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Ford Explains Why It Killed Sedans: 'We Couldn't Find A Way To Compete And Be Profitable'

That said, Ford CEO Jim Farley does leave the door open for the sedan's return.

2012 Ford Taurus SHO

Adrian Padeanu

By: Adrian Padeanu

Updated: Jan 20, at 8:53am ET

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THE BREAKDOWN

CEO Jim Farley admits Ford was unable to turn a profit on sedans.
Ford's boss hints that the sedan could return one day.
The Taurus is still available, but only in China and the Middle East.

Ford hasn’t sold a sedan in the United States since the Fusion was discontinued in 2020, a year after the larger Taurus was axed. Other beloved nameplates, like the Fiesta and Focus, have also been retired, leaving the Blue Oval without a traditional car in its lineup, apart from the Mustang.

In an interview with Automotive News, CEO Jim Farley explained why Ford decided to exit the sedan segment. He said the move wasn’t driven by a lack of demand, but by the company’s inability to compete profitably:

'The sedan market is very vibrant. It’s not that there isn’t a market there. It’s just we couldn’t find a way to compete and be profitable. Well, we may find a way to do that.'

2026 Ford Mondeo (China)

2026 Ford Mondeo (China)

Photo by: Ford

Ford Axed All Regular Cars, Except For One

That last line hints at a return to sedans. Technically, Ford hasn’t abandoned the body style entirely: a mid-size sedan is still available in the Middle East as the 2026 Taurus. In China, the same car is sold as the Mondeo, the name formerly used on Europe’s Fusion, even though its size is closer to the old Taurus.

Profitability concerns also led Ford to discontinue the Fiesta and Focus. In a September 2024 interview, Farley noted that while these cars were “loved by a lot of customers,” the company wasn’t making money on them. America never received the last-generation Fiesta and Focus hatchbacks, which were retired globally in 2023 and 2025, respectively. The fourth-generation Focus was also offered as a wagon and a sedan before production ended in November 2025.

Farley famously said in 2024 that Ford is “getting out of the boring-car business and into the iconic-vehicle business,” casting popular models like the Focus in a harsh light due to their lack of profitability. Whether this strategy will extend to a rumored four-door Mustang “Mach 4” remains to be seen.

2026 Ford Mondeo (China)

Source: Ford

Ford Wants To Sell Cheaper Cars

Meanwhile, Ford Executive Chair Bill Ford emphasizes that the focus (pun intended) on affordability isn’t just about stripped-down trims: “Can you engineer vehicles that are fundamentally lower-cost so that you can pass that on to the consumer? And that’s what we’re working on.”

The hope is that this approach will make a return to sedans and more traditional cars financially viable.

Motor1's Take: People still want sedans, even in SUV-obsessed America. In 2025, Toyota sold 316,185 Camrys, up two percent from the previous year, while Corolla sales rose 6.5 percent to 248,088 vehicles, albeit including hatchback volumes. Honda moved 238,661 Civics (-1.4 percent) and 150,196 Accords (-7.7 percent).

Volkswagen’s Jetta dropped 24.4 percent, but the Golf with a proper trunk still sold 54,291 units. Hyundai’s Elantra rose eight percent to 148,200 cars. At Nissan, buyers snapped up 51,310 Versas (+20.5 percent), 152,578 Sentras (-0.1 percent), and 93,268 Altimas (-18.1 percent).

2026 Ford Mondeo (China)

Photo by: Ford

These figures prove that demand for sedans remains strong. Ford needs to engineer a cost-effective, appealing product, and customers will buy it. For now, the company is leaving money on the table for competitors.

What do you think?

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With Experian citing average car payments of $748 in Q3 2025, the market is clearly hungry for more affordable options. Kelley Blue Book also reported that the average new car transaction price in September 2025 exceeded $50,000 for the first time.

Whether a four-door Mustang is the right move is debatable, but there’s no question that Ford’s return to traditional cars is long overdue.

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Source: Automotive News

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