Ford Freestar News **Ford may pull the plug on Freestar minivan (page 1)**
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Ford Freestar News **Ford may pull the plug on Freestar minivan (page 1)**
![](http://www.autonews.com/images/news/4567.jpg)
By Gail Kachadourian
Automotive News / February 13, 2003
Ford Freestar
Model year: 2004
Manufacturer: Ford Motor Co.
Wheelbase: 120.8 inches
Length: 201.1 inches
Width: 76.6 inches
Height: 68.7 inches
Engine: 3.9-liter, V-6 or 4.2-liter, V-6
Estimated torque: 3.9-liter: 240 lb.-ft. @ 3,600 rpm; 4.2-liter: 265 lb.-ft. @ 3,500 rpm
Horsepower: 3.9-liter: 200 hp @ 4,900 rpm; 4.2-liter: 201 hp @ 4,250 rpm
Ford Motor Co. on Thursday unveiled its Freestar minivan at the Chicago Auto Show. Ford kept the exterior changes minimal between the Freestar and the Windstar, but made major changes to the interior and is offering a new engine option.
The Freestar will be built at Ford's Oakville Assembly Plant in Oakville, Ontario. The vehicle, which is set to go on sale in the United States and Canada this fall, has three rows of seating, a fold-flat third row and a V6 engine.
Ford sold about 148,000 Windstars last year, good for about 15 percent of the minivan market and better than General Motors' Chevrolet and Pontiac models combined. But Honda Motor Co. Ltd. sold about 153,000 Odyssey minivans, and Honda had to use far smaller incentives than either Ford, GM or DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler arm, which holds about 40 percent of the minivan market.
Although Ford would not project sales volume for the Freestar, the automaker says it expects to maintain or slightly increase its minivan market share with the new product.
Ford will offer four versions: Freestar, Freestar LX, Freestar SE and Freestar Limited. The base-level Freestar will have a standard 3.9-liter V-6 engine and an optional 4.2-liter V-6. The larger engine will be standard on the upper level SE and Limited versions.
Optional on all Freestars will be a safety canopy, which protects passengers in all three rows in case of a collision or rollover. The vehicle seats as many as seven adults.
Although the U.S. demand for minivans has been stable at about one million vehicles a year, several automakers are throwing new models into the fray and raising the level of competition.
Nissan Motor Co. Ltd.'s redesigned Quest also goes on sale this year, as does Toyota Motor Corp.'s updated Sienna. And GM this month said it wold build four new minivan models in 2005 under its Chevrolet, Buick, Pontiac and Saturn brands.
Ford would not reveal pricing for the Freestar. The Windstar is priced between $21,000 to $32,000.
Reuters contributed to this report.
#5
Originally posted by danny25
is that replacing the Windstar? If so, why change the name to that crap?
is that replacing the Windstar? If so, why change the name to that crap?
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Originally posted by danny25
is that replacing the Windstar? If so, why change the name to that crap?
is that replacing the Windstar? If so, why change the name to that crap?
From here:
http://chat.autoweek.com/showthread....&threadid=1231
The next generation Ford minivan will carry the Freestar name when it goes on sale this fall, The Detroit News reported.
Ford decided to drop the current Windstar name to draw attention to the new minivan's features and improvements, the story said. Ford hopes a fresh start with a new van will boost its minivan business, which has slipped to 13 percent from 15 percent of the market since 2001.
The name Freestar also goes along with Ford's new strategy to assign its vehicles names that begin with F.
Ford plans to debut the Freestar next week at the Chicago Auto Show.
#7
Suzuka Master
Originally posted by Zoot
yes it replaces the Wind.....Ford claims they are trying to start every name of all their cars w/ a uniform "F" (like freestyle, Five hundred, etc...) So are they going to change their most famous names (t-bird, Explorer, Expedition, etc.) Seems pointless to me!
yes it replaces the Wind.....Ford claims they are trying to start every name of all their cars w/ a uniform "F" (like freestyle, Five hundred, etc...) So are they going to change their most famous names (t-bird, Explorer, Expedition, etc.) Seems pointless to me!
