What's the cheapest of that lot and who is buying all of these things?
I had this conversation with a friend not long ago, Ford is basically running a bespoke RWD chassis for the Mustang that they pretty much aren't using anywhere else. Why not use it as a platform for a big RWD sedan perhaps made by Lincoln?
Just like Chevy/Holden did with the Zeta platform. 18 vehicles within the GM brand used that platform for over 10 years.
I've been wondering that for a long time now. Especially since there's a car company out there that's already done something similar - Nissan. Nissan initially developed the FM platform for the Z33 350Z but used it for the Infiniti G35/V35 Skyline just prior to producing the Z33, so they were already well ahead of Ford in that respect - but Nissan didn't stop there. Then they decided to spread the platform out quite a lot more across their premium brand. Here's a list of FM-platform cars, courtesy of Wikipedia:
Nissan Skyline/infiniti Q50 V37-series
Nissan Skyline/Infiniti G35 V35,V36-series
Nissan Fuga/Infiniti/M35 Infiniti M45/Infiniti Q70 Y50, Y51-series
Nissan 370Z Z34-series
Nissan 350Z Z33-series
Nissan Stagea M35-series
Infiniti FX/Infiniti QX70 SUV
Infiniti EX/Infiniti QX50/Nissan Skyline Crossover SUV
Nissan Elgrand E51-series ( not front-mid, but same platform )
Yes, they put that chassis under sports cars, sports coup?s, sport and luxury sedans plus SUVs. They even made a minivan out of it! Additionally, the R35 Skyline/GT-R is on the PM platform, a further development of the original FM platform. That is a *lot* of cars on one platform.
So what does Ford have on the Mustang platform? Just the Mustang. What do they have in their luxury brand? A bunch of FWD and FWD-biased/based-AWD cars. And despite doing something really stupid by rebranding all their cars Q/QX a few years back and destroying their brand equity, Infiniti is still eating Lincoln's lunch. Nearly every other volume luxury car brand has RWD vehicles and of the non-new ones (like the Genesis brand) only Volvo and Jaguar don't outsell Lincoln. Hell, even ACURA, which isn't a real luxury brand, is eating Lincoln's lunch.
Being Acura Lite isn't working for Lincoln. The new Lincoln Continental, if it's supposed to be a volume seller, isn't selling for shit - it will be doing well to crack 16K sales in the US this year. Lincoln needs RWD cars *bad*.
And there the Mustang platform sits, unused. Along with the last Falcon platform from Ford Australia.
Actually I might have wore him down, he had mentioned he was interested in an MGW in a private chat around the time I got my BartonThen again, just like our community's Ford engineer can't seem to understand why the standard gearshift on the Mustang's M82 manual transmission is garbage and needs to be replaced by a good aftermarket shifter to get an acceptable driving experience
This might also have a lot to do with styling and name recognition. RX is basically the definitive luxury city run about for the soccer mom type with BMW being sort of the same but also with more appeal to men as it has sporty pretensions. MKX/Z on the other hand have basically no name recognition (RX and X# have been around for much longer) and also don't look all that great.Eh, the ES is fading - but pretty much the RX has its niche locked up. I say that these aren't cars or real SUVs, though, but more like the old "tall wagon" idea more than anything else; the people buying the modern incarnation of tall wagons care a lot less about driving dynamics than people buying sports cars or luxury cars. (If this were not the case, Cadillac's 90s-2000s FWD coupe/sedan efforts would have been far more popular than they were.) Even with that idea permeating the niche, the X5 and X3 each outsell Lincoln's best seller in the space, the MKC - not by the smallest of margins, either. The rear-drive Merc GLE almost outsells the MKC and MKX combined. The top ten vehicles in this class are divided between 6 front drive or front drive based vehicles and 4 rear drive/rear drive based vehicles. None are Lincolns.
Funnily enough I was very much thinking about the FM platform and wondering why Ford didn't go same route, especially if they took the Coyote out of the Mustang, tuned for more low end torque and less high revving power,
coupled with better current Lincoln styling it would sell like hotcakes. Especially if they introduced a smaller 3 series fighter with luxury sport aspirations, just think of the tagline "If you like the performance of a Mustang but prefer a comfortable sedan, Lincoln LS is for you!"
Actually I might have wore him down, he had mentioned he was interested in an MGW in a private chat around the time I got my Barton
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This might also have a lot to do with styling and name recognition. RX is basically the definitive luxury city run about for the soccer mom type with BMW being sort of the same but also with more appeal to men as it has sporty pretensions. MKX/Z on the other hand have basically no name recognition (RX and X# have been around for much longer) and also don't look all that great.
On the subject of Mustang platform underpinning something with more doors? I've said for years I'd buy a Coyote (or even Ecoboost) powered sedan or wagon. Especially if the wagon was row your own.
So, you'll be going down to trade in the Altima for a Ford Flex today, then? It's a wagon with EcoBoost power.
Don't discount the douchebag factor: I'd never want to buy a car if it were endorsed by Matthew McConaughey.I'd agree on much of that, plus the fact that the current "MKwhateverthefuck" naming convention at Lincoln just leaves everyone cold.
Don't discount the douchebag factor: I'd never want to buy a car if it were endorsed by Matthew McConaughey.
Mr. McConaughey, who starred in a 2011 movie called "The Lincoln Lawyer" that features him as a sleazy attorney who practices his profession out of the backseat of a Lincoln Town Car, says in a video clip that Lincoln approached him with the idea.
Zeta didn't underlie quite so diverse a set of vehicles as Nissan's FM does, though.
Not yet, he hasn't been to NY yetHas he actually driven yours yet?
And there the Mustang platform sits, unused. Along with the last Falcon platform from Ford Australia.
Had Ford brought the Falcon over I would have bought one of those in place of the SS, the amount of crap I caught for buying a Chevy was completely ridiculous with most comments being why I didn't buy a Mustang. I didn't buy a Mustang because of the two car seats I have in the back seat unfortunately most people have a hard time understanding that concept.
Guess what's in the back of my Mustang
I know people do it and I could have saved 10k over the SS but I really didn't want to deal with it. There are times we take the SS on three hour road trips they are bad enough when they have ample leg room I can only imagine how miserable it would be when their feet are resting on my shoulders :lol:
Well yeah, that's what the Xterra is for the Mustang is really only for short trips and in case shit. I originally didn't go for the SS because of cost and lack of trust in Chevy build quality, had Ford made a 4 door Mustang with a manual it wouldn't even be a question.