text: A Ford logo (Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images) 
   
   The company that put Americans in cars affirmed Wednesday that those vehicles are going the way of the Model T and it will focus ever more on trucks and SUVs. 
   
   Ford, during its announcement Wednesday that it had a first-quarter profit of $1.7 billion, said its traditional car lineup soon will be trimmed to just the Mustang and a new Focus Active crossover that comes out next year. 
   
   By 2020, nearly 90% of Ford's product lineup in North America will be trucks, SUVs and commercial vehicles. 
   
   For the first quarter, the Dearborn automaker said it earned 43 cents per share, beating Wall Street analysts' average expectations by 2 cents per share. 
   
   Ford's revenue worldwide increased 7% to $42 billion for the quarter. The 9% increase in quarterly profit can be almost entirely attributed to a drop in the automaker's effective tax rate to 9% from 28.6%, Ford officials said. 
   
   The automaker's pretax profit fell 14% from a year ago to $2.2 billion for the quarter. 
   
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   Ford also unveiled plans to pare an additional $11.5 billion in costs between 2019 and 2022. These reductions would come on top of the $14 billion in cuts that the automaker previously announced in the fall. 
   
   The latest planned reductions will come from areas including engineering, materials costs, marketing and sales. 
   
   Ford Chief Financial Officer Bob Shanks told reporters it is too early to say whether the additional cuts and "efficiency opportunities" would result in layoffs or staffing reductions. 
   
   CLOSE Ford Motor Co. unveiled its new Ford Focus compact car in China and Europe on Tuesday Detroit Free Press 
   
   “We have looked at every single part of the business," Shanks said. "It’s a little bit of everything, and I don't think they’re done yet.” 
   
   Additionally, Ford said it expects to put $5 billion less into capital expenditures from 2019 to 2022 than it once anticipated. 
   
   Shanks said that rising costs for commodities, such as aluminum, steel and copper, were a nearly $500-million drag on Ford's performance for the quarter. For the year, higher commodity costs are expected to be a $1.5-billion "head wind," Shanks said. 
   
   Ford’s decision to pull back on car production reflects a shift in consumer sentiment that has had an impact across the automotive industry. 
   
   The full-size Taurus, midsize Fusion, small Fiesta and wagon-like C-Max will no longer be sold in North America, Ford officials said. Exactly when these models will stop being sold in the market hasn't been announced. 
   
   In 2016, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles announced it would end production of the Dodge Dart and Chrysler 200 to focus even more on SUV and trucks. The company, which does still produce some car models, shuffled production and preserved factory jobs. It is seeing sales grow at its Jeep brand, with vehicles such as the Compass SUV and a new Wrangler. 
   
   Michelle Krebs, executive analyst at AutoTrader.com, said Ford’s move is no shock. 
   
   “Ford’s announcement to pretty much get out of the car business ... comes as no surprise. Ford’s car sales have been dismal for the past couple of years, and there’s no end in sight to the decline of traditional cars,” Krebs said. 
   
   2019 Ford Fusion sedan (Photo: Ford Motor Company) 
   
   Dave Sullivan, manager of product analysis for AutoPacific, Inc., called the move bold but also not surprising. 
   
   “This might be the boldest move Ford has made in many years as they pin their hopes on future products that no one has seen," he said. "Obviously, this has done well for brands such as Subaru. The competition isn't standing still and we'll see more jacked up cars, wagons, and crossovers on the market every few months for the next few years." 
   
   In North America, Ford's biggest market, the automaker's pretax profits were down $200 million to $1.9 billion. Shanks said the higher commodity prices were largely to blame. 
   
   Europe was the only other region where Ford was profitable — a $149-million pretax profit. Ford reported losses of $149 million in South America, $119 million in the Asia/Pacific region and $54 million in the Middle East and Africa. 
   
   Contact JC Reindl: 313-222-6631 or jcreindl@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @JCReindl. 
   
