bird, making it right, selling it as it should be sold, Ford will kill it.

That's just part of the story at Ford product development. General Motors (nyse: GM - news - people ) has a low-volume car, too. It's called the Corvette. From time to time people have tried to kill the 'Vette. But people at GM seemed to understand that to kill the 'Vette would kill the company's spirit.

Ford is killing the Taurus, too. It will let the present model run until the rent-a-car companies don't want it. The replacement will be a smaller sedan, built off a Japanese Mazda platform, to be called the "Futura."

I think that some high-powered egos are at work here. The present management at Ford didn't create the Thunderbird. And the present management didn't create the Taurus. Rather than fix the problems, they'll start fresh with cars for which today's managers can take credit. That is, if these cars succeed.

These new managers also think that the names of Ford vehicles should start with the letter F. That's why the Windstar minivan is being renamed Freestar. And a new crossover wagon will be called the Freestyle. This strategy is silly and means nothing to anyone who doesn't work on executive row at Ford headquarters.

I remember when they killed the first two-passenger Bird. I thought that the car was beautiful. A Ford executive back then said, "Beauty is a good 10-day sales report." The original Thunderbird reminded people that Ford could build a beautiful car. Ditto for the short-lived new Thunderbird.

The news about its demise is ugly indeed.

[Ramcat]

"Someone told me that the jaguar two seater is really a taurus underneath? I have no confimation but I do not doubt it."

I don't know either but the S series Jaguar looks a lot like a Taurus.

What a shame that one time great autos like Jaguar and Volvo are now Fords?

[Final Authority]

The T-Bird doesn't concern me as much as the demise of the Taurus does. I was ready to buy my second Taurus when Ford redesigned it with the smily face look. I bought a Pontiac Grand Prix instead. Ford has since been running from that design. I won't even rent one when I have the option. BTW, how many American jobs will the replacement car cost when a Mazda platform is used? Just think, at one time Taurus sales exceeded those of the Honda Accord. This is a lesson in greed. Every Taurus model change was executed to make them cheaper to build, not better.

[Ramcat]

Sorry Johnny but your Volvo is a Ford.
I have a pre-Ford Volvo that I love but it's getting ragged and I'm looking at Saabs

[dalereed]

"I guess the sayings hold truth:"

You missed a couple!

Fix Or Repair Daily.

First On Race Day. That one died with the first small block Chevy!

[longtermmemmory]

is the s series the one with the "bunny rabbit" grill?

Auto makers will start winning the men over in loyalty when they get away from "feminizing" automobiles and start making cars men want to drive. Otherwise its just another four wheeled vehicle and loyalty is irrelivant. (the corvette was tweaked but it never left its roots.)

Does ford and GM design in house or do they subcontract. I heard they paid mercedez to design the short lived "merkur" series?

[Hammerhead]

Typical American cars. They all look like they were designed by bitter, cantankerous, old men. Plastic interiors from 70s era. And that damn Tbird looks like something out of my daughters Barbie collection. $40K?!?! And thats all they came up with???? No thanks, I'll buy a Beamer for that price.

Sorry, but the Euros have us beat hands down on styling, class, and dependability.

[wjcsux]

I have had good luck with Fords. I was a Chevy guy big time, used to race them. Bought a new F-250 FWD truck in 77 because the Chevys and GMC's were such a POS that year. It was used as a hunting truck, race car hauler, boat hauler, in other words, it has been used as a truck. Both of my sons learned to drive in it. The youngest started driving it as his transportation when it had around 350k miles on it. The truck FINALLY died 2 years later.
This truck now has been refurbished with a 460, headers, rebuilt transmission, etc. The kid currently has a 90 Ranger that has survived quite nicely. We also have a 90 5.0 Mustang that runs quite nicely.

[kegler4]

"Every Taurus model change was executed to make them cheaper to build, not better."

And therein lies the problem with most American automobiles. I bought a Toyota Camry that went 200,000 miles without a major problem and some high school kid is driving it now. Five years later I wanted to buy American so I got a Dodge Caravan. We had to rebuild the transmission (a common problme with Caravans) at 75,000 miles and the engine is starting to go at 100,000. I want to buy American but not at that kind of cost.

I now have my second Camry and the van will probably be replaced with a Subaru.

[Ramcat]

"is the s series the one with the "bunny rabbit" grill?"

I guess you could call it that, but, that would be more complimentary than what I would call it .

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

It may not be as good as it could be, but buy one
and drive it and keep it up, in ten years this car
will be worth more then it cost brand new.
Few new cars are worth veru much after ten years.

[billbears]

Bump!!

[Poohbah]

There are still thousands of unaccounted for POW's in Viet Nam.

All POWs have been accounted for.

There are still a couple thousand MIAs that a lot of folks WISH were POWs, but are almost certainly KIA/BNR.

[norraad]

If you baby & take very good care of a faggoty built like a toy in a box of crackerjacks ford, it might make 100k.

Do the same with toyota & the sky's the limit, easy to reach a million.

[Poohbah]

Right idea but Ford lacks Focus.

Funny you should say that--I drive a Focus ZX3, and my wife drives the SE wagon. We love 'em.

[norraad]

Like Jags 4 Fags?

[Incorrigible]

Yes and no.

This is the old Ford Falcon Futura.  The Futura suffix was tacked on sometime during it's production run.

1962 Ford Falcon Futura

This is the Ford Futura you can get down under mate:

 

[Welsh Rabbit]

I here in Britain they've been calling them Fag-u-are.

[Welsh Rabbit]

here= hear

[jimt]

First On Race Day. That one died with the first small block Chevy!

Which is, of course, why the fox bodied Mustang is the most popular car for hot rodders now, why the Mustang GT blows away any GM product but the Vette, and why you can get a 380 HP supercharged V-8 in an SVT Lightning pickup.

And, of course, why the only rear wheel drive car GM builds is the Vette.