The Future of Ford Performance

Ford strives to give SVT models upscale image

By Rick Kranz Automotive News

DETROIT - Ford Motor Co. will take its SVT high-performance brand upscale and drop the SVT Focus.

The demise of the SVT Focus is part of Ford Motor's revision of its performance strategy. The company will create a performance series for the Ford brand and likely will add a high-performance Lincoln SUV and a supercharged Mercury sedan.

"I want to see product and performance across the range," said Phil Martens, group vice president of product creation for North America, at a press event here last month.

SVT stands for Special Vehicle Team.

The Ford Performance Group, formed in September 2002, is directing the strategy. The group develops performance vehicles and handles performance parts and services for Ford, Lincoln and Mercury.

Martens said the group will concentrate on three vehicle types beginning in the 2005 model year.

  1. High-end vehicles, including the two-passenger 2005 Ford GT and the Ford brand's limited-edition SVT models.

  1. Turbocharged and supercharged vehicles.

  2. Mainstream performance, including the new ST label for the Ford brand's high-volume performance vehicles below SVT.

With the SVT brand going to a more premium position, the low-end Focus no longer fits. Production of the 2004 SVT Focus will end in the spring. Ford sells about 5,500 SVT Focus models annually.

Moving upmarket

"We are moving SVT upmarket in terms of performance, content, craftsmanship," said Tom Scarpello, SVT marketing and sales manager. "And obviously, going along with that will be price."

The three-door 2004 SVT Focus has a $19,205 sticker price, including $545 destination. The five-door is $19,705 with destination.

The two other vehicles in the SVT line, the SVT Lightning and the Mustang SVT Cobra, also end production in the spring, leaving dealers with an 18-month gap until new models arrive.

The next-generation SVT Lightning, based on the F-150 pickup, will go into production in late 2005 or early 2006. That will be followed by the next SVT Cobra, which will be based on the redesigned Mustang.

Ford Division is creating high-performance models by using previous-generation SVT engines. For example, the Mustang Mach 1 is equipped with the previous-generation Cobra V-8. The Lightning V-8 also is used in the Harley-Davidson Edition F-150.

John Coletti, director of Ford Special Vehicle Team Programs, wants to do the same thing at Lincoln Mercury.

Coletti said 65 percent of the cost of developing an SVT vehicle is the powertrain - emissions, packaging, hardware and other considerations.

"We are being forced to go up to a much higher level, and what is left behind is a boost for the mainstream products," Coletti said. "It makes sense to trickle that stuff down."

Supercharged Navigator

The Ford Performance Group has developed a 2004 Lincoln Navigator equipped with the supercharged 380-hp SVT Lightning V-8, although no decision has been made on production.

Turbocharging and supercharging also are expected to have a wider role in the automaker's powertrains.

A turbocharged 200-hp, 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine soon will be approved for the 2005 or 2006 Focus. If produced, it would be a mass-market engine, available to all Ford dealers. The SVT Focus is available only to qualified SVT dealerships.

A supercharged Mercury Marauder also is under consideration.

With the decision to drop the SVT Focus, Focus owners are being targeted with performance parts and accessories authorized by the Ford Performance Group.

The Ford brand will use the ST designation for a range of high-volume performance vehicles with horsepower and suspension and enhancements. The first Ford to carry that badge will be the 2005 Focus ST, a sedan with a 150-hp, 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine.

Martens said the ST designation will be used where appropriate. The mid-sized Futura sedan, due in 2005, is a likely candidate, possibly with all-wheel drive. He said the Taurus is not a candidate.

Patrick '93 Cobra '83 LTD

Reply to
Patrick
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Read: We don't really want to make cars for car guys. We really don't want to make performance cars, but if we don't we'll lose sales of the bland cars so we'll just make a few for those who want pay the extra cash.

Good for him. But we won't see it.

Limited-edition. There's the problem right there, they are looking to build collectors items.

Marketeer babblespeak. This means they are going to call the same products they already make something else and pretend they're something new.

