Ford Kills Lincoln LS & Ford GT

[Perian]

Link: http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/art...602030367/1148


-Production of the Lincoln LS will stop in April.

-Production of the Ford GT will stop in September.

-Ford Explorer Sport-Trac Adrenaline model scrapped.


Bryce G. Hoffman / The Detroit News

Ford Motor Co. has scrapped plans to build a high-performance version of its Explorer Sport Trac pickup and will halt production of both the Lincoln LS sedan and Ford GT sports car this year.

After announcing last week that the Wixom Assembly Plant would be idled in the second quarter of 2007, workers were told Monday that production of the LS would stop in April and work on the Ford GT would end in September.

After that, Wixom Assembly will build only the Lincoln Town Car until the plant is idled next year. The moves mean about 300 workers at Wixom will be out of work sooner than expected.

"As part of our way forward, we are adjusting our product plan and decided not to produce the Sport Trac Adrenaline," said Ford spokesman Jon Harmon.

Unveiled last year, the Adrenaline was supposed to have been the world's first high-performance sport utility truck. It was to be built at Ford's Louisville Assembly Plant in Kentucky.

Harmon would not discuss the specific reasons for the decision, but said Ford was focusing on giving its customers what they want.

Jim Hall, an analyst with AutoPacific in Southfield, said the Adrenaline made little sense in the first place. "It was a vehicle playing on the margins," Hall said.

The Ford GT was hardly a mainstream car, either, but Hall said it served its purpose admirably.

[camaro_freak]

gee... the LS was a big waste of time wasn't it

too bad on the GT... great car

[stevecmh]

Well i guess Ford no longer has it's Pace Car for the entire company. LoL

[SimonDavid]

Where's that going to leave the Jaguar S-type?

[Supernoma]

I liked the LS, it was a modern RWD car for Lincoln.... I hope they're not banking on FWD cars from now on.

[BigBadBflo]

Originally Posted by stevecmh

Well i guess Ford no longer has it's Pace Car for the entire company. LoL

As said in the article, and known to many already, the GT was only planned to have a limited 3 year run since the design does not meet 2007 Crash Standards.

[TiburonJT]

The GT wasn't supposed to last for more than a couple years anyway. The decision not to make the Adrenaline will have little impact. Ford needs to focus on improving its mainstream lineup rather than focusing on specialty vehicles (aside from different versions of the Mustang).

[darknight9]

This will insure that GT's will always be worth a fortune. Ford, finally some good moves!

[Sgt Beavis]

The LS was hardly a waste, it was an excellent car when it came out YEARS AGO, but Ford let another product whither and die.

As stated before, the GT wasn't supposed to stay in production that long anyways. The question is, will Ford move forward with a Shelby replacement?

I'm truly disappointed to see the SVT Sport Trac be scrapped. I was really looking forward to this truck.

[tgagneguam]

Originally Posted by darknight9

This will insure that GT's will always be worth a fortune.

I was thinking the same thing. If people keep the mileage real low, then this might be one of the better investments people could have made in the auto industry recently. Hmmm, $150,000 of GM stock or $150,000 for a Ford GT. Which will be the better buy over the longterm?

[saturnsteve]

Wow that sucks. I really hate to see the GT go away

[91z4me]

Originally Posted by Sgt Beavis

The question is, will Ford move forward with a Shelby replacement?

My bet is yes. They have already shown 2 different possibilities to the public, both with V10s, Daisy and the GR1.

[New_Mexico_Sunset_on_Rt66]

Yep. Just as I thought. The GT along with the SSR are geared towards brand luster. These 2 will be heavily sought after in a few years. I can see the Solstice and Sky running for just a few more years also. But hopefully another small RWD will replace those. I recommend buying an SSR and putting it in storage. It could be brought during the summer months just to keep the engine lubed.

Both the Solstice and Sky have "out of this world" styling. Beautiful. Gorgeous. Sexy. Muscular. That rear on the Solstice looks like a sprinter in the blocks.

[chadbarb99]

The results so far on the Ford vs Chevy wars;

Silverado SS, alive Lightening,dead
Corvette Z06, alive Ford GT, dead
Camaro, dead (may come back) Mustang. alive
Trailblazer SS, alive Explorer Adrenalin, dead
Cobalt SS Supercharged Focus SVT, dead
Malibu SS, tie Fusion, tie
Impala SS, V8 500, lack of V8 or horsepower

[SUPERBADD75]

the GT is an expected move as everyone else has said, and i also believe that the Adrenaline was a cool idea but it's no big deal that they're not producing it now. the real loss here is the LS. if Ford had invested in that car the right way, updated it a bit, and added power, it could have been a player in the near luxury segment against 3-Series Bimmers and Infiniti G35s. now Lincoln has the Zephyr, a FWD car when everyone else out there is switching to RWD, and the Town Car. hardly a competitive lineup. it's funny that they mention in the article that they have to focus on what their customers want, and yet they seem to be offering very little of that. Ford apparently just wants to lose market share because they don't seem to be doing much to hold onto it. i'm curious to see what will happen when the GMT-900 pickups come out and Ford loses some of their F-150 sales. that seems to be the only thing Ford's been beating everyone at, and i think that run's about to be over soon.