Ford needs to improve its passenger car offering according to Bill Ford, chair of the automaker his great grandfather Henry Ford founded in 1903.
Speaking to Autocar, Mr Ford admitted the brand – which has taken a global approach to go heavy on pickups and SUVs – has neglected passenger cars.
“On the passenger car side, we realise we’re not as robust as we need to be,” Mr Ford told Autocar when asked about a return to passenger cars which made the brand famous the world over.
“We’re working on our future strategy right now. But I think you’ll be surprised – pleasantly surprised – by what’s coming.”
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The company hasn’t announced any new passenger cars, nor suggested what area of the passenger car segment – hatchbacks, sedans, wagons or otherwise – it may step back into.
A recent trademark filing for the Mach 4 nameplate indicated Ford may be planning to build a sedan version of the Mustang, like that which it reportedly showed to dealers in 2024.
The only passenger car currently in the Blue Oval’s showrooms Down Under is the Mustang, with 90 per cent of Ford Australia sales made up of the Ranger dual-cab ute and its SUV spinoff, the Everest.
In Europe, Ford offers the Focus, but it exits production this year; in China, it has a new generation of Mondeo, which is exported to the Middle East as the Taurus.
Earlier this year, Automotive News Europe said Ford global CEO Jim Farley, who reports to Bill Ford, issued a directive to its design and engineering teams to develop passenger cars.
Ford of Europe has been responsible for some of its most lauded passenger cars, including the last Fiesta hatch/sedan, Focus hatch/sedan and Mondeo hatch/wagon sold in Australia.
Those vehicles – like the Australian-made Falcon – saw their sales (and profitability) fall as SUVs grew in popularity around the world.
In Australia, utes have also become hugely popular, with the Toyota HiLux and the Ranger having been at the top of the charts for a decade.
Apart from the Mustang, Ford showrooms currently have little to offer driving enthusiasts. This comes despite the brand’s impending return to Formula One in 2026 with Red Bull Racing.
Mr Farley, a passionate motorsport enthusiast, said late last year Ford would no longer make “boring” cars, hinting at a return to enthusiast and track-focussed models.
He suggested the automaker wouldn’t simply be making a return to its previous passenger car offering but instead would focus on the strength of its famous nameplates.
“We’d always competed at the heart of the passenger-car market, which didn’t work out too well for Mondeo, Focus and Fiesta,” he told British publication Car.
“They were loved by a lot of customers, but they could never justify more capital allocation – unlike commercial vehicles.
“Ford never funded enthusiast products – they were always a side business. Now with Mustang, Raptor and Bronco, they’re our business.”
MORE: New Ford passenger cars on the way: could Fiesta and Focus return?