This is too be read as follows: The SVT focus was too good for the money. It was a challenger for sales of our other cars, and since we can't charge more for it, we'll have to drop it. Meanwhile we will increase the margin on our existing performance models to make them seem better.

I'll translate this one too. It means that they are raising the price and to do this they will use an advertising campaign and few extra options that cost ford very little to make the product appear more upscale and exclusive. This will increase their profits per unit.

This is far too cheap for a good product. It doesn't live up to the exclusive collector's item image.

This will build rarity and fight over the vehicles when they first arrive inflating prices well above sticker.

Until those models get cost-reduced.

It always costs more to buy your performance car one part a time.

Might as well call them 'sprint' or 'stallion'

Reply to
Brent P

First they drop the entire SVT line. Then when it comes back it'll be suffering from an identity crisis.

Joe Calypso Green '93 5.0 LX AOD hatch with a few goodies Black '03 Dakota 5.9 R/T CC

snipped-for-privacy@aol.com (Patrick) wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@posting.google.com:

dealers

volume

enhancements.

Reply to
Joe

Clearly this is the reason the SVT Focus was dropped. Obviously Ford was not making any money on it and here is an excuse to drop it. Too bad. With more power they would have had a big seller.

LJH

95GT
Reply to
Larry Hepinstall

So much for the DNA of Ford's performance line, eh? How 'bout a Mustang ST, though? They could make it an almost-Cobra with an automatic!

:()

Reply to
dwight

The almost-Cobra with an automatic is called the Mach 1.

Patrick '93 Cobra '83 LTD

Reply to
Patrick

This is what I get for not keeping up.

dwight (stuck in a time-warp - it's still 1993)

Reply to
dwight

"dwight" wrote

God I wish!! I coulda kept my first Stang, dumped my girlfriend before she became my ex-wife, finished my degree, won a pulitzer and the nobel. Aww shucks, who am I kidding!!

Scott W. '66 HCS

Reply to
Scott Williams

Sounds like you lead a damn exciting almost-life... lol... ;-)

JS

Reply to
JS

"JS" wrote

No almost-kidding

Scott W

Reply to
Scott Williams

Can't be doing too badly though, tryin to put an EFI 351W into an early-model. I think it'd be great fun to do....

JS

Reply to
JS

Well first I have to get the car, and the engine and the tranny and the...

Basically I'm waiting on an insurance settlement from my accident. I'm looking at ~$50-70K. I need to finish the 66 first, then I want to build this other car and dump my POS Saab. Cause that's what you do when you have to fix it and see the bill, SOB. And trust me, I'm ALWAYS fixin it. Don't get me wrong, this car floats down the interstate at 90mph and it's smooth as glass (and doesn't break a sweat), but get in town and it SUCKS. A Saab

900 is one of the VERY few cars you could drive off the highway at 80 into a hayfield and not be able to tell. I think the speedo goes to 140, but I'm not gonna try it. I'm sure it'll do it though. (Get that turbo glowing) :)

Scott W. '66 HCS

Reply to
Scott Williams

Ahh, turbo fun. I have a 2.2L Probe GT turbo... the damn thing will pull redline in 5th with 120k miles on the clock... with only 9psi of boost stock. It runs. :-) Mine seems to break twice a year but always is cheap to fix. For example, the transmission decided that it didn't want to shift into 1st, 3rd, or 5th anymore. I had 2nd, 4th, and reverse. I drove it 25 miles like this to a friend's house... a laid off transmission mechanic. He pulled a drain plug to check fluid... nothing happened. He moved the shifter around a much, some fluid shot out, he put the plug back in and charged me $20 to fix it. Worked fine ever since.

The other time it broke was when there was an electrical short that killed the battery in one evening. I traced it to the pop-up headlight circuit, disabled that, and replaced the battery (under warranty from Auto Zone, free). No problems since.

Good luck on getting the settlement and getting your '66 fixed up too. I've always wanted to do an early model EFI with a T-56 behind it...

JS

Reply to
JS

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