Gold_Rush
03-28-2005, 11:33 AM
SVT Boost: Ford sets a 5-model limit; Focus, Fusion among likely candidates
AMY WILSON | Automotive News
Posted Date: 3/27/05
DETROIT -- Ford Motor Co.'s performance group is bigger and better-funded than ever, says Ford product chief Phil Martens.
Despite a two-year drought that won't see an SVT-branded vehicle on the market until mid-2006, Ford has expanded its Special Vehicle Team to at least 200 people, Martens says. It previously employed around 120 people.
Today's SVT budget also is higher than it has been in the past, he says. Martens wouldn't disclose the investment in SVT or the percentage increase to the budget.
Ford has benchmarked competitors such as BMW's M-series performance group while rebuilding SVT.
"To a certain degree, we have to earn" that kind of a reputation, says Martens, Ford group vice president of product creation. "We can't come out of the block and say we're an M-division team."
Ford last sold SVT-branded products during the 2004 model year. The drought came as Ford redesigned two key SVT nameplates, the Mustang and F-150 pickup.
Ford also discontinued its SVT Focus last year, saying it wasn't upscale enough. Martens more recently has said Ford will take another look at an SVT Focus. Longtime SVT leader John Coletti retired in December and was replaced by Hau Thai-Tang, chief engineer of the 2005 Mustang.
Martens says Ford eventually will have up to five SVT-branded vehicles at any one time. The first, the 2007 Shelby Cobra GT500, will go on sale next summer. That 450-plus-hp coupe is the first special edition of the redesigned Mustang. Ford will follow with the Ford Sport Trac Adrenalin in 2007.
Ford displayed the GT500 and the 390-hp Adrenalin at the New York auto show last week.
Prices for SVT products will range from less than $20,000 to more than $40,000, Martens says. The GT500 will cost about $40,000.
In addition to natural candidates such as the redesigned Mustang, Ford intends to spread a performance element across the broader Ford brand, Martens says. SVT-badged products will be restricted to Ford Division, but SVT engineers are likely to help develop vehicles for other corporate brands.
Martens won't say what other nameplates are on the SVT list, but likely candidates are the Fusion sedan, debuting this fall, and the Focus. SVT was developing an F-150 Lightning until that project was put on hold last year.
Martens wouldn't say how soon SVT will reach the five-vehicle limit.
"If you get beyond that, it really gets too expensive," he says. "It's difficult to fund and manage the cycle."
source: Autoweek
Interesting. I like the idea of there being a limit and the idea of SVT working on other brands but not applying SVT badging to them. I like the idea of not slapping SVT on everything sight. That would dilate the SVT brand which has historically been exlusive.
It's odd that they'd go on record for dropping the Focus last year because it wasn't upscale enough, but they're now considering it?? Do they think it is finally worthy of SVT badging once again or something? With the Europe market having a 220hp Fwd Turbocharged Focus ST and a new 250hp AWD Focus RS, are we finally going to see one of these bad boys stateside badged as an SVT? I would really love to see the Awd 250hp RS as an SVT focus. Only problem is that they have the new platform focus, and we're still on the old one. I don't see them building an SVT focus on the old platform since it is suppose be dropped for the new one soon. Assuming we get the new platform 2007 as a 2008 model year, this SVT focus is still a couple of years away. I'd think a 2008 model year at the earliest. By then, i'd expect even more than 250hp.
The Fusion is a nobrainer. It will have MazdaSpeed6 mechanicals. I expect a sub-300hp Turbocharged 2.3L 4cyl, 6spd manual, and AWD with all the SVT goodies. I am very much looking forward to this car. This car probably isn't too far away since the fusion debuts this summer and i'm assuming a good portion of the engineering was already done with the Mazdaspeed6. We just might see it late 2006 as a 2007 model i would think.
So the 5 models probably will be something like this i take it. The top 3 are pretty much set in stone. It's the last 2 that i'm uncertain of.
1) Mustang - GT500
2) Ford Sport-trac Adrenalin truck
3) Fusion
4) Focus???
