Ford Developing New RWD Platform In U.S.
Here's a story with a number of improbabilities: Ford developing anything new, Ford putting money in rear wheel-drive (RWD) and any manufacturer developing a new car right here in the U.S. But with a weak dollar compared to other sites of engineering and manufacture– Europe or Australia– American R&D and production makes sense. As for the other parts of this story from the Detroit News, it's anybody's guess. Does Ford need a new RWD platform? They are, in fact, bound to make the Mustang for the rest of time, and it has to be RWD. To that end, FoMoCo might as well maximize economies of scale and use the 'Stang platform to underpin some other cars. And we don't know how "new" this new platform will be. It could be a yet-again-revised version of the Mustang's current platform, or it could be a version of Australia's Ford Falcon platform– no spring chicken itself. Using the Australian platform straight-up is out of the question; it's RHD only. As an enthusiast, an announcement like this is exciting. As a bean counter, it's dumber than a box of hair. Ford should put this money into their bread and butter cars, like the next generation Ford Taurus.
Immensely bored law student. I've also got 3 dogs.
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I also say put money into the bread and butter vehicles. Updating the Fusion to be better than the rest is a good start. Also the Focus. Perhaps giving the Taurus X better styling. The Edge more dynamics. Also the Escape. Then your done.
FWD for Taurus = roomiest rear seat of any sedan available. better fuel economy I'd like somebody to explain properly what's wrong with the Taurus. It doesn't need to be RWD.
The Taurus probably feels like a rolling appliance behind the wheel. It looks like one too. Crown Vic was fun to drive. Although It had a bunch of issues also.