Thunderbird production ends again

thundersc

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Ford to end Thunderbird production as early as mid '05, says it may resume

Ford Motor Co. will stop producing the Ford Thunderbird after the 2005 or 2006 model year.

Ford Division President Steve Lyons says the current Thunderbird, which Ford introduced as a low-volume glamour car in 2001, won't be renewed after an initial product run of four or maybe five years. He wouldn't give an exact ending date, but the plan would have Ford shutting down production in mid-2005 or 2006.

"We're going to take a pause, but we don't know what the long-term plan is," Lyons says.

The decision isn't related to sales, he says. But Ford planned to sell about 25,000 Thunderbirds annually. In 2002, it sold 19,085 units in the United States and 1,136 in Canada. This year's U.S. sales are off 22.1 percent.

Stocks of the car piled up through the winter to as high as a 183-day supply on March 1. Lyons attributed the large inventory to an oversupply of 2002 models, which Ford produced into November. Ford resorted to incentives such as $2,000 dealer cash and discounts for employees, suppliers and others.

On April 1, the company had a 129-day supply of the $37,320 two-seater.

Moving a car in and out of production would be unusual.

"While it may go away for a short period of time, it may reappear from time to time," Lyons says.

"When you really stand back and think about the volumes we're trying to sell that vehicle in, it is meant to be a collectors' item. And it doesn't have to have a production run every year."
 
Not related to sales my a$$. If they were flying out of dealerships I doubt they'd be cutting them off. I didn't care for them too much anyway, I don't think they got the styling quite right, not to mention being a 2 seater that isn't considered a sports car. I don't like it when they take a good car for everyday people and try to make it exclusive for those who buy weekend 2 seaters.
 
Not a big surprise, and I don't even expect them to last that long.

I don't like the retro styling and I especially don't like the engine they decided to use. I would have much rather seen a 32 valve 4.6 liter under the hood.

My wife's GTP is getting traded in for a 2005 Cobra next year. That is one of the few retro styled cars I really like.

David
 
Amen to that! I hope they don't change the Mustang too much. I think we'll have to get something new by the end of 2004. Just can't decide between the Mustang and that Dodge Magnum SRT wagon. Pretty different cars, but both really cool.
 
Dave, I wouldn't get your hopes up this early about the 2005 Cobra. What you are seeing now is the concepts that are expected to influence the production model. You know how the
production model will end up, looking like the next generation of someones butt. Am I wrong, are there production picures released? They seem to always give us the cool concepts and then when it comes out, it is tuned down and they have thrown out half of the styling cues from the concept.

-Steve
 
What I've read is that the concept is pretty close, but not quite the final product. The production model won't be quite as wide, which may be enough to ruin it, we'll see. The front end is supposed to be accurate, keeping in mind the width thing. Don't know about the dash, but you know gauges always change. Didn't the concept have moving guages and a stationary needle? Still, as long as it doesn't look scrunched up and bloated like the Stangs over the last 30 years, I'll be happy. I love the fastback. If it still comes with 400 HP, I'd be more than happy with that rather than wait for the Cobra model 2 years after that (from what I've heard).
 
was nice to see the tbird produced again but not sorry to see it go. to dam expensive. before i spend that kind of money i would by a cobra. that would be worth the money not the tbird
 
I think that the market for the bird was aimed at those old people who had the ones in the 50's and 60's to have a new cool car that reminded them of their old ones. It seemed like a great idea, but then they tried to make production numbers of any other car. I think that 97 was a time for them not to drop the line and reintroduce a whole new car, but to improve on it, maby a compromise of the design of the new one and the type of platform of our cars.

-Steve
 
welcome. yeah actually there is 9120 miles on it now. dont really drive it much. bought it last year for 7k. had then on it 6100 miles. drove it for a little and then bought the 89sc that i have now. just have the 91sc in the garage under a car cover. been thinking about selling it. still has the original tires on it yet
 
I work for an SVT dealership and SVT told me that Carol Shelby is in fact working with SVT on the New Cobra for a 2006 run...no 2005 cobra's...the mustang will debut in 2005 but no cobra until 2006....but with Carol Shelby working with SVT, the cobra should be worth the wait.
 
My .02, I will have to stand with you guys. Ford can't complain when producing a low production car that is so expensive. In a bad economy, only the rich survive. Indeed there are other automotive choices to spend that kind of money on than a low production factory produced collectors item. I can't slight their advertising efforts but complaints about sales of the supercoupe just don't fly when they rarely advertised the darn things at all. How many people to this day still don't know what SC means? I have to say though that I personally love the ignorance of these cars in the mainstream. Factory sleepers sort of appeal to me. :)

My best to all of you.
 
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