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#9
GEEZER
MiniVans and SUV's=
![Puke](https://acurazine.com/forums/images/smilies/puke.gif)
#10
Senior Moderator
Ford may "Pull Plug" on FreeStar
Ford may pull the plug on Freestar minivan; Fairlane people mover concept may signal new direction
AMY WILSON | Automotive News
Posted Date: 1/24/05
AMY WILSON | Automotive News
Posted Date: 1/24/05
DETROIT -- After 20 years of stumbles, Ford Motor Co. is poised to give up on the minivan.
With Ford a perennial also-ran in the minivan segment, company executives seem ready to cut their losses and move to a selection of family haulers. The Fairlane concept, exhibited at the 2005 Detroit auto show, is Ford's latest take on a mainstream people mover.
With Land Rover styling cues and a wide expanse of glass, Fairlane departs significantly from the one-box minivan of the past. Based on a modified Mazda6 platform, it is largely ready for production. Ford product executives have said the next-generation minivan would migrate to the Mazda6 platform.
"We're looking for the next thing, and it might be the Fairlane," Ford Division President Steve Lyons says. "If we added something like Fairlane, I think we're done. It would be too crowded to try to fit a traditional minivan in there."
Blend No. 3
Though not approved, Fairlane would be the third Ford product blending attributes of minivans, SUVs and cars. The Freestyle sport wagon was introduced last fall. Another Mazda6-derived sport wagon, internally called the Ford Edge, is slated to debut in 2006.
More nameplates with smaller volumes may work better than trying to cover the market with one minivan, executives say. The Freestar is struggling to sustain 100,000 units of annual volume.
Fairlane could take the "diaper" stigma away from conventional minivan buyers by giving them an upscale ride, Ford design chief J Mays says.
But it must be affordable for mass market Ford Division customers. Fairlane is outfitted with a canvas top likened to a polo helmet. Video at the auto show depicted it as the choice of an old-money crowd at play in the Hamptons.
"Our people don't know too much about polo," Lyons says. "Football? OK, we're into that. NASCAR. So is this, in fact, a Ford? There are elements that could very well be. But if that vehicle is $45,000, I'm not interested."
A $25,000 price is more realistic, he says.
Mays says the Fairlane's upscale styling doesn't require a high price tag. "It just doesn't cost any more to bend the sheet metal that way," he said.
Unlike at the Chrysler group, where minivans are a crucial profit center, Ford may be able to pull the switch. "We're not making any money at it in any big way," Lyons says.
But Ford's freedom to exit the segment points out how it bungled its minivan efforts.
Minivan woes
In 1976, Ford passed on the minivan concept pitched by executive Hal Sperlich. Sperlich went to Chrysler, which popularized the segment in 1983.
Ford countered with the trucklike, rear-drive Aerostar. Ford switched to front-drive with the Windstar in 1994, but Chrysler quickly one-upped Ford by adding a left-side rear sliding door.
By 2003, when Ford launched the Freestar, a re-engineered Windstar with little visual change, executives said exterior looks didn't matter. Customers couldn't tell minivans apart, they said.
But Ford conceded it renamed the vehicle in part to signal to consumers that its entry was new. It didn't work. Combined Windstar and Freestar sales plunged by 19.9 percent in 2004. Incentives soared, and Ford's minivan plant in Oakville, Ontario, underwent numerous shutdowns. Executives now acknowledge they
didn't change the exterior enough.
With Ford a perennial also-ran in the minivan segment, company executives seem ready to cut their losses and move to a selection of family haulers. The Fairlane concept, exhibited at the 2005 Detroit auto show, is Ford's latest take on a mainstream people mover.
