The Blue Oval bloodbath won’t spell the end for affordable Fords in America as the automaker has confirmed a new entry-level model will arrive by 2022.
According to Autonews, Ford’s vice president of enterprise product line management, Jim Baumbick, used the Bank of America Merrill Lynch 2019 Auto Summit to reveal plans for an all-new model. Baumbick was coy on specifics, but said the vehicle will be an “affordable” model that will fill the gap left by the death of the Fiesta, Focus and Fusion.
This is important as entry-level models are a stepping stone for consumers. Automaker hope that once a person buys their entry-level vehicle, they’ll return to the brand later in life to buy a more expensive product.
There’s no word on how much the model will cost, but the 2019 Fiesta starts at $14,260 while the 2018 Focus begins at $17,950. With the death of those models, the EcoSport would have effectively become Ford’s entry-level vehicle with a base price of $19,995.
While Baumbick was tight-lipped about the upcoming model, Automotive News noted the timeline matches up with Ford’s entry-level pickup that will slot below the Ranger. However, it not entirely clear what body style the affordable model will take.
Besides talking about a new entry-level model, Baumbick’s presentation mentioned an all-new “On-Road Performance” crossover. In terms of size, it will slot between the Edge and the 2020 Escape. Interestingly, it will be about the same size as the Mustang-inspired electric crossover but be more performance-oriented.
The slide also suggests Ford sees a lot of opportunity for more rugged models such as the Bronco and Baby Bronco. However, it remains unclear if the company has any plans for even more Jeep competitors.
The presentation went on to say the automaker will significantly shorten the lifecycles of its vehicles starting in 2020. The average age of its product portfolio will drop from 5.6 years today to just 3.3 years in 2020. Eventually, in 2023, the company will get down to an average of just three years.
