Ford Has Now Built Its Last Sedan: A Sad Milestone
With all of the focus on Broncos, Ranger pickups, and Mustang SUVs, comes news that the last Ford sedan was produced July 31. The 2020 Fusion was the final domestic Ford sedan. Though announced in 2018 that the end of the Fusion would come in 2020 it is still a bitter pill. Ford has produced millions and millions of different sedans over the past 100+ years. Maybe your parents drove one or a friend’s first car took you to a concert or two. The idea of not producing a sedan 20 years ago would have been met with laughter. But here we are. Ford has now built its last sedan. It’s a sad milestone.
At one point Ford sold over 300,000 Fusion sedans back in 2014. But sales have lagged as the SUV zeitgeist continues unabated. Last year the Fusion was down to 166,045 units. It was originally supposed to have been killed on July 21, but the coronavirus pushed the end off to the 31st.
Ford’s plant in Hermosillo, Mexico, produced the Fusion and also the similar Lincoln MKZ. The MKZ also reached the end of the line the same day. The plant will now get revamped to build the Bronco Sport.
The Mustang will soldier on but even it has seen its brand diluted
Ford still makes a car. The Mustang will soldier on but even it has seen its brand diluted with the intro this year of the Mustang Mach-E SUV. Many Mustang enthusiasts were disappointed in Ford calling its latest SUV a Mustang. Mustang has seen its numbers dropping as well. Last year it found a little more than 72,000 buyers. Now with the Mustang Mach-E could it meet a similar fate as the Fusion?
There is still one more sedan left within the Ford empire and that is the Lincoln Continental. It, too, is slated to stop production soon. For North American manufacturers only Fiat Chrysler will remain as sole sedan manufacturer with the Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger. It remains to be seen what happens to those models with the pending merger with the PSA Group.
Fusion may return as a Subaru Outback-like wagon
Fusion may return as a Subaru Outback-like wagon. A cobbled Fusion wagon has been seen testing around Dearborn. And the similar Ford Mondeo in Europe has a wagon version. So this might turn up with the Fusion name. The high-rider would come on the scene as a 2022 model later in 2021 if it happens at all. But a wagon isn’t a sedan and so the sedan has seen its end for now.
As lifestyles and trends change we could see a return one day of the sedan. After all, it has been everyman’s transportation since the beginning.