With Land Rover styling cues and a wide expanse of glass, Fairlane departs significantly from the one-box minivan of the past. Based on a modified Mazda6 platform, it is largely ready for production. Ford product executives have said the next-generation minivan would migrate to the Mazda6 platform.
"We're looking for the next thing, and it might be the Fairlane," Ford Division President Steve Lyons says. "If we added something like Fairlane, I think we're done. It would be too crowded to try to fit a traditional minivan in there."
Blend No. 3
Though not approved, Fairlane would be the third Ford product blending attributes of minivans, SUVs and cars. The Freestyle sport wagon was introduced last fall. Another Mazda6-derived sport wagon, internally called the Ford Edge, is slated to debut in 2006.
More nameplates with smaller volumes may work better than trying to cover the market with one minivan, executives say. The Freestar is struggling to sustain 100,000 units of annual volume.
Fairlane could take the "diaper" stigma away from conventional minivan buyers by giving them an upscale ride, Ford design chief J Mays says.
But it must be affordable for mass market Ford Division customers. Fairlane is outfitted with a canvas top likened to a polo helmet. Video at the auto show depicted it as the choice of an old-money crowd at play in the Hamptons.
"Our people don't know too much about polo," Lyons says. "Football? OK, we're into that. NASCAR. So is this, in fact, a Ford? There are elements that could very well be. But if that vehicle is $45,000, I'm not interested."
A $25,000 price is more realistic, he says.
Mays says the Fairlane's upscale styling doesn't require a high price tag. "It just doesn't cost any more to bend the sheet metal that way," he said.
Unlike at the Chrysler group, where minivans are a crucial profit center, Ford may be able to pull the switch. "We're not making any money at it in any big way," Lyons says.
But Ford's freedom to exit the segment points out how it bungled its minivan efforts.
Minivan woes
In 1976, Ford passed on the minivan concept pitched by executive Hal Sperlich. Sperlich went to Chrysler, which popularized the segment in 1983.
Ford countered with the trucklike, rear-drive Aerostar. Ford switched to front-drive with the Windstar in 1994, but Chrysler quickly one-upped Ford by adding a left-side rear sliding door.
By 2003, when Ford launched the Freestar, a re-engineered Windstar with little visual change, executives said exterior looks didn't matter. Customers couldn't tell minivans apart, they said.
But Ford conceded it renamed the vehicle in part to signal to consumers that its entry was new. It didn't work. Combined Windstar and Freestar sales plunged by 19.9 percent in 2004. Incentives soared, and Ford's minivan plant in Oakville, Ontario, underwent numerous shutdowns. Executives now acknowledge they
didn't change the exterior enough.
#13
Photography Nerd
I know a person that has had two Windstars and liked them very much. One saturday he left the house with his chequebook ready to buy a Freestar. After the test drive he couldn't believe what a POS it was.
If Ford can't sell them to Windstar owners, it's no wonder they can't sell them to the general public.
If Ford can't sell them to Windstar owners, it's no wonder they can't sell them to the general public.
#14
Senior Moderator
OK, I Know NOTHING about minivans, but I rented a freestar about 2 or 3 years ago and it seemed pretty pimp.
So dom, I wonder whats going to happen to the Oakville plant. I think they build freestars exclusively
So dom, I wonder whats going to happen to the Oakville plant. I think they build freestars exclusively
![Dunno](https://acurazine.com/forums/images/smilies/dunno.gif)
#15
Go Giants
The Freestar is pretty much the Rent a Car staple if you get a minivan.
#16
Senior Moderator
Originally Posted by fdl
OK, I Know NOTHING about minivans, but I rented a freestar about 2 or 3 years ago and it seemed pretty pimp.
So dom, I wonder whats going to happen to the Oakville plant. I think they build freestars exclusively![Dunno](https://acurazine.com/forums/images/smilies/dunno.gif)
So dom, I wonder whats going to happen to the Oakville plant. I think they build freestars exclusively
![Dunno](https://acurazine.com/forums/images/smilies/dunno.gif)
Don't they build F-150's there as well?
