Ford to end production of Blackwood

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Posted 8:49AM on Tuesday, April 2, 2002

DETROIT - Ford Motor Co. will end production of the luxury Lincoln Blackwood pickup truck in December, but officials for the automaker said a limited production run was planned from the start. The decision to end production with the 2003 model, first reported by the Automotive News in a Monday story, was made after just 379 of the $51,785 pickups were purchased after the model hit the market in November. The company had been targeting annual sales of up to 12,000. "(Ford) really missed the mark on that," said Jim Gillette, an analyst with IRN Inc., told The Detroit News for a Tuesday story. "I applaud them for giving it a shot. It was just an execution problem." But Ford officials said the 18-month production run was a planned move. "We're not killing the Blackwood because of sales or quality problem," said Lincoln spokesman Jim Cain. "We're discontinuing the Blackwood because of our original plan." Lincoln had suggested the 2002 Blackwood could create the same phenomenon for pickups as its Navigator did for luxury-sport-utilities. But Lincoln ran into delays in manufacturing the vehicle's complex cargo bed, with its power cover and wood-applique trim. And unlike other high-priced pickups, the Blackwood does not offer 4-wheel-drive and only comes in black. Chris Cedergren, analyst at NexTrend in Thousand Oaks, Calif., said the Blackwood's styling resulted in its downfall. "The overall design and execution just didn't fit the character of the market," he told the Detroit Free Press for a Tuesday story. Ford first scheduled the launch of the Blackwood for last August. But the company delayed the trucks introduction because of problems with the power cover. As a result, Ford won't reach full production on the Blackwood until later this month, Cain said. Cain said Lincoln still hopes to boost Blackwood production. The automaker expects to complete 10,000-11,000 Blackwoods before the end of production.