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Ford Fairlane greenlighted for production
Say goodbye to the Ford minivans.The Detroit News is reporting that the Fairlane concept has been green lighted and will debut in production form during next year's auto show circuit. With its minivan sales in steady decline since 2000, FoMoCo has apparently decided to face the problem head-on by attacking that market segment with the new vehicle.
The Fairlane (in concept form, at least) is an attractive take on the current crossover segment, offering minivan-like carrying capacity without the frumpy stigma those vehicles carry in tow. Its large, wagon-like profile evokes SUVs while its low step-in height is more carlike. Sliding doors are ditched in favor of full-sized, rear-hinged "suicide" doors that provide easy access to the passenger cabin when fully opened. Outside, crisp lines and Ford's three-bar corporate face set the tone stylewise.
The interior offers flexible seating that can be reconfigured to accommodate different types of cargo. Fairlane's dashboard and many of the other cabin materials are pure concept car stuff, but given that Ford has done nice work with the cabins of the Five Hundred, Freestyle, and Edge, there's no reason to believe that the interior of the production Fairlane won't be up to snuff.
Now, the paper also reports that there are several aspects of the car that are still up in the air, such as the name (note to Ford: "Fairlane" is just fine) and the final styling direction. Still, news of its approval is an important development. A well-executed Fairlane should easily surpass the numbers being put up by the current minivans, and could help alleviate the pain caused by slower-selling SUVs, especially if it takes an extended period of time for those numbers to start ticking back upward.
Most importantly, this decision demonstrates that the Way Forward plan is not just empty corporate rhetoric and that "Bold Moves" is more than a throwaway tagline. If these are the kinds of maneuvers -- leaving stagnant market segments, approving compelling new products -- that can expect to see from Ford from now on, then there is reason to believe that good things are in store.
[Source: The Detroit News]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 7)
JZeke 4:17PM (6/21/2006)
Details, details, details.
I hope Ford can keep a line on cost and give us the tasty details that make these niche-buster concepts so appealing in the first place.
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DJ 4:18PM (6/21/2006)
Which of the following items is LEAST likely to make it into production form:
A - Rear suicide doors
B - Two piece/three-way tailgate
C - Avant garde interior as show on the concept
D - The Fairlane name
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Swat Lax 4:19PM (6/21/2006)
I think this could be the macho-minivan that some journalists **coughRobertFaragocough** have been calling for.
Best of luck, Ford.
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PJ 4:22PM (6/21/2006)
The "Bold Moves" campaign may not be total throwaway rhetoric, but it certainly *deserves* to be thrown away. Is it just me, or is that ad campaign one of the lamest in recent memory?
I have no criticism for the decision to replace the stale Wind-, er, Freestar with a more innovative vehicle, though. Depending on how well they execute it, the Fairlane could be a turnaround product for Ford.
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MikeInNC 4:28PM (6/21/2006)
Good move for Ford. They have some catching up to do in a few areas and this move plants them firmly back in the mix (provided it's not badly done). I doubt the super slick features will make it to production but if the overall look of the vehicle remains unchanged, it will be a hit for the Blue Oval.
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Paul 4:29PM (6/21/2006)
I love it as is now... wont ever make production like this.
However, I am going to have to disagree that the suicide doors wont. I mean the element has built an amazing following basically based just on those doors. Put them on a car that is actually good looking and has some level of comfort and i think you may be blown away with sales.
Hell I am 24 year old dude with no family and I wouldnt be embarassed in this.
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Justin 4:29PM (6/21/2006)
Why is ford BSing around with this garbage? Give us the real Ford Fairlane from Australia.
http://members.optusnet.com.au/~jenlew/hirecars/index_files/image001.jpg
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Bill 4:32PM (6/21/2006)
It's a nice concept. Maybe for DOES still have a "better idea" ?
I think Ford can increase the chance of success if there some kind of "green" technology in it like cylinder deactivation, flex-fuel capability, or a mild-hybrid.
The challenge to Ford is to make the car different enough to be demonstrated that it's better than a minivan, and better than an SUV, and has advantages of both with the drawbacks of neither.
If I had kids, the suicide doors make sense for ease of getting kids in and out of car seats, as well as ease of loading stuff in the back seat. A sliding door instead of a suicide door make just as much sense, and it's a shame people immediately associate sliding doors with "minivan".
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JH 4:34PM (6/21/2006)
Squint, and it's a Mini Cooper.
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Kevin 4:36PM (6/21/2006)
Justin, you're bonkers. That fairlane you linked looked like an old Kia or Daewoo or something - not likely to do very well here in the states.
Back on topic, the Fairlane is a great concept. I'm also in my 20's and wouldn't be averse to taking this thing around town - not yet at a stage in life where I'd buy it, but the fact that I'd be seen in it is a good omen for Ford.
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Mike 4:52PM (6/21/2006)
Personally I think that would be fine if they replace the suicide doors with sliders... It'd be practical too!!
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Mal Fuller 4:52PM (6/21/2006)
This concept takes Ford from "frumpy stigma" to butt ugly in one fell swoop
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danno 4:54PM (6/21/2006)
Bill is right on with: "I think Ford can increase the chance of success if there some kind of "green" technology in it like cylinder deactivation, flex-fuel capability, or a mild-hybrid"... I saw this at the NY Auto Show last year and it looks great in person. I especially liked the fabric top treatment and the other choice of quality materials which evoke a more up-scale while still sporting image. The name Fairlane is the only thing retro with this one. Build it as is!
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Richard Warren 5:00PM (6/21/2006)
I like it as it is, even the suicide doors
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GTi-VR6 5:01PM (6/21/2006)
i think Ford made a big mistake by not producing that Bronco they showed as a concept a few years back...... that truck was absolutely beautiful.
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Will Wheeler 5:05PM (6/21/2006)
I know that Ford and GM are in a cash crunch. I also know that the American car companies plan about as far ahead as their toes. Knowing that, I would hope someone at Ford would approve a loss leader, maybe a Fairlane that has as many auto show features crammed into it as possible.
Ford needs a car that gets people into the dealerships the same way the H1 attracted people to the Hummer brand. Also by packing a lot of value, either percieved, or real, into a new Ford it can serve to elevate the perception of the entire line up.
I like the Fairlane, and I am all about utility. The Caliber actually caught my eye because of all the useful features it has. The more Ford can follow that model the better.
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Gardiner Westbound 5:07PM (6/21/2006)
This can be a winner if Ford builds in some quality, a very big if.
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Jeff R. 5:07PM (6/21/2006)
Go figure that all of the other people on Autoblog would like this thing. It's kitschy, ugly, and overrated. But it should sell, because these days people go for bizarre-looking vehicles. And I suppose that it will be a much better vehicle than the Freestar and its Monterey twin- the Freestar/Monterey are overpriced, outdated, ugly and simply lame all around (hence their lousy sales). To use Ford's dumb slogan, a "bold move" on their part.
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stangmatt66 5:10PM (6/21/2006)
Too bad the production version will look NOTHING like the concept. Shame.
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gcz 5:16PM (6/21/2006)
I hope Ford makes a "THUNDERBOLT" model
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