❗Help close the gap: We still need to raise $40,000 by the end of March. Donate now

Ford Motor Co. will phase out its traditional sedans in North America

Kai Ryssdal Apr 26, 2018
HTML EMBED:
COPY

Ford Motor Co. will phase out its traditional sedans in North America

Kai Ryssdal Apr 26, 2018
HTML EMBED:
COPY

Ford Motor Co. announced it’s going to stop making cars for the North American market, save the Mustang and Focus Active. The automaker plans to phase out five of its cars to focus on SUVs, trucks and crossovers. Dan Neil writes about cars for the Wall Street Journal. He talked with Marketplace host Kai Ryssdal about why American automakers like Ford are betting big on big vehicles. Neil says it’s all about profit. SUVs and trucks have higher margins than sedans and hatchbacks. “You know, carmakers always say they build what people want. But they never mention the fact that they spend billions to tell them what they want. It wasn’t just that consumers spontaneously desired a truck that was as big as a house. No, that was a gradual process. And it has been pushed by the automakers primarily because bigger equals more profit.”

Click the audio player above to hear the full interview. 

There’s a lot happening in the world.  Through it all, Marketplace is here for you. 

You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible. 

Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.