Ford may build a powerful sedan with rear-wheel drive

Noted automotive influencer Forrest Jones recently published an interview with Jim Farley in which the Ford CEO asked if the host’s audience wanted a rear-wheel-drive, high-performance, affordable electric sedan based on the same $30,000 Skunkworks platform now being developed for an electric truck. According to Farley, the silhouette of a sedan is aerodynamically clean, which would lend itself well to electrification. He also said something about a “really cool locking system,” suggesting the company is considering a more versatile liftback configuration for such a sedan instead of a typical trunk.

Jones began this series of questions by asking Farley if sedans would ever return to the Ford lineup. The CEO revealed that they had to go to finance the Bronco and Maverick. The cancellation of those sedans has caused the company’s factories to be retooled to produce the nostalgic SUV and smart small truck that are now big hits with customers.

Ford is clearly considering sedans again

Ford announced in 2018 that it would be phasing out its lineup of sedans, and it took just two years for the last units to be delivered to dealers. The Fiesta, Focus and Fusion were all shortened to make room for future SUVs and trucks, which turned out to be the Bronco and Maverick. You can’t blame Ford for ditching the four-door, given the way things are going. The Bronco does the sale of the Jeep Wrangler is approachingand the Maverick relaunched a dormant segment that it now dominates.

In the video interview, Farley also mentions that Ford’s European sedans were too good, and therefore too expensive, to bring to the US. Of course, Ford also has sedans elsewhere in the world. In fact, the company is ordinary unveiled a refreshed Mondeo in China with a 27-inch 4K display and a 261-horsepower 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine. As you recall, the Mondeo shared almost everything with the Fusion in the US. However, this particular version was built in China and sold in other places, such as the Middle East, where it was named after another iconic Ford sedan, the Taurus.

Then there’s the rumor that will never go away, that Ford is developing a four-door Mustang sedan. Real proof of the existence of such a car has surfaced here and there, including earlier this year when reports surfaced that Ford was actually showing such a car to its dealers and trademarking the term “Mach 4.” The latter could refer to all-wheel drive rather than the number of doors, but the possibility of a four-door Ford Mustang is still real. Since the Mustang Mach-E is electric, a future Mustang sedan could be too, which would fit right in with what Farley referenced in the interview.

TopSpeed’s opinion

Forrest Jones deserves some credit for pushing an automaker executive to say something that’s actually newsworthy in an interview. Usually suits only say what they want you to hear and nothing more. Jones’ conversation with Farley was long and seemed so organic that both men were actually having a conversation that happened to reveal some interesting information.

While Ford made the right decision to get rid of its sedans five years ago, other automakers like Honda and Toyota continue to sell them, and with great success. European manufacturers, especially luxury brands like Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi, have also continued to build cars, raising the bar every year with their high-performance versions. It would be great if Ford got back into the game, and while we’d prefer something with an internal combustion engine, we’ll take what we can get.