FoMoCo BETS THE HOUSE ON THREE "NEW" LAUNCHES

Ford Motor Company (tm) historians know that Henry Ford II bet the failing company on the "all new" 1949 Fords. Had they failed --which was probably unlikely in the post WWII "sellers" market-- FoMoCo would have been finished. And even despite nagging quality issues, Ford's first "modern" car was a sales hit.

Fast forward sixty-five years or so.

Automotive News is reporting what FoMoCo watchers already know. Ford's immediate "Way Forward" is built "Ford tough" on three upcoming launches:

"1. The new 2007 Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX crossovers. Both vehicles should reach showrooms in November.

2. The re-engineered and restyled 2007 Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator. Both should be in showrooms in September. Extended-length models will be added for both brands. The Expedition EL is a true Chevrolet Suburban competitor.

3. The redesigned 2008 F-series Super Duty. Sales are expected to begin in the first quarter of 2007."

The big question--will fuel prices and tough competition gut FoMoCo's chances?

The Edge and MKX both rely on FoMoCo's long-promised 265-h.p. 3.5 Duratec (tm) V6 and AWD. No reports yet on the fuel economy of the 3.5, but it comes late to a market saturated with "all singing, all dancing" high-performance sixes. Most of FoMoCo's competitors have established strong reliablity records with the sorts of complexity necessary to pull over 75 h.p. per liter from a naturally-aspirated mill with decent fuel economy (e.g. variable cam timing, variable valve timing, cylinder deactivation).

While performance isn't dead (Hot Rod Magazine recently reported that V8s STILL make up close to one-third of sales), buyers will be focused on fuel economy charts.

If the MKZ and Edge are mid-pack at the pump (as common among Ford's other offerings), they stand to lag behind intense Japanese competition. Moreover, Lincoln is increasingly morbund (excluding the cheapening of the brand with the underwhelming, underpowered Mexican Mazda Zephyr (known in some circles as the "Led Zephyr" in mock comparison to Cadillac's recently jettisoned ad campaign)). Thus, Lincoln can not well afford another "mid-pack," incentive-laden hit.

FoMoCo dealers and watchers would be a bit more optimistic if the Edge/MKZ featured something truly unique for the "crossover" market (an optional VW-style "twincharged" multi-displacement flexi-fuel direct-injection engine or a turbo-diesel might have been a good attention-getter . . . had William Clay Ford, Jr. and the Management Committee adequately planned for the contingency of sustained $3.00/gal fuel)

Ford's underperforming introduction of the "new" Explorer a while back should worry those banking on Ford's new Expedition and Navigator.

An extended Expetition purports to make up for the departed Excursion as a Suburban-fighter.

FoMoCo, of course, has basically neglected "Suburban-fighting" for about SIXTY years. Starting now--in the middle of a perceived fuel crunch-- and apparently WITHOUT any turbo-diesel in the arsenal seems like a plan destined to fail.

The '07 Navigator's hideously busy grille is being lampooned far and wide. Hardly the "Bold Moves" result L-M's stylists would have wanted.

And thus far, no word about Ford addressing the twin concerns of matching the power and economy of GM's larger antedilluvian "pushrod" V8s.

The current Super Duty has been a solid hit for FoMoCo, notwithstanding the horrible record of the 6.0 PowerStroke (tm) Turbo-diesel. (the early models of the current design featured the much more reliable 7.3 PowerStroke (tm)).

Of course, fuel prices have hurt Super Duty sales.

And Super Duty just plainly isn't competitive on gasoline power with Dodge and GM.

Fuel economy remains a problem, with the average Super Duty hugging the earth with a asphalt-crushing 6,800 or more pounds.

The new Super Duty hits the market against stronger competition, too.

The challenge for FoMoCo is to add "newness" and greater efficiency without alienating Super Duty customers who have remained loyal despite 6.0 PowerStroke (tm) headaches.

The only real SuperDuty news is a "new" 6.4 PowerStroke from International. Time will tell whether the 6.4 will keep up with Duramax and Cummins while solving the shortcomings of the 6.0.

Undoubtedly, many will "wait and see" while hanging on to their reliable 7.3 PowerStrokes.

Curiously, the smaller PowerStroke from the Diamond-Star LCF-series trucks doesn't appear in any of FoMoCo's conventional trucks. Another missed opportunity?

IS IT TIME TO BRING BACK THE SVO MUSTANG?

Given the hysteria surrounding the Shelby GT500, it's easy to miss that FoMoCo has no fuel-efficient sport model in its line-up.

Mazda does have the MazdaSpeed 6 and the redesigned Miata. But the 'Speed 6 hasn't really captured anyones imagination and it needs incentives to move. Miata will be fending off a strong challenge from GM's new two-seaters, which will soon be available with fuel-saving GDI turbo engines that make well in excess of 100 h.p. per liter.

