MagicMtnDan
08-10-2005, 05:30 AM
Ford Motor Co. is preparing to halt production of the oversized Excursion sport-utility vehicle at the end of September.
George Pipas, Ford spokesman, said the automaker had been planning to phase out production of the Excursion, and that it wasn't exactly "new" news. The final shutdown had been in the works for sometime, though Ford didn't pin down the final date for the last Excursion to roll down the assembly line until recently, he acknowledged.
http://www.thecarconnection.com/images/gallery/8504_image.jpg
Sales of the Excursion actually peaked its first year in showrooms back in 2000 when Ford sold 50,786 of the giant SUVs. Sales have steadily declined since then, Pipas said. So far this year, Ford has sold 7572 Excursions through the end of June, he added. In 2004, Ford sold 20,010 Excursions.
Ford officials set the last day of production for the Excursion at the Kentucky truck plant near Louisville for September 30.
A report in the Detroit News, meanwhile, suggested that Ford is looking at replacing the Excursion with the stretched version of the Ford Expedition. Dubbed the Expedition Max, the stretched version would be about 16 inches longer than the standard Expedition and could go into production next as a '07 model only about six months after Chevrolet launches a new Suburban, the News reported.
George Pipas, Ford spokesman, said the automaker had been planning to phase out production of the Excursion, and that it wasn't exactly "new" news. The final shutdown had been in the works for sometime, though Ford didn't pin down the final date for the last Excursion to roll down the assembly line until recently, he acknowledged.
http://www.thecarconnection.com/images/gallery/8504_image.jpg
Sales of the Excursion actually peaked its first year in showrooms back in 2000 when Ford sold 50,786 of the giant SUVs. Sales have steadily declined since then, Pipas said. So far this year, Ford has sold 7572 Excursions through the end of June, he added. In 2004, Ford sold 20,010 Excursions.
Ford officials set the last day of production for the Excursion at the Kentucky truck plant near Louisville for September 30.
A report in the Detroit News, meanwhile, suggested that Ford is looking at replacing the Excursion with the stretched version of the Ford Expedition. Dubbed the Expedition Max, the stretched version would be about 16 inches longer than the standard Expedition and could go into production next as a '07 model only about six months after Chevrolet launches a new Suburban, the News reported.