[taiyeungjai]

Again, all are valid comments.. and the fact remains to be seen. Ford doesn't have to cater to its performance enthusiasts.. as we a small minority compared to what actually makes a profit at Ford. What really gets me is that Ford is not making much of an effort to reclaim what it lost in the last 12 years.. :( a few reviews even make that a point: SVT is probably the only thing Ford has going for it in the last 12 years. :(

Ford primarily finds profit (I'm assuming.. which I shouldn't, but for the matter of the argument) in its SUVs and trucks. With gas prices rising and more and more import influence (Honda jumping into the fray with its light duty truck) trying to fight for a piece of the pie, It's just a matter of time before even those profit centers start to erode. This isn't speculation, it is already happening.. It is a scary thought that mainly because of the success of the 05 Mustang that helped Ford boost its car sales. If they didn't have the Mustang... ::shudder::

http://www.detnews.com/2005/autosinsider/0...utos-136744.htm

It is just one example, try to find some news about Ford NA Q1 2005 that is positive.

The performance divisions do help promote the product, at least make the public aware that the manufacturer actually cares about its models! If this were not the case then Dodge would not hot rod its lowly Neon and GM would not supercharge its Cavalier replacement.