zoom44

article here detroit free press


i wonder if they will bring the Aussie Ford Falcon now?

alnielsen

iTrader: (4)

How about some of those hot Focus models that they sell in Europe.

ender_okc

They need to bring the Ford Iosis over here also!!! I know its only a concept, but that is one hot sedan!!!!

zoom44

iosis will be the replacement for Mondeo which was here before as the Contour but didnt do so well. of course the styling of the US version SUCKED!!

ender_okc

Is the Mondeo rwd??

map

I often wonder how much our car prices here in the US have an effect on the cars we are able to get. A typical Focus here is obscenely cheap compared to what they sell for in european markets. Are those markets just getting what they pay for? Maybe Ford can't afford to bring those models over in thier quality european form, i.e. the Focus ST, because they'd have to price them out of the market. MSRP for the Focus ST is 17,495GBP, which is about $31,250 US. Even if you knock that down to $25k no one will pay that in the US market. We are pining for these vehicles, but i don't believe we're willing to pay for them.

Spining Ncnratr

Nope you had the choice of FWD or AWD for both Mondeo and Mondeo II
And the ST Focus was sold here as the SVT Focus

Tirminyl

Correction- The ST170 was sold as the SVT...though quality dumbed down. Sorry for nit picking.

alnielsen

iTrader: (4)

It's called taxes. Europeans pay big time taxes.

Gomez

Ford Australia released a statement saying they aren't laying anyone off. Ford is making money in every market bar the US, apparently.

The Australian Ford Falcon is quite an impressive car, and would be dirt cheap in the US. The turbo 4 litre straight six version is quite the rocket.....the performance Falcons now available with ZF six speed gearboxes.

http://www.ford.com.au/range/falcon/...turbosedan.asp

Japan8

Frankly. If Ford sold the V8 model in the US pretty much AsIs for the same price as a Mazdaspeed6. My choice is made. Considering costs and the existence of the Fusion... maybe they'll have to target the G35 market instead... just much lower cost.

sstricker

not to stray too far, but... if ford chops 30000 jobs.... do u think this could be the beginning of a depression?

after all... GM is not doing that great either.....

these being US of course.

SSJ 909

The US car companies have ugly *** cars which do not exactly have the best quality behind them... Think about it, aside from like the vette, and maybe the stang what US cars based on looks are turning heds?
Instead of following they should be leading. Looks are subjective, if they really want to beat the other car companies why not make their cars get over 40mpg, something that will make the US consumer want to buy american again. I blame it on plain old lazyness..

Steiner

Focus RS is faster than the Mustang GT so it will never be allowed in the USDM.

timbo

Following Gomez, here's the link to Ford Performance Vehicles in Australia. Some tasty numbers there for the US market

http://www.fpv.com.au/

ASH8

As you guys know your soon to be discontinued Pontiac GTO is an Australian made Holden Monaro, do you consider it a sales success there?..
I heard that US sales were very slow...

The Monaro here has just finished production and will not be reborn again, the Commodore is due for a all new replacement, there will be no 2 door version, so no Monaro...

I think this was also part of the reason that the Pontiac GTO was discontinued, because of pending model change.

So,an Australian Ford Falcon , the GTO experience would give you some idea how it would sell and an idea of price, as I said in another post, It wont happen at the moment as Ford Australia does not make the BF Falcon in any LH drive guise..and its due for a total replacement in early 2007, perhaps then the US Ford management might look at importing a LHD version. But would Americans buy it?

Rasputin

Just to correct some of the statements above :
- The current Mondeo and Focus in Europe are FWD only, even the ST. However, there is a AWD variant of the Mondeo platform in the Jaguar X-class. There also is an AWD version of the Focus platform in the Volvo V50 T5. But absolutely no plans for AWD Mondeo and Focus.
- Focus RS is not sold anymore as it was based on the previous version. It is replaced by the better FocusII ST. Cheaper, same power, less sporty but a better daily driver.
- FocusII has no link whatsoever with the Focus sold in US, which is more or less common with the older EU model, but with Mexican-built engines.

Taxes (VAT) in EU are somewhere between 14 and 25% to the base price, depending on the country.
The exchange rate between US and EU would prevent any import from EU to your market. It would have to be build in US, which comes back to the initial issue of poor build quality, if I believe what I was told by the Focus launch team who supervised both EU and US production lauch when I was at Ford. Also, the US Focus suffered perceived quality degradation from its lauch due to constant cost-cutting exercices.

I also never understood why the Mercury brand existed. It's just a rebadging work. Still, Ford of NA must spent loads of dosh to keep two separate brands alive (dealership, advertising,...). Its totally different from the Ford/Volvo/Jaguar/LandRover(/Mazda) platform sharing that takes place in Europe, where each brand keeps its own specific characteristics leading to very different vehicles.

