Ford Breathes a Sigh for Winds of Change…
Gas prices, declining sales, and consumer concerns for the environment has taken its toll upon good old Ford and they are finally realizing that it is time to bring out some winds of change.
One change that has already taken place is the extinction of the big block V-8 that was supposed to drop into the Ford F150 sometime after the first of this coming January. Ford told suppliers last week to stop work on their 6.2-liter V-8 prototype and close the doors on another “Boss” legendary engine.
“Boss” has been the name plate for Fords big block powerhouse V-8’s for decades, including the infamous Boss Mustang. Ford still plans to keep the Boss heritage around for as long as it can, but it may have to live in a much smaller displacement V-8.
Some consumer critics applaud these changes towards smaller displacement engines, as they have been complaining of the old technology in Fords V-8’s for years. These critics bring up the fact that in some cases the ford V-8 produces the same horsepower in comparison to some of the small displacement European vehicles that use higher tech engines and turbo set-ups with better gas mileage.
Speaking of old tech V-8’s, this coming year will also see a reduction in the manufacture of the 2009 Ford Mustang. They are planning on only producing 45,000, as they are expecting the brunt of their buyers to be waiting for the unveiling of the newly redesigned 2010 model.
The 2009 will get a snazzy 45th Anniversary badge, which will highlight yet another 5 years gone by since the 40th Anniversary model ended the rein of another aging body style (that really needed to go). The 2010 will probably not be too much different, just a nip and a tuck here and there.
Ford is also seeing the 2010 Ford Mustang as a chance to give their buyers a more economical “looking” sports vehicle in comparison to the Dodge Challenger and Chevrolet Camaro. Their plan is to step away from the traditional big looking muscle car and make the new Mustang appear smaller and lighter.
In actuality, Ford says that the Mustang will remain the same size. It will all be an illusion of angle and lighting perfected by its designers to make consumers not see the slight of hand of their wallets getting lighter by all the gas they are buying!
“Gee, where is all my money going. It can’t be the 4.6 liter small block V-8. I mean this new Mustang body style is so darn small!”
Come on Ford… give your consumers more credit than that!
