In my opinion, Ford can’t keep a consistent line up with cars. Look how it has evolved from 1990. Escort, probe, focus, Taurus, five hundred, freestyle, windstar, freestar, crown vic... hell, osprey, fiesta, festiva, tempo?!
Honda and Toyota have committed to refining what they have, not jumping ship, and that may directly correlate why Toyota and Honda have higher resale values. Toyota played around with the scion brand, but for the most part they have had very little name changing, if any. Same with Honda.
A lot of people trade in for the new model that they have been comfortable with for the last 5-8 years. They know it’s gonna work and be what they can depend on. It seems that Ford uses innovation and facelifts to draw a customer away from other manufacturers and when they do, the product is gone or revamped when it’s time to trade in for a new car, leaving the consumer to go car shopping again, because their beloved car is dated and the replacement has had the name changed or 73 recalls. Now that generation has abandoned Ford, and Ford will have to appeal to a new crowd, creating a viscous cycle. There’s too many variations in the Ford line up. They need to cut the fat and make it more concise.