A magazine ad from the much ballyhooed launch of Ford's new Edsel for the 1958 model year.
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It was a mercy killing, of sorts. On
November 19, 1960 the Ford Motor Company
announced it was killing its Edsel brand
in just its third model year. Named to honor Henry Ford’s only son and a former
company president who had died in 1943 at the age of 59, the car was launched
amid considerable fanfare in 1957 for the ’58 model year.
It was a large car aimed at the mid-range
market and had a number of break-through features and unique styling. It was the styling the public noticed first,
dominated by the shield shaped center grill
that was a radical departure from the standard horizontal grills that had
become standard on post-war on
cars. The public thought that instead of
being ultra-modern—the pre-launch hype—that it was ugly.
The Edsel did feature a number of innovations. Some, like dashboard warning lights for low oil levels and an over-heated
engine, self-adjusting breaks, seat belts, and “childproof” automatic locks
on rear seats, eventually became standard
in most cars. Others like the rolling dome speedometer mounted on top
of the dashboard, simply puzzled buyers.
The highly touted Teletouch push button transmission in the center of the steering wheel was clumsy and unpopular with drivers.
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The biggest flop was the highly
touted Teletouch push button transmission located on the recessed hub of the steering wheel. Not only was it clumsy to use, because divers
were used to having the horn mounted
on the steering wheel hub and there reports of some reflexively hitting the
buttons while trying to beep the horn resulting in damage to the transmission
and accidents.
The car was also essentially in competition
with Ford’s already established Mercury
brand in the mid-priced range.
Launched during a recession
with mid-priced cars slumping in sales, both brands suffered. In ’58 Edsel offered five styles, the two
largest built on Mercury platforms,
the rest on Fords.
The first year 63,110 Edsels were sold
in the United States; and 4,935 in Canada—a solid launch but well below
expectations. But production problems—the cars were assembled on Ford and Mercury assembly lines after they completed
daily quotas of the other cars—caused quality problems. Sometimes cars were delivered with some of
the parts not yet assembled but packed in the trunk for dealer mechanics to assemble.
Parts did not fit well. The top-of-the-line
V-8 engine although powerful was detested
by mechanics unfamiliar with its flat
head design.
Many customers who had enthusiastically
bought a new Edsel felt they had purchased a lemon. Word of mouth on the car went from bad to worse during the model
year and automotive magazines and newspaper columns pummeled it. Pretty soon TV comics were doing Edsel jokes.
In its second year, Ford ended Edsel
as a standalone division and merged it into its Lincoln- Mercury division.
It scrapped the two largest models and built cars only on the Ford
platform. That year sales plummeted to 44,891 in the U.S. and 2,505 in Canada.
In its last production year Ford's Lincoln-Mercury Division scrapped the Edsel's distinctive features and peddled basically a Ford with different trim.
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In its final year, the Edsel dropped
most of its distinctive features and became essentially a Ford with different
trim. Dealers could hardly give them
away. When Ford executives finally
pulled the plug only 2,846 were built for the 1960 model year. After the announcement that the brand was
being killed, the many remaining cars on dealer lots precipitously lost value. Many could not be sold—or sold up to two or
three years later at essentially used car prices.
Among the big losers were the
local businessmen who opened Edsel dealerships. This one was in for
a double whammy--it also sold the soon doomed Studebaker.
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In total 118,287 Edsels were built
and the company lost $350 million—over $2.5 billion in today’s Dollars. The company was dealt a severe blow from
which it did not recover until the compact Falcon
exploded on the market selling 400,000 in its first year.
One Edsel platform did survive. The Comet
was planned for the ’61 model year and shared
attributes with the Falcon. It was
assigned to Mercury instead and went on to be a solid success.
58 years after its demise, Edsel remains
the byword for corporate failure in America.
First off Edsel was discontinued on November 19, 1959--- not 1960 as you posted.
ReplyDeleteSecondly, COMET was introduced on March 17, 1960, as just COMET. It was not deemed a Mercury until two years later with the 1962 Models.
Also--- there is no Evidence of 1960 model Edsels taking two or three years to sell. Where did you get this crap from?
ReplyDeleteOne more thing--- Edsel Division ceased mid January 1958- Halfway through the 1958 model year--- they did not wait until 1959 as you note. Everything I have noted are common facts that should not be this off when one has GOOGLE.
ReplyDeleteMy aren't we hostile. I don't have notes for this post, but everything was sourced in good faith from publicly available internet sources. I don't pretend to be an automotive exert, but am a general interest blogger working with out a net on a daily schedule.
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