Ford's Big Vision For A Small-Vehicle Future

Ford knows, and does, small cars. Remember the original teensy Fiesta that created a mini-sensation in the U.S. market in the Seventies? And Ford’s latest Fiesta subcompact is currently the No.2-selling vehicle in Europe.

So the company is better situated than it might seem for what Ford’s top US sales analyst, George Pipas, sees as an irreversible trend toward smaller vehicles by American consumers. Even after a decade in which Ford generated record profits by selling high-margin SUVs such as the Ford Expedition and F-150 pickup trucks, Pipas says Ford has bet its future on small cars and “crossover” SUVs that are built on car platforms rather than truck bases, such as the Ford Edge utility vehicle and Fusion compact sedan.Continue reading...