How many edsels did ford sell

Edsel taught Ford that it could not tell people what to buy. Since then, it has not made another blunder. Ford introduced the Mustang, a brand-new, sporty, cheap car that Americans quickly welcomed, some years after the Edsel was discontinued. On the other hand, the Edsel will continue to be an oddity in the automotive world, the solution to a question that no one asked.

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The beginning of Ford Edsel faliure Ford Edsel was not purchased since it was a lousy or unsightly car. Its design The vertical grille feature of the new For Edsel was meant to be far slimmer than it was in production. Related Posts. Add Comment Cancel Reply You must be logged in to post a comment.

The 20 Best Romantic Getaways in Indiana. Is the Hyundai Kona Being Discontinued? The "car of the future" is now a cautionary tale in business classrooms, though there were actually a few winners in the case of the Edsel. That flop of a car is now a rare collector's item. Sign up for our Newsletter! Mobile Newsletter banner close. Mobile Newsletter chat close.

Mobile Newsletter chat dots. Mobile Newsletter chat avatar. Mobile Newsletter chat subscribe. Car Models. Why the Ford Edsel Failed.

The Edsel was supposed to be everything American car buyers wanted — "the car of the future. Sources Carlson, Peter. July 23, The Edsel saw good initial sales in Michigan, the Southwest, and the East. Edsel ads continued after E-Day, emphasizing things such as its touted Teletouch Drive transmission system. And many drivers inadvertently hit the horn when they wanted to shift.

By November , Edsel sales were less than hoped for. Was price a problem? It was certainly one of the problems. As stated earlier, Edsel was supposed to fill the market gap between Ford low-priced and Mercury formerly medium-priced, now high-medium-priced. So much for distinct market segmentation. Note the gloomy economic headlines on this same page of the Springfield Union. Yes, the USA was entering a recession.

Not a good sign! As the recession deepened, all auto makers experienced soft sales. Dealers sought relief from Congress, to no avail. Meanwhile, the ads continued to run—often placed, coincidentally enough, on the obituaries page.

An omen, perhaps? In fact, many Edsel owners were NOT satisfied. Quality control over the new Edsel—critical for early, potentially positive word-of-mouth success—was all but absent. Ford was building Edsels on existing Ford and Mercury manufacturing lines, and gave no emphasis to Edsel-specific training. The focus was on hurrying and making as many Edsels as possible.

Some Edsels arrived at dealers with such shoddy build quality that dealers had to sink time and money into making the cars presentable—or even saleable. Note the box in the lower right of the preceding ad. The pony campaign succeeded only in bringing more headaches—but not sales—to increasingly forlorn Edsel dealers. By historical standards, sales of 50, for a rookie automobile were actually quite good.

But Ford had—unrealistically—hoped for , Trick or treat! On October 31, , the Edsel was advertised for sale. Eighteen models—in truth, probably too many—had been available for the model year. But Robert McNamara, now president of Ford Motor Corporation and a longtime opponent of the Edsel program, saw to it that only ten Edsel models were offered for The Edsel most noticeably toned down the front grille, arguably the most distinctive styling element of the car.

Ford had certainly heard the jokes about the grille looking like a toilet seat. Or a component of female genitalia. Or that the Edsel looked like an Oldsmobile sucking a lemon. Many boasts in this ad seem more like atonements for things Ford realized had gone wrong with the Edsel. But the Edsel would soon make history—by becoming history.

By spring , only the Louisville plant was producing Edsels, and in limited quantities.