Will SVT have an NDE or will it RIP?It's difficult to figure out why an automaker makes certain decisions, especially those manufacturers that are suffering
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| The mighty Shelby Cobra GT500 will carry the blue-oval flame forward, SVT or not. (Photo: Ford Motor Company of Canada) |
financially and therefore subject to pressure from shareholders at one end and workers' demands at the other, not to mention what its customers might want. Ford Motor Company is a good case in point.
Where it made one of the best decisions it could have in choosing to revitalize its long neglected but still surprisingly successful Mustang coupe and convertible, the new version of which has single-handedly hoisted the sport coupe segment back from outer darkness into a newfound relevance, and then followed that up by scoring at least as well in resurrecting its moribund midsize sedan sales volume by bringing to market a Fusion four-door
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| The Lightning was one of the first SVT branded vehicles. (Photo: Ford Motor Company of Canada) |
that is truly appealing, even causing import buyers to step up to the plate and take a swing for the home team, but there have been some choices made that hardly make much sense.
But then again, it is possible that allowing its SVT (Special Vehicle Team) performance division to quietly slip into obscurity wasn't a decision at all, but merely one postponement after another, followed up by "oh well it's too late now" cancellations and finally questions as to whether a skunk works tuning team will even be part of Ford's "Way Forward" future at all.
Some will argue that, in this time of crisis which Ford is indeed facing it needs to focus
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| Ford has been paring away its once dominant three-model SVT lineup. (Photo: Ford Motor Company of Canada) |
all of its efforts on building the best core products possible, rather than piddling around with low-volume, niche-market muscle cars, super trucks and hot hatches. It needs to invest its money into light trucks, such as the recently redesigned F-150, so that Toyota's much ballyhooed 2007 Tundra doesn't get the upper hand; or throw some more green at its Lincoln division so that it can compete one on one with Lexus, Infiniti or Acura, or for that matter BMW, Mercedes-Benz or Audi; not to mention Cadillac, let alone its own second cousin Jaguar. Saab anyone? And what about hybrids? With only the Escape Hybrid currently being sold, oh, and a Mercury badged variation only available in the U.S., not only does the investment need to get spread out among other models to reduce its HEV per unit cost, but being a forerunner in a hot market segment is essential to the automaker's growth.
True, true and true, Ford has limited resources and a host of needy recipients, buoyed at least by a healthy Premiere Auto Group - well, Aston Martin, Land Rover and Volvo are healthy excepting Jaguar, that is. Ford, Lincoln and
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| The Sport Trac Adrenalin is no more. (Photo: Ford Motor Company of Canada) |
Mercury have a few success stories, more than just Mustang and Fusion by the way, but all in all the Dearborn-based automaker is losing more customers than its bringing into the fold.
Still, throwing out the baby "Lightning" with the SVT bathwater doesn't seem to be the way to shed a positive light on the blue oval brand. After vacillating on the "should we or shouldn't we" Lightning fencepost for at least a year following the introduction of its sensational 500-horsepower super-truck concept at the 2004 Detroit auto show, a decision was made to move down market for the next SVT-tuned pickup truck. The new Sport Trac, just coming to market this spring, was chosen as a host vehicle, and a concept was shown last year appropriately dubbed Adrenalin. Now, due to a critical lack of endorphins Ford has canned the Adrenalin cum Lightning project altogether, leaving Dodge's 500-horsepower Viper-powered Ram SRT-10 as the uncontested super-truck champion - despite what the "win on Sunday, sell on Monday" Craftsmen Truck Series F-150 proponents would have you believe.
