What's Wrong With This Picture: Meet The New Towncar Edition
OK, so what’s literally wrong with the picture is that TTAC needs a real graphics team. The larger, figurative problem: Ford is replacing its long-soldiering Lincoln Town Car, the granite-standard of livery transportation, with its unloved (5,701 sales year-to-date) MKT crossover. Say what you want about the old Town Car, at least it had a certain quietly anonymous gravitas. The MKT? Let’s just say that a stretched version will serve largely to make the adjective “cetacean” even more applicable to the baleen-snouted crossover. According to the Freep, Ford will offer
a standard livery vehicle with stretched second-row seating and a modified heavy-duty chassis version designed for limousine modification.
The livery version is available in both front-wheel and all-wheel drive. The heavy-duty limousine chassis will feature standard all-wheel drive for stretch limousine construction up to an additional 120 inches – or 10 feet – of wheelbase.
Out with the Panther, in with the Whale?
More by Edward Niedermeyer
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Maybe Stingray has heard something, this quote from Alan Mullay " REAR-WHEEL drive appears to be back in favour for the Falcon, with Ford Motor Company president and CEO Alan Mulally admitting that he would not risk alienating buyers and fans when the next all-new Falcon debuts sometime in the middle of the decade. Furthermore, as part of the company’s One Ford policy, in-house American luxury division Lincoln may leverage Ford Australia’s large-car expertise by using a variation of the next Falcon’s architecture for a future ‘mid-sized’ model to be sold around the world. " Heres the link to the whole article http://www.goautomedia.com/mellor/enews.nsf/edition/CDE155D23E7E22BACA2577B3001CB0F0/$file/GoAutoNews_552.pdf
I think it has gotten through Ford's proverbial thick skull that the D3 platform has been a colossal failure and that they only way they can ever hope to make some money on it is to whore it out to fleets. THAT is why the Taurus is becoming a fleet queen (rental favorite and soon Crown Vic replacement) THAT is why the half-assed Explorer will be seeing a lot of police duty. And THAT is why the Flex rebadge will be used as a limo (Town Car is still far superior).
Not since the 91 Caprice have I seen a car whose design is as mystifying as this one. I am sure that these companies have market research and focus group the hell out of these designs, don't they? If so, how does something that looks, as others have poinedt out, like some sort of sci-fi whale manage to make it to market? This vehicle could do everything right and still fail on looks alone.
"I think it has gotten through Ford’s proverbial thick skull that the D3 platform has been a colossal failure and that they only way they can ever hope to make some money on it is to whore it out to fleets. THAT is why the Taurus is becoming a fleet queen (rental favorite and soon Crown Vic replacement) THAT is why the half-assed Explorer will be seeing a lot of police duty. And THAT is why the Flex rebadge will be used as a limo (Town Car is still far superior)." Boom Shaka-laka! Quote of the day. Ford stupidity of cancelling the Panthers will haunt them for years to come. A few parts bin 'tweaks' and the Panthers could have soldiered on til CAFE 2016. Guess you really can't fix stupid.