If the Freestar does get the boot, I'm sure they'll just switch to whatever replaces it, like the Fairlane.
From all the reviews I've seen and read, the FeeStar was way too far behind every other Minivan on the market to compete. The 3rd row bench was apparently barely comfortable for kids because it was too low and short. In fact one of the big mags who just reviwed the FreeStyle noted how much more comfortable its 3rd row was compared to the FreeStar.
#17
Senior Moderator
When minivans first came out, my wife and I swore that we'd never get one. It wasnt until I drove the 95 Windstar (then a brand new model) while working for Hertz (vehicle transporter) that I found them to MUCH more roadworthy than an SUV. Needless to say, we're on our 2nd minivan looking for 3rd now.
So seeing Ford ax the Windstar/Freestar would be melancholy moment for me. That said, we're NOT considering ANY domestic make in our minivan shopping.
Domn, you're right. I'll just add that the current Freestar cant even begin to compete with the previous gen Sienna and Odyssey....that's how far behind Ford is with this product.
So seeing Ford ax the Windstar/Freestar would be melancholy moment for me. That said, we're NOT considering ANY domestic make in our minivan shopping.
Domn, you're right. I'll just add that the current Freestar cant even begin to compete with the previous gen Sienna and Odyssey....that's how far behind Ford is with this product.
Last edited by F23A4; 01-24-2005 at 10:21 AM.
#18
Senior Moderator
Originally Posted by F23A4
When minivans first came out, my wife and I swore that we'd never get one. It wasnt until I drove the 95 Windstar (then a brand new model) while working for Hertz (vehicle transporter) that I found them to MUCH more roadworthy than an SUV. Needless to say, we're on our 2nd minivan looking for 3rd now.
So seeing Ford ax the Windstar/Freestar would be melancholy moment for me. That said, we're NOT considering ANY domestic make in our minivan shopping.
Domn, you're right. I'll just add that the current Freestar cant even begin to compete with the previous gen Sienna and Odyssey....that's how far behind Ford is with this product.
So seeing Ford ax the Windstar/Freestar would be melancholy moment for me. That said, we're NOT considering ANY domestic make in our minivan shopping.
Domn, you're right. I'll just add that the current Freestar cant even begin to compete with the previous gen Sienna and Odyssey....that's how far behind Ford is with this product.
I drove a rented Grand Caravan last weekend and I have to admit is was very smooth and comfortable. I belive it had the 3.3 as it was pretty thrashy but it was still acceptable. Adding Stow in Go makes that Van a contender IMO eventhough its a Domestic.
Then again it had a couple of things that made me scratch my head. The power Window and door switches don't illuminate at night and neither does any of the climate control functions. I was shocked to say the least.
IMO, if your Minivan shopping it sould start and end with the Ody.
#19
Senior Moderator
Originally Posted by domn
IMO, if your Minivan shopping it sould start and end with the Ody.
![Chuckle](https://acurazine.com/forums/images/smilies/chuckle.gif)
#21
The sizzle in the Steak
Originally Posted by charliemike
If Ford cans the Freestar it's because it's a POS and not because the market is not there.
![Werd](https://acurazine.com/forums/images/smilies/werd.gif)
#22
fap fap fap
if they didnt maket the freestar as "all-new" when its a refreshed windstar then it wouldnt be as POS as it is. too many name changes, they should stick with one name
#23
Senior Moderator
Originally Posted by Infamous425
if they didnt maket the freestar as "all-new" when its a refreshed windstar then it wouldnt be as POS as it is. too many name changes, they should stick with one name
#24
I feel the need...
It honestly makes me sick to my stomach to see what a joke Ford has become lately. I mean seriously - do they honestly think they can get away with selling absolute crap to the public?
One can picture the brilliant FoMoCo executives in Deaborn saying:
Focus: "let's see how long we can ride this aging pig into the ground!"
