Ford farewells:
Strong and frequently emotional emotions have been sparked by Ford's revelation that the Fiesta will be withdrawn in 2023, just short of its 50th anniversary. Although it is understandable, this kind of thing has happened in the past and will happen again. Ford, which has been in business for more than a century, has allowed several well-known brand names to fade into obscurity or soon will. Here are 27 examples, arranged alphabetically. All of them were, to varying degrees, well-liked in their day and had been in existence for at least ten years. Using the Fiesta as an example, we include models that were made over multiple generations, many of which had little in common with one another.
C-Max:
After receiving a redesign in 2007, this small MPV—which was once known as the Focus C-Max due to its close resemblance to Ford's well-liked medium-sized hatchback—was renamed C-Max. The C-Max was older than its sibling in one respect. It shared the same platform as the second-generation Focus, which didn't come out until the following year when it was first introduced in 2003. Arriving in 2011, was a second C-Max built on a different platform. Eight years later, as customer preferences shifted from MPVs to SUVs, it was abandoned.
Consul:
Ford of Britain built its first unibody vehicle, the Consul, which debuted in 1951 and had an edgy, US-inspired design that was quite unlike anything the business had ever tried. In 1956, a new model was introduced and stayed in production until 1962. After then, the name was not used again for ten years, from 1972 to 1975, when low-spec first-generation Granada models were produced. The 24-year existence of the name was not entirely uninterrupted for 10 years as one might assume. As previously noted, around this time there were vehicles known as Consul Classic and Consul Capri. Additionally, the first-generation Cortina and early Corsair models were referred to as Consul Cortina and Consul Corsair, respectively.
Corcel:
The Corcel, which is not well-known outside of South America, was sold for eighteen years in various South American nations. The Corcel was closely related to the Renault 12, although having significantly different looks, and it was launched into production in 1968, one year ahead of the European automobile. When it was first being developed, it wasn't even a Ford project; rather, it was a Willys-Overland Brazilian division, which Ford acquired in 1967. After a makeover in 1975, the Corcel was sold for a further 11 years as a second-generation model.
Cortina:
After being on sale for four generations (or maybe five, depending on how you count these things) until it was replaced by the Sierra 20 years later, this vehicle was first debuted in 1962 under the short-lived name Consul Cortina. In South Africa, the original home of the Cortina, a pick-up derivative known in most markets as the P100, was still being sold as late as 1984. 1967 saw the second Cortina saloon become the most registered car in the United Kingdom, followed by the third from 1972 to 1975, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. This honour was bestowed upon the previous iteration between 1977 and 1981. Referred classified as Mk5, examples constructed after 1980 are onwards are referred to as Mk5, though this generation was only a slight upgrade of the Mk4.
Courier:
Since 1952, the term Courier has been applied to a large number of Ford automobiles, some of which were produced concurrently in several locations. The first vehicle with the name on it was a big panel van based on a saloon that was sold up until 1960. Twelve years later, a lengthy line of Mazda-based pickups was launched; in some areas they were dubbed Ranger, while in Australia and New Zealand, they were continuously marketed under the Courier name until 2006. While a Fiesta-based pickup truck of the same name was manufactured in Brazil until 2013, a quite different Courier—a panel van variant of the Fiesta—was marketed in Europe from 1991 to 2002. Ford Couriers are no longer in production, although the name is still present on several
Escort:
When Ford debuted the first Escort in 1955, it was a less equipped but mechanically identical Squire estate car. The name was dropped for a period, but it was revived for a well-known line of European mid-sized automobiles manufactured between 1968 and the beginning of the new millennium. From 1981 to 2003, three generations of a totally separate North American Escort were created. It would be fair to argue that the escort is firmly a thing of the past in Western markets as all of the aforementioned have been eliminated. But since 2015, China has been producing and marketing a different kind of escorts.
