Ford says ‘See ya later’ to the humble sedan

Well, it’s probably not all that much of a surprise, is it? But yes, with news of the cancellation of the next iteration of Ford Fusion, FoMoCo has deleted the last three-box sedan from its domestic US line-up.

It’s another sure sign that the family sedan is all but dead in the water as new car buyers stumble over themselves to purchase compact crossovers and SUVs.

Of course, with the death of the Aussie-built Falcon a couple of years back, fans of the Blue Oval here in New Zealand haven’t been able to buy a sedan for a while; the next best thing being the Mondeo liftback that sorta-kindaif-you-squint looks like a sedan.

Not that it matters for Ford’s Kiwi outpost; all anyone wants here is a Ranger or a Mustang. Sedans haven’t been a factor for years.

It’s an interesting move on the whole, however, as according to the New York Times, Ford still sold 209,000 Fusion sedans in the US last year. That’s a couple hundred thousand people who obviously still like themselves a sedan. It’s also more than double the number of Ford Mustangs sold there last year, although the dip in sales for that model could possibly be explained away as a fanbase sitting on their hands while awaiting the revised 2018 version of the populist Pony Car to arrive.

Still, what’s Ford doing? Probably just following the leader, especially where Detroit is concerned. GM and Fiat Chrysler have become as averse to big sedans as the French have been for the past decade. Japanese and Korean manufacturers are also pushing sedans to the margins or changing the ones they still have to exhibit a sleeker silhouette. Only Toyota appears to remain in a celebratory mood when it comes to the sedan; its latest Camry has just been unveiled here with the usual bluster about it being sportier than ever.

That leaves ze Chermins. And BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi all love them a big, broad, autobahneating sedan. It’s Jaguar’s stockin-trade in the UK, too. Well, apart from all those SUVs it’s also keen to sell these days too of course . . .

A Ford sedan of a certain specification, whether it be a Falcon or a Cortina or — going back further still — an Anglia, was a sign you’d done rather well in life. A Ford Escape SUV with all the options ticked just doesn’t carry with it the same mana.