Ford has had a very bad year in terms of sales, and some analysts are worried that it and Volkswagen won’t even be around for much longer. Henry Ford brought a lot of pride to American soil when he first developed the assembly line, kickstarting a worldwide revolution that was first started by Ferdinand Verbiest. But the company that was once America’s best-seller.
Ford Had A Record Decline in Sales in 2015
It’s been a long time since the Ford Taurus gained the title of best-selling car, and not Ford nor Lincoln have seen days as bright as those since. The Taurus itself has had a 27% decrease by November 2015. The reasons why vary. Firstly, other brands have invested in trends that have caught on.
Perhaps the most prominent trend is the crossover SUV. These cars have become popular because gas prices have had a decrease and interest rates in all sorts of cars have gotten lower. So people have deviated away from the sedan, which can be an inconvenience in terms of size and other features, and opt for the crossover SUV. If Ford ever stops making the Taurus, they can boost production of other models like the Ford Explorer.
Ford Isn’t the Only Maker With an Unfortunate 2015
Volkswagen has seen an epically tragic year. US authorities found that several of their diesel models had software installed that cheated gas emissions tests. This means that cars would give a false reading of how much fossil fuel was being burnt. The scandal led to millions of cars recalled, new models being pulled out of production and a tremendous loss of faith, clients and investors for Volkswagen.
Volkswagen Scandal: Still in Recovery
The company has expressed that they’re focusing on regaining customer trust rather than boosting production. This was a double-edged sword. While it is important for morale to be boosted both within the company and with the body of investors and clients, it could also be beneficial for the company to roll out as many Earth-friendly cars as possible. Regaining the same kind of shares and buyers as they had before the second half of this year might also be very difficult.
Other Companies Are Also in Danger
General Motors has also experienced a pretty negative year. They had two major recalls through 2015, one of them for concerns that their cars may catch on fire. This is a pretty big deal, and it also cost the car maker a significant amount of money. General Motor is a prominent company in the United States, and one of Ford’s main rivals. Dealerships for GM are more frequented for returns and repairs than for anything else.
Honda is another company that has suffered quite a bit, thanks to the airbag scandal Takata Corps was involved in earlier in the year. Certain Takata airbags had exploded and let out small metal shillings, and there were 7 deaths associated with the airbag explosions. Honda has since then dropped Takata as their provider of airbags, which came as a great blow to Takata. Since then, share prices and stocks for Honda have seen a sufficient increase.
In Other Words, 2015 Sucked for Sedans
Another company that’s had a bad year is Toyota, another of Ford’s main rivals. Its Avalon model saw a huge sales decline this year, and this all proves that 2015 has just been a terrible year for sedans. The only cars that were safe from this decline were Fiat and Dodge. Both of these models are high-performance and are big-family sedans.
Ford Has Taken Unexpected Measures
The all-American car maker has taken an interesting route to get sales back up by 2016. Ford is releasing a brand new Ford Taurus, but it likely won’t be sold to Americans. The new car’s specs make it a very attractive sedan, but Ford has chosen to not sell it on American soil – at least not yet.
