Future Products: Ford Motor Co. -- Ford gambles on a new plan for 'people-movers'

As Ford Motor Co. tries to rejuvenate its turnaround, product developers are changing long-standing plans for sport wagons and minivans.
It's an 11th-hour decision in some cases and an expensive gamble. A handful of vehicle programs have been dropped or moved to a different platform. With all the changes, product timing is tentative, sources say.
Just last January, executives touted the Ford Fairlane concept at the Detroit auto show as their vision for a new "people mover" - a minivan-type vehicle, in other words.
The Fairlane was on Ford's Mazda6-based CD3 platform. But the plan has evolved to a similar-styled vehicle built on Ford's bigger D3 platform that originated with Volvo. Both are front-wheel-drive platforms. Through 2010, Ford will rely more heavily on those two car platforms.
The first three vehicles on the Mazda-based CD3 platform - the Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln Zephyr - will debut this fall. The Volvo-based D3 platform, which traces its origin to the Volvo XC90, will be used for at least eight North American models, including a trio of Lincolns.
Ford's vehicle plan for the 2006-09 model years also includes a small SUV-like vehicle, several sport wagons, the redesigned Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator and the Ford Super Duty pickups.