   Read or Share this story: https://on.freep.com/2FgScmi ||||| Ford today announced it will phase out most cars it sells in North America. According to its latest financial release, the auto giant “will transition to two vehicles” — the Mustang and an unannounced vehicle, the Focus Active, being the only traditional cars it sells in the region. Ford sees 90 percent of its North America portfolio in trucks, utilities and commercial vehicles. Citing a reduction in consumer demand and product profitability, Ford is in turn not investing in the next generation of sedans. The Taurus is no more. 
   
   The press release also talks about a new type of vehicle, though it sounds like a crossover. This so-called white space vehicle will “combine the best attributes of cars and utilities, such as higher ride height, space and versatility.” 
   
   Currently, Ford sells six sedans and coupes in North America: the Fiesta, Focus, Fusion, C-Max, Mustang and Taurus. This lineup hits multiple segments, from the compact Fiesta to the mid-size Focus, C-Max and Fusion to the full-size Taurus. The Mustang stands alone as the lone coupe. 
   
   It’s likely Lincoln’s sedans will also disappear, though this was not explicitly stated in today’s press release. Lincoln currently sells the mid-size MKZ and full-size Continental — both share platforms with Ford counterparts. If Ford is phasing out development of sedan platforms, Lincoln will likely suffer, too. 
   
   This reduction in traditional cars was a long time coming. North America consumers have increasingly turned to crossovers, trucks and SUVs over sedans and small cars. A trip to any parking lot will likely produce more evidence to this movement. There are several factors involved, from more fuel-efficient and better-equipped trucks and SUVs to improved safety ratings and ride qualities of these vehicles. 
   
   Ford also today reaffirmed its commitment to bringing hybrid-electric powertrains to the F-150, Mustang, Explorer, Escape and upcoming Bronco. 
   
   This announcement comes several weeks after Ford explained in broad terms its love affair of trucks and SUVs. Ford estimates that SUVs could make up as much as half the entire U.S. industry’s retail market by 2020, and that’s why it’s shifting $7 billion in investment capital from its cars business over to the SUV segment. By 2020, Ford also aims to have high-performance SUVs in market, including five with hybrid powertrains and one fully battery-electric model. 
   
   With this big hybrid push on the SUV side, Ford expects to go from second to first-place in the U.S. hybrid vehicles market by sales, surpassing current leader Toyota by 2021, thanks also to the forthcoming hybrid Mustang and F-150. 
   
   The sedan was long a staple for Ford. The Lincoln Continental defined the ’60s. And then there was the Ford Galaxy, which was available in countless variations for nearly 20 years. Then in the ’80s came the LTD, Crown Victoria and Taurus. Ford even went rally racing with its cars, namely the Escort and later Focus. But while all these nameplates rose and fell, there was another always present: The Mustang. 
   
   Ford’s little pony turned 54 in April 2018. The Mustang has been in production since 1964 and seems ready for yet another generation of drivers. The car has been reinvented several times and will likely be reinvented several more before its nameplate is retired. For now, though, the Mustang is here to stay.
target: – Some 110 years after the first Model T rolled off the line, Ford has decided to start phasing out car sales. The company announced Wednesday that it "will not invest in next generations of traditional Ford sedans for North America." In a financial release, Ford said that it plans to transition to just two cars over the next few years: the Ford Mustang and the new Ford Active, a "crossover" vehicle to be released next year. Ford currently sells the Fiesta, Focus, Fusion, C-Max, Mustang, and Taurus sedans and coupes in North America reports TechCrunch, which notes that the Lincoln sedans are also expected to vanish. Ford hasn't said exactly when the Taurus and other models will be phased out, but the company's statement says almost 90% of its North America portfolio will be trucks, utilities, and commercial vehicles by 2020. Auto industry experts say the move is a bold one, but not totally unexpected, given the continuing shift among consumers away from cars and toward SUVs. " Ford’s announcement to pretty much get out of the car business ... comes as no surprise," says analyst Michelle Krebs, per the Detroit Free Press. "Ford’s car sales have been dismal for the past couple of years, and there’s no end in sight to the decline of traditional cars."