--- title: "Can I Get a Witness: Edsel’s Flop and Its Lessons" id: "58" type: "post" slug: "can-i-get-a-witness-edsels-flop-and-its-lessons" published_at: "2022-06-27T06:15:55+00:00" modified_at: "2023-05-30T18:19:10+00:00" url: "https://www.plasticsengineering.org/2022/06/can-i-get-a-witness-edsels-flop-and-its-lessons-000058/" markdown_url: "https://www.plasticsengineering.org/2022/06/can-i-get-a-witness-edsels-flop-and-its-lessons-000058.md" excerpt: "One of the most notorious flops in U.S product development history was the Edsel, which Ford Motor Co. made from 1957 to 1959. The Edsel was conceived to capture a greater share of the expanding medium-price-range car market at a…" taxonomy_category: - "Automotive & Transportation" - "Business" - "Design" taxonomy_post_tag: - "Automotive/Transportation" - "Business" - "Design" - "Ford Motor Co. Edsel" --- [Home](https://www.plasticsengineering.org/) » [News](https://www.plasticsengineering.org/news/) » [Industry](https://www.plasticsengineering.org/c/industry/) » [Automotive & Transportation](https://www.plasticsengineering.org/c/industry/automotive-transportation/) » Can I Get a Witness: Edsel’s Flop and Its Lessons # Can I Get a Witness: Edsel’s Flop and Its Lessons Ford Edsel - A good lesson for new college graduates and others who may one day guide product development teams working on what their companies hope will be the next big thing.One of the most notorious flops in U.S product development history was the Edsel, which Ford Motor Co. made from 1957 to 1959. The Edsel was conceived to capture a greater share of the expanding medium-price-range car market at a time of growing prosperity in America. What could go wrong? Almost everything. as chronicled in one chapter of a book by John Brooks titled *Business Adventures* (a reported favorite of Warren Buffet and Bill Gates). Ford gave “slavish adherence” to public opinion polls and motivational research to develop a car that would stand apart from competitors and budgeted loads of money to market it. In the end, polls and money had no effect on the car, which never caught on with the public and whose initial versions had numerous mechanical problems. Data gathered by Brooks show the extent on the Edsel’s failure. It is a good lesson for new college graduates and others who may one day guide product development teams working on what their companies hope will be the next big thing. ## $250 million Ford’s pre-launch expenditure on the Edsel. ($2.7 billion in 2022.) ## $350 million Ford’s net loss on the Edsel. ($3.8 billion in 2022.) ## 200,000 First year vehicle sales goals. ## 109,466 Total U.S. Edsel sales, 1957-59. (<1% of car market in that period.) ## 4,000 Styling decisions made during development. ## No! What the sons of former Ford president Edsel Ford replied when asked if the car could be named after him. ## E-Car Development name of the Edsel. (“Experimental Car.”) ## 18,000 Number of names ad agency Foote, Cone & Belding developed for the E-Car. ## 6,000 Number of names on list after FC&B whittled it down. ## 10 Number of names in FC&B’s final paring. ## 0 Number of FC&B names Ford accepted. ## Edsel Name selected in a no-nonsense meeting of Ford Executive Board. ## September 4, 1957 Edsel goes on sale. ## 2.85 million People who viewed the car in U.S. showrooms in September 4. ## January 14, 1958 Ford consolidates Edsel Division in Lincoln-Mercury Division. ## November 19, 1959 Ford halts Edsel production. ## Intelligent Bullet, Utopian Turtletop, Mongoose Civique, Andante con Moto E-Car names poet Marianne Moore suggested at behest of Ford executives. (None accepted.) By **[Plastics Engineering](https://www.plasticsengineering.org/author/pe-anonymous/)** | June 27, 2022 ##### [Plastics Engineering](https://www.plasticsengineering.org/author/pe-anonymous/) [+ postsBio ⮌](#) ### Other posts you could read [April 27, 2026Nanocomposite Films from Car Bumper