Ford Kills Small Coupe (Capri?)

[igor]

Jalopnik - The Morning Shift - 11/19/2012

2nd Gear: Ford's Euro Problems Stall A New Coupe
Inside Line reports that Ford wants to build a new coupe positioned below the Ford Mustang. But the proposal has been put on hold because of the company's problems in Europe. The decision to delay the car was made by CEO Alan Mulally, according to Inside Line, and it's a disappointment to those who think the company needs a sexy coupe as a halo car. The design was developed from one of Ford's core global platforms. And here's something interesting. Although the next Mustang has been developed for global sale, and it's expected to be sold in Europe, Ford officials there believe that its sales potential there will be limited owing to its size, price and thirst. While coupes are risky models from the profitability perspective — overall volumes are low and they tend to have short lives — proponents of the coupe believe Ford has to have something in addition to the MPVs and SUVs that dominate its lineup.

IL News

Europe's Woes Put Ford Coupe Proposal on Hold
By Richard Bremner, Correspondent | Published Nov 16, 2012

Just the Facts:

• Ford of Europe has developed a new coupe proposal, envisioning a car positioned beneath the Ford Mustang, but the project has been put on hold because of ongoing concerns about Europe and the global economy.
• The need for a more glamorous model is increasingly being felt by Ford's European arm.
• Insiders tell Edmunds that Ford President and CEO Alan Mulally rejected the coupe proposal, concluding that the market for specialty models is currently too uncertain for it to be viable.

LONDON — Ford of Europe has developed a new coupe proposal, envisioning a car positioned beneath the Ford Mustang, but the project has been put on hold because of ongoing concerns about Europe and the global economy.

The need for a more glamorous model is increasingly being felt by Ford's European arm.

Insiders tell Edmunds that Ford President and CEO Alan Mulally rejected the coupe proposal, concluding that the market for specialty models is currently too uncertain for it to be viable.

The design was developed from one of Ford's core global platforms, but it's not clear where the coupe sits in terms of size, price and performance.

Although the next Mustang has been developed for global sale, Ford of Europe believes that its sales potential here will be limited owing to its size, price and thirst. While coupes are risky models from the profitability perspective — overall volumes are low and they tend to have short lives — the need for a sexier halo car within a Ford range increasingly populated by MPVs and SUVs is growing.

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[LetsRace]

Sad a Ford toyobaru fighter would be awesome.

[big swede]

If you want a coupe I guess you are just going to have to forget about American car companies unless you want a Pony/Muscle car.

[JBsZ06]

I do have high hopes for the upcoming new evos based mustang even after reading this article

[F14CRAZY]

A replacement for my brother's '91 Capri XR2 wouldn't be bad