![]() And VW sales were of course unfazed and continued to grow. Combined 19 (full size) Ford and Falcon sales were lower in both years than 1959 Ford (full size) sales. As such, they were really more of a relatively compact alternative to the traditional American car than genuine import fighters.Īnd that’s exactly how it turned out to be with the Falcon: it was very successful in its first few years, but its sales came totally at the expense of the full-sized Ford. But in the end, all three of the new 1960 compacts (Falcon, Corvair, Valiant) ended up considerably larger, with six cylinder engines and interior room to seat six adults. As was the case with GM and Chrysler, initially the plans for their compact was a smaller four-cylinder car. ![]() In December of 1957, Ford green-lighted the Falcon. A growing number of Americans, especially women, wanted smaller cars. The issue was exacerbated by the fact that the Big Three’s standard cars were growing rapidly in size and weight throughout the decade. Like GM and Chrysler, Ford could no longer ignore this inconvenient reality. In the mid 50s, import sales in the US rose very strongly, led by the VW Beetle. It turns out to be even more complicated than I might have imagined. So I have attempted to piece together a comprehensive Cardinal -12M story from the various sources. It’s the best one out there, but it too has some omissions. Thanks to a tip from a CC commenter Staxman, I finally found an excellent article in a 1977 SIA (Special Interest Automobiles) by the highly respected historian Karl Ludvigsen. The details of how that all transpired has eluded me largely there’s plenty of stories and snippets on the web, but they’re not credible, at least to this cynic. The 12M was not the small car Ford of Germany in Cologne had wanted to build, for some good reasons. Yet at the very last minute, the plug was pulled.īut the Cardinal did go into production in Germany as the Taunus P4 12M, somewhat reluctantly. It was objectively superior to the Beetle in just about every way, and was fully ready to roll off the production lines in Kentucky in the summer of 1962. I’ve been fascinated about Ford developing a genuine VW fighter in the US, with FWD, no less, since I first read about it as a kid. Ford Motor Company reserves the right to modify the terms of this plan at any time.There’s not a lot of untold or compelling car stories that we haven’t covered here yet, but the Ford Cardinal is one of them. See your Ford or Lincoln Dealer for complete details and qualifications. If you need additional information concerning the A/Z Plans, please refer back to your A/Z Plan Pricing website for complete details.Ī/X/Z Plan pricing, including A/X/Z Plan option pricing, is exclusively for eligible Ford Motor Company employees, friends and family members of eligible employees, and Ford Motor Company eligible partners. If you close your window or tab, you must re-access the site through the A/Z Plan Pricing website to ensure that all eligible plan pricing is visible. What happens if I close this site before I'm finished? Contact your local dealer to determine their level of participation in the program and final vehicle pricing. ![]() Also, some dealers may choose not to participate in A/Z Plan pricing. In addition, some vehicles, trims or options you select may not qualify for A/Z Plans. Note: A/Z Plan pricing information is not available on all Ford websites. Welcome A/Z Plan Participant Now you can view exclusive price savings on our Build & Price shopping tool.
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