Where is the Mustang?

Virtually no one under 25 can afford to insure a V8-powered model. And no Mustang appeals to the mini-motor fanatics which fuel the popularity of import "tuning."

With Dodge poised to seriously up the ante with its new 300 h.p. SRT-4 Caliber and GM packing serious GDI turbo heat in its small roadsters (not to mention the Eaton-blown Ecotecs in GM's subcompact FWDs), FoMoCo has nothing in the important SUB-V8 performance class to offer. Nothing. NADA. Zilch . . . .

Mark Fields' "Way Forward" plan has even killed the possiblity of an SVT Fusion (which would have been little more than a parts-bin raid of the MazdaSpeed 6, in all likelihood, and arguably wouldn't have really hit the trendy sport compact bogie any better than the 'Speed 6 (one assumes Fields was motivated by more than just blind cost-cutting here))

What's more, a real hole exists in the market for a "tunable" RWD sports coupe.

In the 1980s Ford's first shot at a high-tech premium Mustang was the SVO. Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) planted a turbocharged, intercooled, multiport fuel injected Pinto SOHC 2.3-liter 2v "Lima" four into an oddly-styled Fox-body hatchback. The SVO Mustang featured excellent seats (much better than anything in a pony car since), an octane selector switch, expensive Koni shocks, five-lug 16" wheels and four-wheel-disk brakes (a decade before the latter two features became standard Mustang fare) Although it was an extraordinarily worthy effort, it failed because it didn't produce enough bang-for-the-buck and FoMoCo didn't pop for certain parts necessary to make it truly legendary (one or more of the following would have done it: 16V DOHC head; turbo V6 or turbo V8; 1999 Cobra-style IRS).

Cheap gas made the low-tech pushrod 5.0 V8 GT Mustang the "go to" Ford performance car back then. Of course Ford killed the SVO right before the Honda tuner scene was about to take off. Great timing . . . .

$3.00 a gallon fuel and a sag in Mustang demand suggests the time may be right to try again.

But the effort shouldn't just be just another "pony" package.

FoMoCo needs to showcase its technological muscle in a fuel-efficient, easy-to-work-on RWD. Mustang is tailor-made for such a role.

A new SVO Mustang must bring a turbo (if not a VW-style "twincharger" set-up) to the party. A turbo maximizes efficency and has the technological panache necessary to stand out in the tuner wars. Besides, FoMoCo's Volvo division builds 1,000s of turbocharged models each year, as does Ford's Falcon-building mates down in the land of OZ, so the parts bins aren't exactly barren here.

Whether or not it should be a four or a V6 probably depends on weight targets and power-to-weight ratio (one suspects the already scienced-out OZ inliner turbo six is too long to pass crash testing in the Mustang). The original SVO Mustang would have been better served by applying its forced induction technology to a Supra /Grand National-fighting V6. But if DCX can rip 300 h.p. out of their new global 4, a four might be the way to go (if FoMoCo can find some weight reductions). Still, given that Jack Roush has blasted 425 reliable h.p. out of a pedestrian 3.0 DOHC 4V Duratec (tm) V6 for the Noble supercar, with little more than a brace of tiny, pedestrian T28-style intercooled turbos, maybe the six could be an option . . . .

Insurance companies seem to sweat starting at about 14 lbs. per h.p. when youthful drivers are at the wheel. But real performance legends start at around 10 lbs/hp. So perhaps an optional turbo six would be a handy way to cover both the "insurable" and "legend" niches. Either promises significantly better "off boost" fuel economy than the thirsty, yet underpowered 4.6 3V SOHC GT or the supercar Eaton-blown 4V DOHC 5.4 GT500. And a bulletproof turbo four and/or turbo six would have more appeal to the "no V8s" tuner segment.

A new SVO Mustang obviously must bring 4V DOHC head(s) with "V-TEC-style" variable lift, duration and cam timing. No power or economy can be left on the table with a mini-motor in the relatively large Mustang body. And FoMoCo needs to prove it can engineer with the best of the Japanese and Germans.

IRS might be nice in a new SVO Mustang, but it shouldn't be a deal breaker, considering the huge success of the "boy racer" program with a well-located beam rear axle. However, adjustable shocks, such as the Konis featured in the original SVO Mustang ought to be at least an option, if not standard.

A new SVO Mustang could address some of the "too-retro" criticism of the current Mustang through a more aerodynamic "interpretation" of the current front clip (imagine something more like John Force's Castrol GTX funny car nose or the Nextel Cup "funny car" Fusion bolted onto the basic Mustang body (with a quickie restyle of the rear tail lamp panel and a decently scooped hood for good measure). A more aero SVO Mustang nose would also homologate a popular "option" for various Mustang racing series without the need to drag the entire line away from "retro."

A new SVO Mustang might just be the "Bold Move" that attracts a whole new generation of economy-minded performance "tuners."