It has been reported, however, that Ford plans on discontinuing the four-year-old Thunderbird, so why would it build a concept car off of the platform?
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| If Ford is planning to discontinue the four-year-old Thunderbird, why would it build the Mark X concept car off of the platform? (Photo: Ford Motor Company of Canada) |
"We haven't put a final date on the Thunderbird production; its here for the foreseeable future," O'Connor said. "We did 18,000 sales on it in 2003. In our best year, we did 22,000 in North America. So it is good. There are only so many people who will buy a two-seater that you will take out instead of your boat."
"It's an extra vehicle, but at 18,000 units, the Thunderbird is the best selling USD$40,000 ($56,775 base price in Canada) two-seater in the industry."
Concept Has Elegance Inside
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| The jewel-like detailing of the Mark X brings back visions of the great Lincoln's of the early 1950s and late 1960s. (Photo: Ford Motor Company of Canada) |
Inside the Mark X concept, it has a leather lined trunk and plush sheepskin flooring, Mays noted. The cabin is wrapped in lime Sorbet leather and highlighted with accents like Corian, polished aluminum, and dark chrome.
The four-spoke, power adjustable steering wheel is wrapped in soft leather and dark chrome and places the cruise, audio and navigation controls at the driver's fingertips. The instrument panel features a softly illuminated jewel-like instrument cluster using analog and digital gauges.
The jewel-like detailing harkens back to some of the great Lincolns of the early 1950s and late 1960s, and will be used on future vehicles, Mays noted.