5) Five hundred?? or Lightning assuming Ford still wants a full sized sports truck.
AMY WILSON | Automotive News
Posted Date: 3/27/05
DETROIT -- Ford Motor Co.'s performance group is bigger and better-funded than ever, says Ford product chief Phil Martens.
Despite a two-year drought that won't see an SVT-branded vehicle on the market until mid-2006, Ford has expanded its Special Vehicle Team to at least 200 people, Martens says. It previously employed around 120 people.
Today's SVT budget also is higher than it has been in the past, he says. Martens wouldn't disclose the investment in SVT or the percentage increase to the budget.
Ford has benchmarked competitors such as BMW's M-series performance group while rebuilding SVT.
"To a certain degree, we have to earn" that kind of a reputation, says Martens, Ford group vice president of product creation. "We can't come out of the block and say we're an M-division team."
Ford last sold SVT-branded products during the 2004 model year. The drought came as Ford redesigned two key SVT nameplates, the Mustang and F-150 pickup.
Ford also discontinued its SVT Focus last year, saying it wasn't upscale enough. Martens more recently has said Ford will take another look at an SVT Focus. Longtime SVT leader John Coletti retired in December and was replaced by Hau Thai-Tang, chief engineer of the 2005 Mustang.
Martens says Ford eventually will have up to five SVT-branded vehicles at any one time. The first, the 2007 Shelby Cobra GT500, will go on sale next summer. That 450-plus-hp coupe is the first special edition of the redesigned Mustang. Ford will follow with the Ford Sport Trac Adrenalin in 2007.
Ford displayed the GT500 and the 390-hp Adrenalin at the New York auto show last week.
Prices for SVT products will range from less than $20,000 to more than $40,000, Martens says. The GT500 will cost about $40,000.
In addition to natural candidates such as the redesigned Mustang, Ford intends to spread a performance element across the broader Ford brand, Martens says. SVT-badged products will be restricted to Ford Division, but SVT engineers are likely to help develop vehicles for other corporate brands.
Martens won't say what other nameplates are on the SVT list, but likely candidates are the Fusion sedan, debuting this fall, and the Focus. SVT was developing an F-150 Lightning until that project was put on hold last year.
Martens wouldn't say how soon SVT will reach the five-vehicle limit.
"If you get beyond that, it really gets too expensive," he says. "It's difficult to fund and manage the cycle."
source: Autoweek
Interesting. I like the idea of there being a limit and the idea of SVT working on other brands but not applying SVT badging to them. I like the idea of not slapping SVT on everything sight. That would dilate the SVT brand which has historically been exlusive.
It's odd that they'd go on record for dropping the Focus last year because it wasn't upscale enough, but they're now considering it?? Do they think it is finally worthy of SVT badging once again or something? With the Europe market having a 220hp Fwd Turbocharged Focus ST and a new 250hp AWD Focus RS, are we finally going to see one of these bad boys stateside badged as an SVT? I would really love to see the Awd 250hp RS as an SVT focus. Only problem is that they have the new platform focus, and we're still on the old one. I don't see them building an SVT focus on the old platform since it is suppose be dropped for the new one soon. Assuming we get the new platform 2007 as a 2008 model year, this SVT focus is still a couple of years away. I'd think a 2008 model year at the earliest. By then, i'd expect even more than 250hp.
The Fusion is a nobrainer. It will have MazdaSpeed6 mechanicals. I expect a sub-300hp Turbocharged 2.3L 4cyl, 6spd manual, and AWD with all the SVT goodies. I am very much looking forward to this car. This car probably isn't too far away since the fusion debuts this summer and i'm assuming a good portion of the engineering was already done with the Mazdaspeed6. We just might see it late 2006 as a 2007 model i would think.
So the 5 models probably will be something like this i take it. The top 3 are pretty much set in stone. It's the last 2 that i'm uncertain of.
1) Mustang - GT500
2) Ford Sport-trac Adrenalin truck
3) Fusion
4) Focus???
5) Five hundred?? or Lightning assuming Ford still wants a full sized sports truck.