The Edsel was an automobile marque that was planned, developed, and manufactured by the Ford Motor Company during the 1958, 1959, and 1960 model years. With the Edsel, Ford had expected to make significant inroads into the market share of both General Motors and Chrysler and close the gap between itself and GM in the domestic American automotive market. But contrary to Ford's internal plans and projections, the Edsel never gained popularity with contemporary American car buyers and sold poorly. The Ford Motor Company lost millions of dollars on the Edsel's development, manufacturing and marketing. The very word "Edsel" became a popular symbol for a commercial failure.
Ford Motor Company became a publicly traded corporation on January 17, 1956, and thus was no longer entirely owned by members of the Ford family. The company was now able to sell cars according to current market trends following the sellers' market of the postwar years. Ford's new management compared the company's roster of makes with that of General Motors and Chrysler, and concluded that Lincoln was competing not with Cadillac, but with Oldsmobile, Buick and DeSoto. Ford developed a plan to move Lincoln upmarket, with the Continental broken out as a separate make at the top of Ford's product line, and to add a premium/intermediate vehicle to the intermediate slot vacated by Lincoln.
The Edsel was an automobile manufactured by Ford Motor Company, named after Edsel Ford, son of Henry Ford.
Edsel or Edsell may also refer to:
Edsel is a masculine given name which may refer to:
Hair Raising, Painstaking
All Around You Battles Raging
Pot Boiling, Fast Talking
I Saw You Jay Walking
Looking In Parked Car Windows
To See Your Own Reflection
Life Is Still Sweet, Life Is Still Sweet
Just Forget What I Said Last Week
Life Is Still Sweet
Compromising, Solarizing
Breaking Up Can Be Pulverizing
You Can Be All You Want Dear
Don't Forget Your Riot Gear
May The Wind Blow Behind You
May Happiness Someday Find You
Rollercoaster, Oven Toaster
On The Road To A One-Hit Wonder
Trailblazing Totally Amazing
Looking Up While You're Going Under
Please Step Away From The Car