Re: Merger of Nash/Kelvinator, Packard & Hudson

Posted by Steve203 On 2015/4/18 21:01:57

Ford - close second to Chevrolet in the low priced field. Actually outsold Chev in 1957. Well ahead of Plymouth and the independents. Doing fine as is.

Mercury - often seen as a super deluxe Ford, an attractive proposition compared to Dodge or Pontiac.

Lincoln - let it keep selling in the Olds, Hudson, DeSoto and small Chrysler price range

Clipper - competing with Buick and Chrysler New Yorker

Packard - full blown luxury competitor to Cadillac and Imperial.

This would have eliminated the need for the Edsel.

Why even bother with the Clipper? The Clipper brand had near zero equity. Remember how Nance had the Packard name removed from Clippers and dealers and customers had a hissy fit?

Keep Lincoln positioned above Merc, and Packard above Lincoln.

Except Nance would not accept being a divisional head at Ford any more than he would accept that level of position at AMC, not until after Packard's collapse made him swallow his pride. By then it was too late. Lincoln was breaking out of being a deluxe Merc and morphing into a land yacht in 56, before Nance was brought down a peg, so that door was closed.