New Ford Will Be Fusion
Ford Motor Co. is putting a new face on its NASCAR Nextel Cup entry next year. The automaker is expected to announce as early as this week that the Ford Fusion will replace the venerable Taurus on North America's most popular racing circuit, said people familiar with the plan. After 20 years, Ford is pulling the plug on Taurus production early in 2006, and NASCAR rules require that race cars be based on showroom models. The Fusion arrives on dealer lots this fall. NASCAR fans are extremely loyal to brands that support the series, and Ford is banking on the affiliation to immediately establish Fusion in the marketplace. The 280,000 members of the Team Ford Racing club own, on average, 1.8 Ford vehicles per household, the automaker claims. Compared with other brand owners, they are nearly three times as likely to stick with Ford. While Fusion's NASCAR presence could benefit Ford's bottom line, will it perform on the track as well as Taurus? Roush Racing, a division of Livonia-based Roush Industries, has won the last two NASCAR Nextel Cup championships using Taurus entries. "We expect (the new car) will be just as competitive as what we have on the track right now," said Geoff Smith, president of Roush Racing.(Detroit News)
Ford Motor Co. is putting a new face on its NASCAR Nextel Cup entry next year. The automaker is expected to announce as early as this week that the Ford Fusion will replace the venerable Taurus on North America's most popular racing circuit, said people familiar with the plan. After 20 years, Ford is pulling the plug on Taurus production early in 2006, and NASCAR rules require that race cars be based on showroom models. The Fusion arrives on dealer lots this fall. NASCAR fans are extremely loyal to brands that support the series, and Ford is banking on the affiliation to immediately establish Fusion in the marketplace. The 280,000 members of the Team Ford Racing club own, on average, 1.8 Ford vehicles per household, the automaker claims. Compared with other brand owners, they are nearly three times as likely to stick with Ford. While Fusion's NASCAR presence could benefit Ford's bottom line, will it perform on the track as well as Taurus? Roush Racing, a division of Livonia-based Roush Industries, has won the last two NASCAR Nextel Cup championships using Taurus entries. "We expect (the new car) will be just as competitive as what we have on the track right now," said Geoff Smith, president of Roush Racing.(Detroit News)
What a joke.