Ford Motor Company eventually decided on the name Ford Edsel, in honor of Edsel B. Ford, son of the company's founder, Henry Ford (though Henry Ford II did not like the idea [2]). The Edsel was to be sold through a newly formed division of the Ford Motor Company, as a companion to the Ford Division, Mercury Division, Lincoln Division and (newly formed but also short-lived) Continental Division. The free-standing Edsel division existed from November 1956 until January 1958, after the which Edsel sales and marketing operations were the resource persons integrated into the Mercury-Edsel-Lincoln division (Referred to as MEL). Initially Edsel was sold through a network of approximately 1.187 new dealers. For
the Ford Edsel 1958 model year, Edsel produced four models [3]: The larger Mercury-based Citation and Corsair, and the Smaller-based PACER and Ford Ranger. The Citation was Offered in two-door and four-door two-door hardtop and convertible versions. The PACER was available as a two-door or four-door hardtop, four-door sedan, or a two-door convertible. The Ranger was sold in two-door and four-door hardtop or sedan versions. Unlike Ford and Mercury, the Edsel Division Had never any dedicated manufacturing plants. All Edsels were the resource persons or Mercury built in Ford plants on a contract basis.
For the Ford Edsel 1959 model year, Edsel fielded only two series, the Ford-based Ranger and Corsair. Replacing the PACER as the top-line-based Edsel Ford, the new Corsair was Offered as a two-door and four-door hardtop, four-door sedan, and two-door convertible. The Ranger was sold as a two-door and four-door hardtop, two-door and four-door sedan, and the Villager station wagon. The Edsel's front and rear bumpers were the resource persons also unique. The 1960 Edsel Ranger four-door hardtop models used the thin-pillar four-door Ford Fairlane sedan roofline, as opposed to the "square" roofline used on the corresponding Ford four-door hardtop, the which was exclusive to the Galaxie line. This gave the Edsel was a four-door hardtop, a unique body style Offered That was never on any 1960 Ford.
Among many U.S. marketing professors, the story of the Edsel car is Considered the classic brand failure of all time. Dubbed 'the Titanic of automobiles', the Edsel is Certainly one of the Biggest branding disasters to afflict the Ford Motor Company.Although the car did not Appear in showrooms until September 1957, ads promoting it Had Begun to Appear months Previously teaser bearing the slogan: 'The Edsel is Coming'.Ford decided though, to fuel public interest, the car Itself Should not be seen in the ads, and even Pls Ford dealers started stocking the car in showrooms Their, They were the resource persons of toll They Had to keep the vehicles undercover. As Ford hoped, interest was fuelled. For instance, part of the market research process Had been to find a Suitable name for the new car. Henry Ford II, the grandson of Henry Ford, Agreed. Edsel was the name of his father, and the Ford founder's only son. The PR director, C GayleWarnock, Edsel Knew That was not the right name. According to Robert Lacey in his book Ford: The Men and the Machine, Warnock responded to the new Edsel name by declaring: 'We have just lost 200,000 sales.' As it turned out, the name was the least of the Edsel's problems. The first blueprint for the Edsel looked truly impressive, as Robert Lacey writes in his book on Ford. Edsel's chief designer, Roy Brown Jr. Had always set out to design a car That would be instantly recognizable, from any direction. In particular, the car's front-end bonnet and grille commanded the most attention. 'The front end design was the most prominent feature, "confirms Phil Skinner, a respected Edsel Historian,' If you Consider other cars from the mid-1950s, They all looked somewhat alike. The promotional brochure to mark the September launch of the Edsel also promised a great deal. 'There has never been a car like the Edsel, "it promised.
This was a big claim, but Ford Had equally big ambitions. The company expected to Produce 200,000 units in the car's first year. Became Car showrooms packed with curious visitors, Desperately Seeking Their first glance of the car. In the first week of its launch, almost three million members of the U.S. public visited Edsel showrooms. In the Minds of the public, the car simply did not live up to the hype. And unfortunately for Ford, Neither did the sales. Ford launched in 1959 and 1960 Edsel models but sales Fell Further events (to 44.891 and 2.846 respectively).
In November 1959 the last ever Ford's printed ad for the car and Halted production. In simple terms, Ford Had overstated its case. On 13 October 1957 the marketing campaign for Edsel took product promotion to new heights Pls Ford joined forces with the CBS television network, to run a one-hour special Called The Edsel Show. Furthermore, in an age Pls all the cars Had Successful tailfins, the Edsel was finless. As Sheila Mello explains in her informative book, Customer Centric Product Definition, the launch of the Edsel coincided with a move Towards cheaper models: Ford's decision to highlight the Edsel's powerful engine During a period Pls the buying public was gravitating toward Smaller, more fuelefficient cars Alienated potential customers. Unfortunately, too, while some Edsel models were the resource persons more expensive than comparable cars, They had an equivalent or Greater number of quality problems.
