User24

iTrader: (1)

I read the AP news on Yahoo, and found the information incredible. I find it hard to believe that any vehicle company would put themselves in such a position, that they would sink or swim based on a Focus and some other sedan I've never heard of before.

The truth is they are already bankrupt. Bankrupt of ideas and creativity.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070107/...d_s_car_gambit

Clavius

If true Ford is Doomed!!! Focus is just gonna be cosmetic.. wtf?!?! Get the Euro-spec Focus over here damnit!!! All I hear is raves about how it handles, drives, and looks. Bold Moves my *** well the Blue Oval was great while it lasted..
Oh the 500 is the bottom feeder of a overstuffed class. I believe its supposed to be their Lux cruiser but why buy a under powered Ford when you could buy a Cadi, Lex, or Infinit.

Tirminyl

The C170 chassis isn't all that bad for the Focus but as far as looks the US Focus is always leaps and bounds behind the European Focus.

2008 Ford Focus: From AutoBlog

brillo

I think its a improvement over the current car, and will likely help sales until they can bring the euro cars (focus, Mondeo) over here. Ford is planning to do that I believe in 2009/2010, so this is intended to hold folks over until then. Lets hope they are right.

Tirminyl

I also believe the 500 in terms of looks didn't get prettier but with whats under the hood, will most likely boost sales. Ford should have seen that providing an underpowered engine in a car of that class was idiotic.

bascho

Both the power and looks are greatly improved in the 2008 Five Hundred.

snizzle

It's too expensive to produce and keep in the same class as Americans are used to seeing it in. Would you buy a 30K focus?

snizzle

Pictures:
http://www.autobloggreen.com/photos/...image-gallery/

Tirminyl

Are you converting the total sale price of the Euro Foci to US dollar? They have other charges and taxes that inflate the price so a direct dollar conversion is not the best.

snizzle

No conversion. bascho (works for Ford) has said on many occasions that the Focus we get is what happens to the Euro Focus when Ford has to fit it into the US market price bracket.

RotoRocket

iTrader: (1)

Ford is in a very sad state right now.

I wish them nothing but success, but hardly think they are making bold moves in trying to right their ship.

DaveCM203

The fact is that Ford just makes very uninteresting cars. It is sad as I grew up on Fords. The Focus is fun, but getting very dated. The Mustang looks great. The 500 and the Fusion are just ugly. Ugly can be forgiven if performance is there. I just hope Ford can pull it out.

bascho

The Focus sold in the US is not just about pricing but assembly concerns. Major suspension and braking systems were redesigned because the UAW mandated that those systems had to be assembled by hand. This is not usually a problem for a car that is designed around that reality......but the Focus was designed in Europe and in Europe those systems were designed for machine assembly. The lack of options and cheaper materials were driven on the assumption that Amercians would not pay a premium for a small Ford car. Yes, Americans will pay a premium for some small cars....but those small cars are typically niche players like Mini.

These issues with the original Focus are far from an issue today. The 2008 is a great small car.....hell, the Focus has always been a great small car. The issue most had with Ford is for leaving the design to get stale. The 2008 is a significant update to the last design. The handling was never an issue so why mess with something that isn't broken. The car gets great gas milage, it's peppy and extremely tossable. Ford did the right thing with the Focus by leaving the parts that were not the problem alone and focusing (no pun intended) on what really needed changing, the looks, materials and options.

The Five Hundred is still not a 300C....but it looks more stylish without offending the target audience (over 50). The newer engine and 6-speed tranny and AWD make the Five Hundred extremely competitive at the price point. I think sales are going to increase on both cars without a problem. Ford has some momentum right now that is positive as far as product is concerned......the test will be continuing to improve on that instead of forgetting about them. If the Fusion/Milan/MKZ is any indicator, I would say Ford is starting to get it.

After 1 year of production the trio is already getting a larger engine, AWD and more optional equip. Next year they get a Hybrid version. What more can you ask of a company than yearly improvements to a vehicle line?

Spin9k

Interesting that Labor unions are mandating how car suspensions are assembled? No wonder the American car industry is sinking, that's just wrong-headed.

"Amercians would not pay a premium for a small Ford car.." ... but what about "niche players" like ... Honda Civic? Toyota Corolla? Toyota Matrix? Scion Xc? Mazda 3?, and ... and ... yes perhaps even Chrysler with the PT Cruiser?

That "Won't pay" idea is an old and tired argument Detroit (esp. Ford, GM) have used since the 60s whenever someone questions "Why can't Detroit produce a quality, high content American small car?".

The true question, is "When is it that Ford or GM is going to design and build a small car Americans WILL pay a premium for?"

After 40 years, it seems the answer is never at Ford, at least not in this country.

bascho

None of your small car examples approach the price that Ford would have to charge to bring the Focus ST over to the states. Think more along the lines of Mini Cooper S pricing. The Current Focus is a better handling car than all of your examples except the Mazda 3. You may not like the current design......but that is personal opinion. You may not like the interior and that is something that was changed for 2008. The power is in-line with all but the Civic Si and fuel economy is competitive. Have you ever driven a Focus?

BaronVonBigmeat

The old Focus was one of the few small cars that I thought looked pretty sharp. Which is a good thing, because Ford can't use quality as a selling point, as it takes years upon years to develop a reputation for quality. But now they don't have styling as a selling point either. They should have just called it "Escort", because it looks more like the old Escort than a Focus.

It also doesn't help that the styling department at Ford seems to have gotten their inspiration from disposable razors. For example, this car has two "blades" in the grille. The midsize Whatsitcalled has three. And I think their full-size concept car has four. It's like the head of styling had a meeting and said "okay guys, I want sharp, edgy design. I want cutting edge stuff!"--and they took it literally. Somehow Ford styling has always, always looked...I dunno, "bungled" to me. Like someone started with a good idea, but his pocket-protector and hairpiece clad boss made several changes. Almost attractive...but not.

Tirminyl

If not they can't bring the European Focus over, then at least give it a European look. Sculpt it the same way as our overseas counterpart. IMO, they took a step back in design. Alot of manufacturers, in this segment, are doing this. Look at the horrible Nissan Sentra. It is a box on wheels. The new Focus is dangerously close. Though, visual style is up to the person that is looking at it, but the exterior design is definitely a step back. I would prefer if they just reintroduced the 2000 model.

Now, everything else that Ford has changed or improved on the Focus gets a thumbs up from me. I love the new interior compared to its previous versions. I used to own a Focus, and I really liked it. It handled well, was comfortable, got great gas mileage, and it was reliable. They had a winning package and I always hoped Ford would take advantage of that.

Overall, I think Ford is improving. I like them and will continue to like them and hopefully, watch them progress.