This is how the sedan ends. Not with a bang, but with a whimper. This week Ford phased out the last remaining blue oval-branded sedan. At its height in 2014, the Fusion moved over 300,000 units, but Ford only managed to push about 60,000 units out the door in the first half of 2020. Obviously there are extenuating circumstances when you consider 2020 sales numbers, but Ford has been planning a phase-out of all non-Mustang cars for a couple of years now, and it’s finally made that happen.
The Fusion will join its Fiesta, Focus, and Taurus brethren in the great junkyard in the sky.
The mid-sized sedan has been a staple of the Ford lineup since that segment has existed. Falcon, Maverick, Granada, LTD, Taurus, Fusion. It would be difficult to say any of those models were particularly inspiring, but many of them were revolutionary and provided exactly the right car for the American family to traverse the highways and byways. I know not many will mourn the passing of the Fusion, but it was a really good car. I will pour one out for the loss of this American institution.
Ford stopped taking new orders for the Fusion back in February, and had planned to close the production line on July 21st, but due to the coronavirus pandemic it was pushed back to the end of the month. The last Fusion ran down the Hermosa, Mexico assembly line on July 31st, according to a report by Ford Authority. When the Lincoln Continental meets its demise at the end of 2020, FoMoCo will no longer produce any cars, bar the Mustang, shifting to an all-SUV and truck lineup.
For all its talk about future tech and electrification and emissions goals, Ford has managed to allow its electrified car lineup to dwindle to just two. With the incredibly efficient Fusion Energi now gone, the only electrified models in the Ford fleet are the Escape Hybrid and the $53,000 Explorer Limited Hybrid. While there are plenty of hybrid and battery electric Fords on the way, this seems like a short-sighted move by the big F.
We knew the Sedanocalypse was coming, but seeing it coming doesn’t dull the pain. I’m not going to lie, folks, this one hurts. Would you really rather have an Ecosport over this?
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