Ford Has Gotten Sensitive About Killing the Car

Everyone by now knows about Ford ditching essentially every car it makes for the North American market. The move has upset plenty of people, for understandable reasons. But, it seems at least some people in the company don’t get that.

During the recent annual shareholders meeting, CEO Jim Hackett defended the company against accusations that this new strategy will alienate entry-level shoppers. According to Automotive News, he went so far as to say Ford is “reinventing the American car.”

That’s a face-palm-worthy moment there. Chrysler didn’t “reinvent” the American car when it released the minivan. Ford isn’t even doing anything nearly as momentous. It certainly didn’t invent SUVs or crossovers.

While plenty say Ford’s decision will turn into a dumpster fire, others think it will work extremely well. That praise mostly hangs on the current trend of Americans buying trucks and SUVs. But we all know trends ebb and flow, so building your company around them is like opening a cupcakes-only bakery.

Anyway, Hackett said that the media is to blame for the negative reaction from the public and investors. Yes, people are so dumb they need websites like this to tell them this is a bad idea. The fact is Ford has been in financial trouble for some time. Cost-cutting is one thing, but stepping out of entire market segments is another. But don’t try to explain that to Ford, because management there is too busy justifying their moves.