Editing Ford Pinto (section)

== Product development ==
[[File:Ford Pinto at Studio 1970 (3597548009).jpg|thumb|Ford Pinto design proposal, 1970]]

Initial planning for the Pinto began in the summer of 1967, was recommended by Ford's Product Planning Committee in December 1968, and was approved by Ford's board of directors in January 1969.<ref>{{harvnb|Danley|2005}}: Initial planning on the Pinto, a second-generation subcompact, began in 1967&nbsp;... In January 1969, in a victory for Iaccoca, Ford's Board approved the recommendation of the Product Planning Committee (December 1968) to produce the Pinto.</ref> Ford President [[Lee Iacocca]] wanted a 1971 model that weighed under {{convert|2000|lb|kg|0|abbr=on}} and that would be priced at less than [[US$]]2,000 (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|2000|1969}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars{{inflation-fn|US}}). The Pinto product development, from conception through delivery, was completed in 25 months when the automotive industry average was 43 months, the shortest production planning schedule in automotive history at the time. Some development processes usually conducted sequentially were conducted in parallel. [[Machine tooling]] overlapped with product development, which froze the basic design. Decisions that threatened the schedule were discouraged;<ref>{{harvnb|Gioia|1992}}: The Pinto was brought from inception to production in the record time of approximately 25 months (compared to the industry average of 43 months), a time frame that suggested the necessity for doing things expediently. In addition to the time pressure, the engineering and development teams were required to adhere to the production "limits of 2000" for the diminutive car: it was not to exceed either $2000 in cost or 2000 pounds in weight. Any decisions that threatened these targets or the timing of the car's introduction were discouraged. Under normal conditions design, styling, product planning, engineering, etc., were completed prior to production tooling. Because of the foreshortened time frame, however, some of these usually sequential processes were executed in parallel. As a consequence, tooling was already well underway (thus "freezing" the basic design)&nbsp;...</ref><ref name=md1992>{{cite journal |last1=Helms |first1=Marilyn M. |last2=Hutchins |first2=Betty A. |year=1992 |title=Poor quality products: Is their production unethical? |journal=Management Decision |volume=30 |issue=5 |page=35 |quote=When a decision was made to produce the Pinto, it was given the shortest production planning schedule in history. Tooling went on at the same time as product development so, when testing revealed a serious defect with the gas tank, the $200 million Pinto tooling machines were almost completely built. The directive came from the top, President Lee Iacocca, who emphasized that the Pinto was not to weigh an ounce over 2,000lb and not cost a cent over $2,000 and that safety was not a priority, because "safety doesn't sell". |doi=10.1108/00251749210015661}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Wojdyla|2011}}: The genesis of the Ford Pinto came sometime in 1968 when Ford's then-president Lee Iaccoca decided that his company would not sit idly by as new Japanese competitors dominated the small-car segment. He pushed the board to greenlight the Pinto program, and by August 1968 the program was underway. It would have aggressive targets: no more than 2000 pounds, not a penny over $2000, and a delivery deadline of just 25 months, a record at the time and still impressive today.</ref> the attitude of Ford management was to develop the Pinto as quickly as possible.<ref>{{harvnb|Wojdyla|2011}}: But at the time, management's attitude was to get the product out the door as fast as possible.</ref> Iacocca ordered a rush project to build the car, and the Pinto became known internally as "Lee's car".<ref>{{harvnb|Sherefkin|2003|}}: Iacocca ordered a rush program to build the Pinto&nbsp;... The Pinto quickly became known as "Lee's car." He demanded that it weigh no more than 2,000 pounds and sell for $2,000&nbsp;... Iacocca was in a hurry. He wanted the car in showrooms for the 1971 model year. That meant one of the shortest production planning periods in modern automotive history: just 25 months when the normal time span was 43 months. That also meant that the Pinto's tooling was developed at the same time as product development.</ref> The Pinto's bodywork was styled by Robert Eidschun.<ref name=bbw20091030/>

Offered with an [[inline-four engine]] and [[bucket seats]] the Pinto's mechanical design was conventional, with [[unibody]] construction, a longitudinally mounted engine in front driving the rear wheels through either a [[manual transmission|manual]] or [[automatic transmission]] and [[live axle]] rear end. The suspension was by unequal-length [[control arm]]s with front [[coil spring]]s while the live rear axle was mounted on [[leaf spring]]s. The [[rack and pinion]] steering optionally had [[Power steering|power assist]], as did the brakes.<ref name="Pinto2000">{{cite web|title=Pinto 2000 Coupe (Super Stock Magazine, December 1970) |url= https://pintopage.fordpinto.com/Pinto%202000%20Coupe.htm |access-date=October 19, 2022 |website=fordpinto.com |date=December 1970 |archive-date=November 16, 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20191116233807/https://pintopage.fordpinto.com/Pinto%202000%20Coupe.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Ford had not offered a four-cylinder engine in North America since the cancellation of the [[Ford Model A engine]] in 1934 when the [[1932 Ford|Ford Model B]] was discontinued. The Kent engine was sourced from Ford of England.