Waste](https://www.plasticsengineering.org/2026/04/nanocomposite-films-from-car-bumper-waste-011041/) [April 30, 2026Upcycling Polyolefins into Jet Fuel Components](https://www.plasticsengineering.org/2026/04/upcycling-polyolefins-into-jet-fuel-components-011138/) [May 14, 2026Carbon Fiber Production from End-of-Life Automotive Polymers](https://www.plasticsengineering.org/2026/05/carbon-fiber-production-from-end-of-life-automotive-polymers-011254/) [May 6, 2026Reinforcement Learning for Polymer Design and Manufacturing](https://www.plasticsengineering.org/2026/05/reinforcement-learning-for-polymer-design-and-manufacturing-011146/) [May 5, 2026Assessing the Limits of Circularity in Healthcare Plastics](https://www.plasticsengineering.org/2026/05/assessing-the-limits-of-circularity-in-healthcare-plastics-011180/) [May 8, 2026Redefining “Premium” Appearance in Sustainable Plastics](https://www.plasticsengineering.org/2026/05/redefining-premium-appearance-in-sustainable-plastics-011191/) [May 7, 2026PCR Plastics Are Redefining Aesthetic Standards](https://www.plasticsengineering.org/2026/05/pcr-plastics-are-redefining-aesthetic-standards-011186/) [May 13, 2026The Logistics Challenge of Scaling Mechanical Recycling](https://www.plasticsengineering.org/2026/05/the-logistics-challenge-of-scaling-mechanical-recycling-011251/) ## Share Your Thoughts [Cancel reply](/2022/06/can-i-get-a-witness-edsels-flop-and-its-lessons-000058/#respond) - [https://twitter.com/share?url=https://www.plasticsengineering.org/?p=58&text=Can+I+Get+a+Witness%3A+Edsel%E2%80%99s+Flop+and+Its+Lessons&via=Plastics_Mag](https://twitter.com/share?url=https://www.plasticsengineering.org/?p=58&text=Can+I+Get+a+Witness%3A+Edsel%E2%80%99s+Flop+and+Its+Lessons&via=Plastics_Mag) - [https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://www.plasticsengineering.org/?p=58&t=Can+I+Get+a+Witness%3A+Edsel%E2%80%99s+Flop+and+Its+Lessons](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://www.plasticsengineering.org/?p=58&t=Can+I+Get+a+Witness%3A+Edsel%E2%80%99s+Flop+and+Its+Lessons) - [https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://www.plasticsengineering.org/?p=58&title=Can%20I%20Get%20a%20Witness:%20Edsel%E2%80%99s%20Flop%20and%20Its%20Lessons&summary=One+of+the+most+notorious+flops+in+U.S+product+development+history+was+the+Edsel%2C+which+Ford+Motor+Co.+made+from+1957+to+1959.+The+Edsel+was+conceived+to+capture+a+greater+share+of+the+expanding+medium-price-range+car+market+at+a%E2%80%A6&source=Plastics+Engineering](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://www.plasticsengineering.org/?p=58&title=Can%20I%20Get%20a%20Witness:%20Edsel%E2%80%99s%20Flop%20and%20Its%20Lessons&summary=One+of+the+most+notorious+flops+in+U.S+product+development+history+was+the+Edsel%2C+which+Ford+Motor+Co.+made+from+1957+to+1959.+The+Edsel+was+conceived+to+capture+a+greater+share+of+the+expanding+medium-price-range+car+market+at+a%E2%80%A6&source=Plastics+Engineering) - [https://www.reddit.com/submit?url=https://www.plasticsengineering.org/?p=58&title=Can+I+Get+a+Witness%3A+Edsel%E2%80%99s+Flop+and+Its+Lessons](https://www.reddit.com/submit?url=https://www.plasticsengineering.org/?p=58&title=Can+I+Get+a+Witness%3A+Edsel%E2%80%99s+Flop+and+Its+Lessons) - [/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#4a75393f28202f293e771a262b393e2329396a0f242d23242f2f3823242d6a676a092b246a036a0d2f3e6a2b6a1d233e242f3939706a0f2e392f266c6972787b7d71396a0c26253a6a2b242e6a033e396a062f39392524396c28252e3377223e3e3a397065653d3d3d643a262b393e2329392f242d23242f2f3823242d6425382d65753a777f72](/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#4a75393f28202f293e771a262b393e2329396a0f242d23242f2f3823242d6a676a092b246a036a0d2f3e6a2b6a1d233e242f3939706a0f2e392f266c6972787b7d71396a0c26253a6a2b242e6a033e396a062f39392524396c28252e3377223e3e3a397065653d3d3d643a262b393e2329392f242d23242f2f3823242d6425382d65753a777f72) - [#comments](#comments)