Well-known automotive influencer Forrest Jones recently published an interview with Jim Farley in which the Ford CEO asked if the host’s audience would like a rear-wheel-drive, high-performance, affordable electric sedan based on the same $30,000 skunkworks platform being developed right now for an electric truck. According to Farley, a sedan’s silhouette is aerodynamically clean, which would lend itself well to electrification. He also mentioned something about a “really cool closure system,” suggesting the company is considering a more versatile liftback configuration for such a sedan instead of a typical trunk.
Jones began this line of questioning by asking Farley if sedans would ever come back to Ford’s lineup. The CEO revealed they had to go in order to fund the Bronco and Maverick. Canceling those sedans is what paid for the company’s plants to be retooled to produce the nostalgic SUV and clever little truck that are now big hits with customers.
Ford Is Clearly Considering Sedans Again
Ford announced it would phase out its lineup of sedans back in 2018, and it took only two years after that until the last ones were delivered to dealers. The Fiesta, Focus, and Fusion were all cut to make room for future SUVs and trucks, which turned out to be the Bronco and Maverick. One can’t fault Ford ditching four-doors considering how things turned out. The Bronco is closing in on the Jeep Wrangler in sales, and the Maverick relaunched a dormant segment it now dominates.
In the video interview, Farley also mentions that Ford’s European sedans were too good, and therefore too expensive, to bring over to the U.S. Of course, Ford has sedans elsewhere in the world too. In fact, the company just unveiled a refreshed Mondeo in China with a 27-inch 4K display and a 261-horsepower turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine. The Mondeo, if you recall, used to share almost everything with the Fusion in the U.S. This particular version, however, is built in China and sold other places, such as the Middle East, where it’s named after another iconic Ford sedan, the Taurus.
Then there’s the rumor that never dies, which is that Ford is developing a four-door Mustang sedan. Real evidence of such a car’s existence has appeared here and there, including earlier this year when reports surfaced that Ford actually showed such a car to its dealers and trademarked the term “Mach 4.” The latter could refer to all-wheel drive rather than door-count, but still, the possibility of a four-door Ford Mustang is real. Considering the Mustang Mach-E is electric, a future Mustang sedan could be too and match exactly what Farley referred to in the interview.
TopSpeed’s Take
Forrest Jones deserves some credit for getting an automaker exec to say something that’s actually newsworthy in an interview. Most of the time, suits only say what they want you to hear and nothing more. Jones’ conversation with Farley was long and seemed organic enough that both men were genuinely having a conversation that happened to reveal some interesting information.
While Ford made the right decision to get rid of its sedans five years ago, other automakers such as Honda and Toyota continue selling them and with great success. European manufacturers, particularly luxury brands such as Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi, have also continued building cars and raising the bar each year with their high-performance versions. Ford getting back in the game would be great, and while we’d prefer something with an internal combustion engine, we’ll take what we can get.
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