It turns out Ford might bring back hatchbacks, sedans after all

Over the last decade, Ford has dropped almost all of its traditional sedan and hatchback nameplates. This ploy is one the Blue Oval hasn’t tried to hide, with the marque shuffling its line-ups to focus (pun not intended) on SUVs. But now, the brand could be making a play to return to the passenger car market.

Speaking during the brand’s recent Q4 2025 earnings call, Ford chief executive Jim Farley briefly outlined a plan to return to the conventional passenger car space — albeit in a limited capacity that will prioritise launch in Europe.

“We also have plans, exciting plans for Europe, on our passenger cars. But we will play very carefully in specific segments to our strengths, to make sure that not only do we build a profitable passenger car business, but we also support our dealers’ profitability so they can invest even more in growth in Pro,” said Farley.

Ford, once full to the brim with powerhouse hatchback and sedan nameplates, has scrapped almost all of them globally in the last decade as it has pushed to pursue sales volume in the most popular new-car segment globally; SUVs. 

This pivot has seen the likes of the Falcon, Taurus, and Mondeo all depart in their respective markets. More recently, Ford finished up production of the Fiesta and Focus hatchbacks. In New Zealand, the only non-SUV passenger car that remains in Ford’s line-up is the Mustang.

These new passenger cars are tipped to be developed in conjunction with Renault. The two marques announced a formal partnership in December, with Ford confirming it will build two “affordable electric cars” in Europe. 

The models will both sit upon Renault’s fully electric Ampere platform, as used by the much celebrated Renault 5 hatchback. Like Renault, Ford is tipped to use the reboot to relaunch some of its popular, recently departed nameplates. In recent years it has brought back the Capri and Explorer names to Europe as fully electric SUVs.

“The strategic partnership with Renault Group marks an important step for Ford and supports our strategy to build a highly efficient and fit-for-the future business in Europe,” Farley said at the time of the announcement.

“We will combine Renault Group’s industrial scale and EV assets with Ford’s iconic design and driving dynamics to create vehicles that are fun, capable, and distinctly Ford in spirit.”

These new passenger car products are expected to extend beyond the two previously announced Renault-based models, though. Ford Authority reports that the boss of Ford Germany, Christoph Herr, told dealers that the brand is looking to develop a range of new passenger cars “with different forms of propulsion”.