FreeStyle: "We can leverage the aging Volvo S80 platform into a butt ugly underpowered crossover!"
FiveHundred: "We can leverage the aging Volvo S80 platform into a mundane underpowered sedan!"
FreeStar: "We can repackage an aging 3.8 liter V6 into yet another shitty Mini-van!"
FORD MOTOR COMPANY - WAKE THE FUCK UP AND STOP SELLING PIECES OF SHIT!!!!!!!
...and enough already with the ridiculous "F" naming them.
Can you tell PistonFan is sick of Motown Mediocrity???
One can picture the brilliant FoMoCo executives in Deaborn saying:
Focus: "let's see how long we can ride this aging pig into the ground!"
FreeStyle: "We can leverage the aging Volvo S80 platform into a butt ugly underpowered crossover!"
FiveHundred: "We can leverage the aging Volvo S80 platform into a mundane underpowered sedan!"
FreeStar: "We can repackage an aging 3.8 liter V6 into yet another shitty Mini-van!"
FORD MOTOR COMPANY - WAKE THE FUCK UP AND STOP SELLING PIECES OF SHIT!!!!!!!
...and enough already with the ridiculous "F" naming them.
Can you tell PistonFan is sick of Motown Mediocrity???
Last edited by PistonFan; 01-24-2005 at 06:02 PM.
#25
What makes me sick is when a "domestic" car company is in trouble, UAW/CAW and the car company ask for gov't handouts, when a Import car company is in trouble, UAW/CAW says "Let them rot".....
I think import Car Company has to pay a tariff on each car, while the domestics don’t.
If I had a nuke, I'd blow up UAW/CAW right now. They aren't worth anything. Sorry, but they are one of the major contributors of the lack of quality.
I think import Car Company has to pay a tariff on each car, while the domestics don’t.
If I had a nuke, I'd blow up UAW/CAW right now. They aren't worth anything. Sorry, but they are one of the major contributors of the lack of quality.
#26
Race Director
The days of increasing minvan sales are over - and not just for Ford. The soccer mom driving minivan days are over. She now wants an SUV or going back to a more traditional car.
In case of Ford, they're the first to throw in the towel cause they probably have the worst product offering.
In case of Ford, they're the first to throw in the towel cause they probably have the worst product offering.
#28
Senior Moderator
Originally Posted by Moog-Type-S
![Werd](https://acurazine.com/forums/images/smilies/werd.gif)
Quest sales fell waaay below target last year so they had to ramp up the incentives.
Minivan sales used to be more than 1 mill annulally in the US but sales have been on the decline now for 2 or 3 years.
#29
Senior Moderator
Originally Posted by MADCAT
What makes me sick is when a "domestic" car company is in trouble, UAW/CAW and the car company ask for gov't handouts, when a Import car company is in trouble, UAW/CAW says "Let them rot".....
I think import Car Company has to pay a tariff on each car, while the domestics don’t.
If I had a nuke, I'd blow up UAW/CAW right now. They aren't worth anything. Sorry, but they are one of the major contributors of the lack of quality.
I think import Car Company has to pay a tariff on each car, while the domestics don’t.
If I had a nuke, I'd blow up UAW/CAW right now. They aren't worth anything. Sorry, but they are one of the major contributors of the lack of quality.
I see your point but why would the UAW or CAW help the imports if their not part of the union?
IMO, Ford is in trouble as it stands. But they do have a all new 3.5L V6 available this fall that will be replacing the 3.0L thats in practically every car they sell.
GM > Chrysler > Ford as far as domestics go.
#30
Senior Moderator
Originally Posted by cusdaddy
The Freestyle killed the Freestar
IMHO, the main reason why I buy minivans is because I do tend to haul extended family (inlaws) around with us. So the extra seating is needed. In the past, if you wanted to have a 7 passenger SUV you'd have to pay about $38k+ (new). Minivans were/are a cheaper alternative. So Ford could possibly be on to something but, only time will tell. (But I have my doubts!!)
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