THE 1957-1960 FORD EDSEL'S FAILURE, POPULAR CULTURE OFTEN FAULTS THE CAR'S STYLING

In simple words , the Ford Edsel was an automobile conceived way ahead of it's time. The automobile's sole purpose was to make significant inroads into the market share of both General Motors and Chrysler. It was also supposed to close the gap between itself and GM in the domestic American automotive market.

 Unfortunately, The Ford Motor Company lost millions of dollars on the Edsel's development, manufacturing and marketing. The Edsel never gained popularity with American car buyers and the Edsel's sales figures were poor at best.


On Thursday, November 19, 1959, Ford announced the end of the Edsel. Ford Motor Co.lost $350 million, or the equivalent of $2,802,796,804 in 2014 dollars, on the Edsel program. At less than half the company's projected break-even point. Total Edsel sales were approximately 116,000. ^] Only 118,287 Edsels were built, including 7,440 produced in Ontario.


In an effort to explain the Edsel's failure, historians have advanced several theories in an effort to explain the Edsel's failure.
Consumer Reports reported that poor workmanship was the Edsel's main problem. Popular culture often blames the car’s styling. The Edsel was "the wrong car at the wrong time," according to author and Edsel scholar, Jan Deutsch.

  Analysts cite the weak internal support for the product inside Ford Motor Co.executive offices. Marketing experts hold the Edsel up as a great example of the corporate management's failure to understand American consumers.  A further reason for its lack of popularity, The name of the car, Edsel, is also often cited as a further reason for its lack of popularity.

The Edsel has become a highly collectible item among vintage car hobbyists, more than half a century after its spectacular failure. A mint 1958-1960 convertible may sell for over $100,000, fewer than 10,000 Edsels survive and are considered valuable collectors’ items.