: 96 Sharing its name with the Audi Fox (although not named after it), Ford executives experienced with the automotive industry outside the United States sought to benchmark a new design from a popular European subcompact design. In December 1973, Lee Iacocca formally approved development of the Fox platform. Ford of Europe sold the Escort as its smallest car Ford UK sold the Cortina while Ford of Germany sold the Taunus : 151 Fox platform development Lincoln-Mercury sold no small cars of its own, importing the Capri from Ford of Europe. : 150, 151 At the time, the Ford small-car product line included the subcompact Pinto and the Mustang II and the compact Maverick while the Mustang II was several months from release, the Maverick was derived from the Falcon. Ī proponent of downsizing, Sperlich conceived of a " World Car" that could be sold in both Europe and North America as a solution to the needs of the various divisions. : 112 Hal Sperlich was Ford Vice President of Product Planning and Research. Bourke, ex-chairman of Ford of Europe and one-time managing director of Ford of Australia, was made executive vice president of North American Operations Robert Alexander, previously with Ford of Europe as vice president in charge of car development, was moved to same position in the United States. Under chairman/CEO Henry Ford II and president Lee Iaccoca, several changes were made at the executive level of Ford Motor Company. : 150 October 1973 marked the beginning of the first 1970s oil crisis, leading gas prices to increase to US$.55 (equivalent to $3.63 in 2022) per gallon. In May, the EPA released the first comprehensive list of fuel economy data in addition for providing information for consumers, the data was required to establish protocols for CAFE and gas-guzzler taxes. In the American automotive industry, 1973 marked a significant period of transition. For 2005, the fifth-generation Ford Mustang adopted the rear-wheel drive D2C platform, the fifth and final vehicle architecture developed as a Fox-platform replacement. After the 1992 model year, the Ford Mustang was the sole model to use the chassis. While best known for underpinning the Ford Mustang pony car, the Fox platform also saw use in personal luxury segments, underpinning coupes for all three Ford divisions.ĭuring the mid-1980s, the usage of the Fox platform began to decline as Ford transitioned its compact and mid-size vehicle lines to front-wheel drive. As downsizing expanded into the intermediate segment, the Fox platform came into use for mid-size applications, replacing the larger Ford Torino chassis. For 1978, the Ford Fairmont and Mercury Zephyr were the first models derived from the chassis, replacing the Ford Maverick and Mercury Comet. Produced across 26 model years, the Fox platform is the second-longest car architecture ever designed by Ford Motor Company (behind the Panther platform, 33 model years).ĭesigned to be relatively lightweight and simple, the Fox platform was initially developed to replace several derivatives of the Ford Falcon compact architecture dating from 1960. In its original form, the platform was used through the 1993 model year a substantial redesign of the Ford Mustang extended its life into the 21st century, ending production in 2004. Introduced for compact sedans in the 1978 model year, the Fox architecture was utilized for a wide variety of configurations for Ford and Lincoln-Mercury vehicles. The Ford Fox platform is an automobile platform that was used by Ford Motor Company. Ford Falcon platform (Ford Maverick/Ford Granada/Mercury Comet/Mercury Monarch)įord Torino platform (Ford LTD II/Ford Thunderbird/Mercury Cougar)įord Panther platform (Lincoln Continental/Continental Mark VI)
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