Rumorpile: Fusion Name To Live On As An Outback Rival

So basically the same idea they have with the Focus for the US... a Fusion Active.

It's too bad regular wagons won't sell in the US...the regular Mondeo wagon looks pretty sharp in brown.

Following in Buick's footsteps again... 

(Previously it was Ecosport following Encore)

A buch off road capable station wagon could serve this purpose well.

Ford needs something like this:

This would do nicely too:

Maybe they will get this:

40 minutes ago, Drew Dowdell said:

(Previously it was Ecosport following Encore)

Really? Buick is the only subcompact CUV..? 

31 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

Really? Buick is the only subcompact CUV..? 

Buick was the first of the mainstream models. The juke technically came first, but the packaging was too sports car to be useful to most folks. Buick came in and really started the segment. Even Chevy came after.

1 hour ago, Drew Dowdell said:

Following in Buick's footsteps again... 

 

(Previously it was Ecosport following Encore)

Technically Outback was the first, and Buick and now VW, and maybe Ford will compete with Outback

10 minutes ago, ykX said:

Technically Outback was the first, and Buick and now VW, and maybe Ford will compete with Outback

They outback was always a wagon though.

Im talking about taking something that was previously a sedan only and making a crossover wagon out of it.

So Buick just needs to bring this back and everyone will be happy!

Have to say for a fully loaded TourX at $42,375, not a bad package.

Rioja Red Metallic

49 minutes ago, Drew Dowdell said:

Buick was the first of the mainstream models. The juke technically came first, but the packaging was too sports car to be useful to most folks. Buick came in and really started the segment. Even Chevy came after.

Oh those trendsetters, BUICK! They really are the first to make a small CUV...🤔

*cough* Tracker *cough* 

Funny how the first few gens of the RAV4 are shorter in length than the Encore.  Toyota doesn't seem interested in making a more conventional subcompact CUV than the CH-R nowadays.

I don’t think a Fusion lifted wagon will sell.  Subaru drivers are loyal, they aren’t leaving for Ford.  Plus the Regal wagon doesn’t sell, the Ford Freestyle wagon didn’t sell and wagons struggle here.  Also the notion of Sedna buyers will just buy a Fusion wagon is flawed too.  I have an e-class sedan, I have no interest in an E-class wagon and I feel like a lot of Sedan owners feel that way because the CTS, 3-series and 5-series wagons are all dead but the sedan is still here.

2 hours ago, ykX said:

Technically Outback was the first, and Buick and now VW, and maybe Ford will compete with Outback

Well, the Outback was just doing the same thing AMC did w/ the Eagle decades ago, and Volvo did w/ the Cross Country 20 years ago.. 

we liked our taurus x.  i don't see the fusion name carrying over well as a wagon.  they just want something to stick the fusion name on, so when they inevitbaly bring the sedan version back, they can put the fusion name on it.

So, I can't haz this ? when fusion wagon with cladding comes out?

Way to kill the equity in the car, depress its used values,

turn Ford car customers away, recognize the brand recognition loss, back-pedal for the sake of a saving face of an embarrassing mistake, to provide exactly the thing that no Fusion buyer asked for...

Well, they sell it  in other parts of the world, why not here.....

Problem is that it will help ( I like this wagon), but it's not really a solution-not really even a band aid...

And if they price it higher than the sedan-it's going to fail hard.

This would be a better idea to still have the Fusion sedan around in lower numbers and sell this along side of it...

5 dollar gas would bring it back (the sedan) pretty quick i think.

Ford is drunk right now on the idea of selling the new RWD chassis Exploders to all the police in the USA.  Ford discovered that cop entities like their SUV's too, but that going back to a RWD chassis may add some status back as a RWD cop cruiser.  Then they could leverage that to make the cost ok for civilian Explorers and now all the other new products foMOco will build on that platform.

Exactly what we were saying back when the announcement was first made...  OUTBACKS FOR EVERYONE... except...

13 hours ago, Cubical-aka-Moltar said:

Well, the Outback was just doing the same thing AMC did w/ the Eagle decades ago, and Volvo did w/ the Cross Country 20 years ago.. 

I will give you AMC but first Outback generation came out in 1994, first  Volvo Cross Country came out in 1996.

Maybe we should go back far enough for something like this 1938 Russian GAZ-61 

6 minutes ago, ykX said:

I will give you AMC but first Outback generation came out in 1994, first  Volvo Cross Country came out in 1996.

Maybe we should go back far enough for something like this 1938 Russian GAZ-61 

 

 

Couldn't remember what year the Outback came out without looking... close, though.   That GAZ definitely fits the 'CUV' definition, though it lacks plastic fender arch trim and a roof rack...;)   I bet it doesn't have cupholders either. 

18 hours ago, ccap41 said:

Oh those trendsetters, BUICK! They really are the first to make a small CUV...🤔

*cough* Tracker *cough* 

Tracker was a mini-wrangler-replica, RWD, 2-door convertible.... not exactly mainstream.  Even the shorty original RAV4 was the 2-door convertible version. Again, very niche.

Encore was the first of its size that was not one of these niche vehicles; not a convertible, not 2-door, not a Wrangler-type off-roader, not a cramped sporty little thing that doesn't have a useful backseat. It is a 4-door, fairly mainstream sub-compact crossover.  Do you think anyone shopping for an Encore would cross-shop an original Tracker, or a Juke, or a 2-door convertible RAV4?  

But fine, if you want to count those, then there is still the AMC Eagle Wagon.

9 minutes ago, Drew Dowdell said:

Tracker was a mini-wrangler-replica, RWD, 2-door convertible.... not exactly mainstream.  Even the shorty original RAV4 was the 2-door convertible version. Again, very niche.

Encore was the first of its size that was not one of these niche vehicles; not a convertible, not 2-door, not a Wrangler-type off-roader, not a cramped sporty little thing that doesn't have a useful backseat. It is a 4-door, fairly mainstream sub-compact crossover.  Do you think anyone shopping for an Encore would cross-shop an original Tracker, or a Juke, or a 2-door convertible RAV4?  

But fine, if you want to count those, then there is still the AMC Eagle Wagon.

Not all Trackers are convertibles. Most of the ones I see aren't. A Chevy is as mainstream as it gets. 

No, people aren't cross-shopping 15 year old vehicles with brand new ones and I didn't say they were. I'm just saying Ford isn't following Buick because 'Buick was first'. 

10 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

Not all Trackers are convertibles. Most of the ones I see aren't. A Chevy is as mainstream as it gets. 

No, people aren't cross-shopping 15 year old vehicles with brand new ones and I didn't say they were. I'm just saying Ford isn't following Buick because 'Buick was first'. 

100+ years into the automotive industry, no one is first at anything anymore.  The at the time of the Encore's release, there were no comparable vehicles out there... Juke was the closest but with interior packaging too small to be a mainstream family car.  If you want to count those 20 year old vehicles, then you also have to admit that the segment died there for a while and Buick brought it back. 

Taking a sedan only vehicle and turning it into a slightly off-roady wagon was a Buick move. I'm not saying their were not off-road wagons before, just none that went from sedan only to wagon. 

4 minutes ago, Drew Dowdell said:

Taking a sedan only vehicle and turning it into a slightly off-roady wagon was a Buick move. I'm not saying their were not off-road wagons before, just none that went from sedan only to wagon. 

Are you saying the first CUV was the Buick Encore?