Edsel

It is thought that in Ford Motor Company they really don’t like to remember the history with the brand Edsel. And no wonder - after all, cars of this brand can be called the loudest failure in the history of the company.

It all started in 1950 when marketers Ford Motor Company decided that they needed to create cars that would compete Oldsmobile from General Motors. A kind of middle that would cost less Lincoln и Mercurybut more expensive Ford.

The development of new cars was approached with the utmost care. Project E-car ("experimental car") was thought through from all sides for several years. The name Edsel was given in honor of the son of Henry Ford (Henry Ford) - Edsel Ford (Edsel Ford), who died in 1943, three years before the death of his father, without playing any significant role in history. Ford Motor Company (dad, considering his son soft-bodied and spineless, did everything to reduce this role to a minimum).

First Edsel were presented to the public on September 4, 1957 - the company even dubbed this date "E-day". A high-profile advertising company presented the new cars as "fundamentally new", although in reality this was far from the case, since technically Edsel little different from Ford и Mercury. And a few good (and even innovative in their own way) solutions could not hide from the eyes this similarity, which is so at odds with advertising statements. Four models went on sale - land "dreadnoughts" Citation and Corsair, built on the basis of Mercury and somewhat smaller Pacer and Ranger, based on cars Ford.

Edsel Citation 1958

In 1958, they managed to sell a little more than 10,000 Edsel - an insignificant figure, especially against the background of financial investments in a new brand. In 1959, sales were even smaller. As a result, on November 19, 1959, the closure of the division was announced. Edsel. On this matter Ford Motor Company suffered a loss of half a billion dollars. "Wrong car, wrong market, wrong time" - this is how the magazine described this drama Time.

In the future, historians and marketers have repeatedly tried to explain the reason for such a phenomenal failure. After all, according to all preliminary studies, the project E-car promised huge profits and promised to enjoy great success. Yes, and for an advertising company Ford Motor Company did not stint. It is believed that these cars were not bad, but they were ruined by the wrong marketing. And especially unreasonable price - Edsel got too expensive. They were far more expensive than cars. Ford and practically approached the more prestigious and time-tested Mercury. That is, those consumers who had money preferred the more expensive segment, while those who had little did not even look away. Edsel. In addition, the end of the 50s was marked by a decline in consumer interest in huge American cars. More and more people looked at the small, economical and much more reliable "Europeans". By the way, when in 1960 Ford Motor Company introduced a small Falcon, the novelty sold 400,000 units in the first months.

significant role in the failure Edsel the insufficiently high quality of these cars also played. Besides, Ford Motor Company failed to provide its customers with good technical support. The service was carried out by hastily trained mechanics who had previously repaired Ford и Mercury and have not yet had time to gain sufficient experience to work with new products.

Edsel Corsair 1959

But that's not all. It is believed that the design and name are also the reasons for the death of the brand. Designers struggled to give the car a unique look, resorting to such a classic method as a recognizable element, like a grille. Mercedes or "nostril" bmw. As a result, before Edsel adorned with a certain geometric figure that aroused in the imagination of buyers unflattering comparisons with a toilet lid, a collar, or even a vagina. Well, as for the name, the word Edsel sounded like a lot to a lot of people "Dead Cell" – "dead battery". The paradox is that Ford Motor Company spent a lot of money in the process of choosing a name for a new brand.

There is another theory explaining the reason for the failure. Mystical - Edsel Ford was a very unhappy man, always remaining in the shadow of his father, who did not skimp on humiliation for his son. Should a business be named after him? By the way, Henry Ford II (grandson of the founder Henry Ford and son of Edsel) did not want to use his father's name for the name of the new brand at first. But, in the end, he succumbed to the persuasion of his assistants. Apparently, you need to listen only to your inner voice and no one else.

Be that as it may, but since then, US businessmen have had a slang word "edsel", meaning "total failure" и "collapse".