Fabrice

Design1stCode2nd

The Iosis looks great they definitely need to put that into production here. The Iosis and Mitsu Sportback were my favorites from the Frankfurt Autoshow.

bascho

Rasputin, you are absolutely correct in almost everything you stated. I do want to add something though. Most people in this forum assume that Ford does not have the ability to bring over Euro spec and Aussie spec vehicles....and that is just not the case. Believe me, Ford would love to save money on redesigning the Focus for two difference markets (whole world and NA). Most people do not realize that the Focus is the same car for most of the world....and only varies for NA.....why? Because Americans associate price with size.....always have. In Europe, 'C' cars are the most popular size, so manufacturers offer a lot of content at that vehicle segment. In the US 'C' cars have redominately been low-mid priced cars. If a manufacturer priced a highly contented 'C' car for over $30-$40K in the US....the sales would be horrific. Here in the states, 'D' and 'full size' are the only vehicle segments that command prices above $40K (usually). Ford will bring Euro spec product when that is what the American consumer wants.


A lot of people wondered about that same question until two years ago. Mercury has identified itself as a female-friendly brand.....and that is what they are going to capitalize on. If you check out the Milan or Mariner...you'll see interiors that take a lot of styling ques from the fashion world. I think this is a smart play for Mercury as there are no other brands that market specifically to woman.

911SC

Remember the Merkur XR4ti and Scorpio? Two Euro Fords that failed.

bascho

Exactly. And you can add Contour to that list as well. The Contour sold in the US was not that much different then the Mondeo ST24 sold everywhere else. I owned a 2000 Contour SVT and I can tell you first hand that it was a great car. But, here in the good ole' USA, the Contour was smaller than a similarly priced, larger Taurus......guess which one Americans chose to buy. I personally would love to see some Euro and Aussie Ford's sold here in the states......but I don't react like the majority.....hence the RX8 purchase

911SC

I owned a 1985 XR4ti, the dealers had no clue how to service it. Grinding sound in first and reverse when new. Dealer said all is normal. After five visits to different dealers and 13,000 miles the tranny quit. When the Ford people took it apart it was full of metal shavings. Guess what? They said it was my fault. I had to pay for a new tranny. 10,000 miles later, same thing. When I finally traded it in for an Acura Legend Coupe a TBS came out about the tranny. I never stepped in a Ford dealership again. Great car, poor to little dealer service. And NO customer satisfaction. I wonder if some of Ford's customer service is rubbing off on Mazda NA.

BlackBeauty

Car prices are inflated in the UK though so they'd never market a Focus ST for $31K.

For example, take the Range Rover Sport 4.2-litre, 390-hp supercharged V8
UK: GBP58,000.00 = $103,000
US: $70,250

Japan8

I think that we're missing something with the Contour. I knew a salesperson at a Ford dealer near my Univ who took myself and a friend out to a huge parking lot on a test drive and let us go with a Contour SVT. I loved that car.

So why did I do badly? WE may car about overal driving experience... but not the average person. That was Ford's problem. They should have marketed it as more of a niche car, dropped the lowest model and just sold the top model and the SVT model. If you have a family of 4 or 5 and are shopping for a car... particularly for your wife (hey... you almost never need to carry everyone in yours)... why buy a Contour? The Taurus is bigger... more room for when everyone is on-board and more room for luggage when you travel. For the same money it makes better sense. That's why Ford made a big mistake. It should have been marketed against the Toyota Carrolla.

Now? With the popularity of sports sedans, Ford is being foolish. they have nothing to compete. The Fusion is a half-assed attempt because of what I have been saying about it... WTF... no stick in the V6 model?! It's like this... Ford needs a "pocket rocket" competitor... around $20k price tag... SRT-4, Cobalt SS, Civic Si competitor. A WRC car competitor would be nice... an Evo/STi killer, but not VERY necessary. They REALLY need something that can compete with the Lexus IS, BMW 3 Series and Infiniti G series. Even Toyota had the foresight to hit this market segment... they kinda miss the mark a bit, but doing better than Honda. Ford is not even on the map... not unless you start counting Volvo. Maybe this is a good spot for an all new Ford Falcon... with more luxury for the Lincoln nameplate. But this car needs to handle like the Ford GT, pull like the Mustang GT and not feel heavy like a tank. Ford has also (yet again) missed the mark with the lack of SVT prodcuts for the Lincoln line. Even Toyota sees the need and the rurmor is that a coupe and a "M3 killer" IS are going to be produced.

bascho

I cannot agree with you about the Fusion.....for a completely new car, being compared to Camry and Accord is a very big honor. You ask about manual transmissions.....I say, tell Ford about your wants and needs. The Fusion website is an open forum and Ford is listening. If there is a market for a manual, Ford will provide one. The Fusion is a baby and if it's successful, you can guarantee that SVT is and will play with this car. Next year is already bringing and bigger engine and AWD......and hybrid powertrains. The year after that, who knows.....SVT with a M/T, AWD and 300hp??? Those attribute are not out of the realm of possibilty. The Duratec 35 will have 250hp for normal production. I have spoke to engineers the bolted a turbo onto the new 2007 Edge with the Duratec 35 and were beating Mustang GT's at the test track. The new engine has a lot of potential and SVT knows this. SVT released a mission statement about getting back to producing the fastest, best performing products in their respective segments. To be able to boast that statement, you have to take your time and make sure each vehicle is just right. That is why the GT500 and Adrenaline are going to be league of their own. For those of you that do not know, the Adrenaline is a Sport Trac with AWD and the 390hp 4.6 S/C Cobra engine. This truck is a beast.....and with the AWD it will waste the SRT10, SS and Lightning.