Ford has announced that by 2022 it will all but effectively have exited the passenger car business in North America, keeping only the ever popular Mustang and the jacked up Focus Active. The company has reportedly been exploring killing off parts of its car line in North America, and in the company's quarterly financial report Ford confirmed it will switch focus almost exclusively to crossovers, abandoning most, if not all smaller body styles. Which fully explains the inexplicable push toward ST branded crossovers.

We already knew the new Fiesta wasn't planned for arrival in North America, but no one was really expecting the automaker to kill the Fusion, the Focus, and the Taurus with one swift blow to the brain. "Over the next few years, the Ford car portfolio in North America will transition to two vehicles - the best-selling Mustang and the all-new Focus Active crossover coming out next year," the automaker said in a statement. "The company is also exploring new 'white space' vehicle silhouettes that combine the best attributes of cars and utilities, such as higher ride height, space and versatility."

White spaces will almost exclusively reside in crossover segments, along with including new propulsion technologies paired with popular vehicles. Hybrid versions of the Mustang and F-150 will be among the 16 new electrified vehicles on sale from the brand by 2022. The company is also far along the development cycle with projects like the Mustang inspired electric sport utility vehicle that will focus on performance and could, but hopefully won't, be named Mach 1. Ford also said the decision was relatively easy when you consider that consumers have shown an obvious preference for crossovers, not to mention the huge benefit to the company from the increased profit margins on higher riding vehicles.