Ford launches the Flex, its minivan replacement
NEW YORK -- Ford Motor Co., the number two US automaker, will produce a seven-passenger vehicle to replace the company's minivans. Just don't call it a minivan.
The Flex, which Ford describes variously as a "people mover," "family vehicle," or "crossover," unveiled at the New York International Auto Show.
"They made sure it doesn't look like a minivan from the outside," said Eric Noble, president of The Car Lab, a consulting firm in Orange, Calif. "It looks like they got this one right."
Lack of success in minivans is one reason Ford has failed to reverse an 11-year slide in US market share.
Ford's most recent attempts, the Freestar and Monterey minivans, were introduced in 2003. In 2005, each sold less than half the number expected.
Ford stopped making the Freestyle and Monterey last year. In September, Ford said it would produce a seven-passenger vehicle it first showed in 2005 as a prototype dubbed the Fairlane.
At the time, Ford called the vehicle with three rows of seats a "people mover" and said it would go on sale in 2008. 