Crown Vic may become fleet only

[derek77]

I saw this coming a mile away. I hope they still offer the GM/MM and TownCar if they do stop retail sales.


Crown Vic may become fleet only

By Amy Wilson
Automotive News / January 04, 2004



Ford Division is looking at dropping the Crown Victoria sedan from its retail lineup sometime after the new 2005 Ford Five Hundred sedan debuts this fall.

The company will make its decision during the next year to 18 months, Ford Division President Steve Lyons said. Either way, Ford will continue to produce it for fleet customers, Lyons said.

The Crown Victoria is built on the 25-year-old Panther platform. Ford long ago amortized much of the Crown Vic's development costs. Taxi companies, police departments and other fleet customers value the Crown Vic's rugged body-on-frame structure.

Ford sold 15,000 to 18,000 Crown Victorias to retail buyers last year. Fleet buyers purchased the rest of the 78,500 Crown Vics sold in 2003.

The front-drive Five Hundred, with its all-wheel-drive option and a roomy interior, will appeal more to retail buyers, Lyons said. In fact, Ford will limit sales of the Five Hundred and its sibling, the 2005 Ford Freestyle sport wagon, to retail customers for the first six to 12 months.

That is a marked departure from Ford's sales approach for its mid-size Taurus. Fleet sales for the Taurus “go overboard at 50 percent-plus” of total production, Lyons said. Lyons said he would be surprised if fleet customers account for more than 10 percent of the Five Hundred and Freestyle's long-term sales.

Ford will produce about 250,000 Five Hundreds and Freestyles annually at its Chicago assembly plant. Volume initially will be split evenly between the two vehicles.

Ford Division is targeting sales of about 3 million vehicles in 2004. Lyons said the division should increase retail sales by about 150,000 during the year and lower fleet sales by about 50,000 vehicles.

[SHERIFF]

After a few more "flaming" lawsuits are filed over the gas tanks..... I anticipate FORD will discontinue the entire Crown Victoria line. Then we can read about a drunk crashing into the back of an Impala or Intrepid at 90 mph and driving the rear bumper into the firewall.

[MapleLeafMerc]

The CV has been 'fleet only' up here for a couple of years now. I guess it was a matter of time for the US...

[derek77]

I don't know about Impala or Intrepid, but a 500, about the size of an Impala, with all wheel drive and the right powerplant, that could be one badass police cruiser. That's only if they get rid of the Panther all together.

[MM4ME]

>Then we can read about a drunk crashing into the back of an Impala or Intrepid at 90 mph and driving the rear bumper into the firewall.


Now I know why we have a new Impala and Intrepid patrol car in the fleet. I will have to see how they are holding up. Personally I miss the old 70's Novas.....

[jaywish]

BOO hiss

REAR WHEEL DRIVE !

REAR WHEEL DRIVE !

I can only hope they decide to keep the platform and finally bite (what they must consider) the big one and put in independent rears for 05.

After all they finally went with rack & pinion for 03.

[Ross]

Impala size, not full size? BAD!

Wrong wheel drive? BAD BAD!!

Even with a strong engine, it will still be a little, wrong wheel drive car.

[Long Live #3]

Originally posted by SHERIFF
Then we can read about a drunk crashing into the back of an Impala or Intrepid at 90 mph and driving the rear bumper into the firewall.

A kid from my school split his Intrepid in two. He took a turn too fast and hit a tree sideways which split it. Three of the for kids are on life support and another kid has staples in his head. I saw the tree. It's got burn marks and paint scrapes all over it. one of the kids will be coming back to school this week.

[67435animal]

Originally posted by SHERIFF
After a few more "flaming" lawsuits are filed over the gas tanks..... I anticipate FORD will discontinue the entire Crown Victoria line. Then we can read about a drunk crashing into the back of an Impala or Intrepid at 90 mph and driving the rear bumper into the firewall.

You're right on here. It wouldn't matter if the Impala or the Intrepid caught fire at this point anyway. No survivors regardless.

Bob

[kurly]

Originally posted by Ross
Impala size, not full size? BAD!

Wrong wheel drive? BAD BAD!!

Even with a strong engine, it will still be a little, wrong wheel drive car.

All Bad! (D/C is moving more toward rear wheel drive HEMI's for Dodge and Chrysler cars, SUV's, and trucks in the future?)

[Nathan]

I was wondering why the CV has been left ouf of the "Ford Car" commercials. I guess this explains it.

That's just like Ford to pull something from the public eye before ditching it. It almost reminds me of how they spun off all of their Indiana factories to Visteon before the layoffs and wage cuts began. That way there isn't a huge article in the paper about Ford cutting wages and laying local workers off.

[Nathan]

and laying local workers off.

Crap.. I hate when I end sentences with a preposition... umm.... "and off local workers laying" ??

Umm... how can that be right??? That sounds somewhere between something Yoda would say and the heading for a story about finding a new job in the porn industry!

[jgc61sr2002]

With 15,000 retail sales of the Crown Vic FMC can justify their discontinuence.

[RCSignals]

Originally posted by derek77
I don't know about Impala or Intrepid, but a 500, about the size of an Impala, with all wheel drive and the right powerplant, that could be one badass police cruiser. That's only if they get rid of the Panther all together.

I doubt the 500 would make a great Police car, for much the same reasons the Impala and Intrepid (Intrepid is gone anyway fora ll intents and purposes) do not. They would all make good Taxis maybe.


Ford is also talking about adding a model to the Panther line up.
It'd be nice if for once Automotive writers would do a little research to see the Panther platform is nothing like it was 25 years ago.

[bozobill]

In a radio interview from the Detroit auto show I heard a Ford VP say that the 500 will be V-6 powered. Can that be true? He said it's replacing the Taurus. That it's 4" longer than the Taurus but the same leg room as the Town Car. It's trunk will hold eight (8) full sized golf bags. It will also sit much higher than the Taurus but will not seem so because of the symmetric proportions.
Almost sounds like a Checker Cab, not a Ford.

Anyone have more accurate 411?

Bill