Subaru has found themselves in the crosshairs of an unlikely competitor — it seems that Ford is looking to develop a ‘high-roofed wagon’ to compete directly with the Japanese name-plate.
Taking the Fusion name from the soon-to-be-extinct sedan, the Blue Oval is looking to model the new iteration after the Outback, the ever-more-popular wagon-ish vehicle renowned for its symmetrical all-wheel drive and off-road capabilities.
It’s an interesting direction for Ford. While Subaru continues to gain market-share, Ford has announced that they’ll be eliminating most of their cars due to a lack of sales. Their truck sales continue to be strong, effectively keeping the company afloat, their car offerings have been struggling.
As well, a defining trait of the Outback is their company-wide AWD, whereas the Fusion Sport Wagon will be based off the existing Fusion’s architecture, which means it’s front-drive-based. AWD will be an option, as it currently is on the sedan, but that does mean it has an inherent disadvantage.
As to why they’re carrying on the Fusion name instead of launching it as an all-new vehicle? According to Bloomberg, the company has wasted, er, invested hundreds of millions of dollars into the same, and or loath to admit their mistake, er, walk away from, I dunno, the strength of the brand or whatever.
No launch date has been set, but we’ll keep you posted as to any counter-offensive from Subaru.
[…] Front-wheel drive is boring. So goes the perception. Having the wheels supplying the power as the same wheels that control direction is an inherent compromise that sacrifices speed for turning ability (or vice versa.) […]
[…] Ford recently stated that they’ll be stepping away from the sedan market altogether. Sagging sales has hurt their bottom line, and, instead of finding ways to make the segment more attractive to their base, they’re instead targeting cars succeeding in other segments. […]