Originally Posted by Crazy Dazz
If it weren't for the Ranger, I suspect Ford would be next.
The problem stems from their decades long psychotic approach to products other than the Commode. Every time they looked at getting anything like a positive reputation or brand loyalty, they'd scrap that car, and go find something else.
Pick a random date from the last 30 years, and I would struggle to tell you what they were selling (other than the Commode).
Australia, Korean, German, Spanish, Mexican?
Opel, Isuzu, Daewoo, Toyota, Nissan, Chevy, Suzuki?
The Commode dominated for so long, that they were apparently content to become a one-car company, which a bunch of other stuff nobody knew much about.
Then, somewhat predictably, they screwed that up too.
It would have been the equivalent of Ford re-badging the Mondeo as a falcon and pinning all their hoes on that.
Apart from Taxis (dominated by Camry) the big sedan segment was dying in the ****. Maybe they could have carved out a niche for a performance leaning RWD family sedan (even if made in China, Korea, or Mexico) but instead they pinned their hopes on yet another re-badged Opel, a FWD 4-cylinder, in a shrinking market already teaming with better offerings.
Again, had they done something, anything, in the past 30 years, to grab a decent slice of that market, then they might have had some ongoing success. But if you want such a car, you buy a Camry. If you can't afford that, you buy a Hyundai. If you want something snazzier, then you buy a more exotic European.
End of the day, their Brand, was worth nothing. It would and should have been a golden opportunity for somebody to flog their product in Australia. But no, not worth a cracker.
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