The most recent announcement from Ford has many concerned about the future of the brand including the dealerships that are affected the most. Some dealers are worried that turning away from the cars that have been a part of the lineup for generations to only offer crossovers like the Ford Escape, trucks like the F-150, and a sports car will turn some customers away. This is certainly a concern and something that makes us wonder if Ford has the right idea and will be successful in their transition toward the SUVs they will offer with no sedans or hatchbacks that will have the ride of a small vehicle.

The announcement Ford made recently shows that the only name we’ll see from the car models of the future is the Focus Active. The Active part of this name leads us to believe this will be a new version that’s more like a subcompact crossover SUV than a sedan or hatchback that we see the Focus as right now. This means the end of the Fiesta, Fusion, Taurus, and most of the regular Focus models that we see on the market today, which makes us wonder what Ford envisions as the customer of the future.

The Future Promise from Ford

While the Ford SUV lineup is certainly extensive and offers us the efficiency we want when driving, the challenge and the promise from Ford has to do with the pricing that you expect to see. Right now, you could purchase a Fiesta or Focus for a low and affordable price and have a great car to drive. The question is whether or not the SUV models that will be offered in the future. We also wonder if they will be able to reach down to these price points and continue to offer the value models we already enjoy driving.

The Ford leadership team has spoken and informed the dealerships the plan going forward has to do with ensuring the price and affordability we enjoy now is still part of what the brand will offer in the future. Instead of worrying about whether or not there will be sedans, the vehicles offered will be priced similarly to what we have now, but they will look different. That means we should have a variety of excellent SUV models that have the capability and versatility we want to go along with the affordability we expect to have when it’s time to head out on the road.

With that in mind, we may see some Ford SUV models that look and perform in a similar fashion to the Honda Crosstour or other small models. We may look at some of the crossovers and feel they aren’t much larger than the hatchbacks we have on the market today, but they should be more capable. In addition to the pricing, we’ll look for as the customers of the future. Ford is working toward more hybrid and EV models that will ensure we can have the drive and efficiency desired.