![]() For its first year on the market, the Windstar was priced above both the Aerostar and the Mercury Villager. While the competing model lines roughly benchmarked each other, the Windstar was sold only as an equivalent to the long-wheelbase "Grand" Chrysler vans, with Lincoln-Mercury selling the smaller, unrelated Mercury Villager (jointly developed with Nissan).įrom the 1995 to 1997 model years, the Windstar was sold concurrently with its Ford Aerostar predecessor initially slated for discontinuation following the 1994 model year, continued consumer and dealer demand for the Aerostar led Ford to market both vehicles. The Ford Windstar was released in March 1994 as a 1995 model, preceding the launch of the third-generation Chrysler minivans by over a year, enabling Ford to cut into Chrysler minivan sales significantly. Intended nearly exclusively for family use, the design team considered design scenarios from the perspective of pregnant women, women wearing skirts and high heels, and adopted family-friendly design features (reconfigurable cupholders, auxiliary stereo controls). ![]() While developed by the Ford truck division (the designers of the Aerostar and Econoline/Club Wagon), the Windstar was designed predominantly by a women-led engineering and design team. Trademarks were filed for the Windstar name at the USPTO on April 13, 1992, with development ending in 1993. In 1990, the WIN88 exterior design by Camilo Pardo was frozen for scheduled 1993 production, with prototypes being tested from early 1991. By 1989, design work was well underway, with a concept design theme being settled on by December 1989. To better compete with Chrysler, Ford decided its next minivan would adopt the same front-wheel drive layout popularized by Chrysler.Ĭodenamed "WIN88", development of the front-wheel drive minivan commenced in 1988 with a projected 1993 introduction (for the 1994 model year). In 1985, Ford launched the Aerostar minivan with some degree of success while it outsold the Chevrolet Astro/GMC Safari, Volkswagen Vanagon, and its Japanese competition, it consistently remained in second place in terms of sales in the minivan segment. ![]() 4 Third generation (Ford Freestar 2004–2007).In 2014, Ford reentered the segment as the Ford Transit Connect compact MPV gained 7-passenger seating in North America.ĭuring its production the Ford Windstar/Freestar and the Mercury Monterey were sourced from Oakville Assembly ( Oakville, Ontario). In North America, the model line was functionally matched by the 7-passenger 2008 Ford Taurus X wagon/CUV in Mexico, the Freestar was replaced by the Ford Transit/Tourneo. As part of the 2004 launch of the Ford Freestar, Mercury introduced its first Ford-produced minivan in a revival of the Mercury Monterey nameplate.įollowing a decline in sales across the minivan segment in the mid-2000s, the Freestar and Monterey were discontinued after the 2007 model year with no direct replacement. Unrelated to the Nissan-developed Mercury Villager, the Windstar was marketed without a Lincoln-Mercury counterpart. From the 1995 to 2007 model years, three generations of the model line were sold, with the final generation renamed as the Ford Freestar. The replacement for the Ford Aerostar, the Windstar adopted the front-wheel drive configuration of the Chrysler minivans. ![]() The Ford Windstar (later the Ford Freestar and Mercury Monterey) is a minivan that was produced and sold by Ford. ![]()
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