Ford of Europe spared the Way Forward
As Ford readies the presentation of the Accelerated Way Forward plan for North America tomorrow, in Europe, it'll be business as usual. Ford's profitable European division offers a peek at what life could be like for the North American division after the Way Forward -- assuming all goes well.
To get where it is today, Ford Europe eliminated jobs, closed plants, and made the remaining facilities more efficient. All seven plants on the Continent operate at 100% efficiency, according to the Auto Channel. Of course, it doesn't matter how well-oiled the manufacturing operation is if the product isn't up to snuff. Here again, Europe gets the better of its larger North American counterpart, offering a diverse mix of compelling, stylish vehicles, many of which you'll see pictured after the jump.
We, like everyone else, are very interested to hear what's in store when the Way Forward 2.0 is revealed tomorrow. Whatever it is, we hope Ford finds a way to pull it off. There's plenty of work ahead, and they have several new products coming that can now only be described as crucial, such as the Ford Edge and the new, long-awaited and more powerful 3.5-liter Duratec V6 that will find its way into much of the company's vehicle lineup.
[Source: The Auto Channel]
Ford European Division Vehicles:
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Kowell 8:02PM (9/14/2006)
WHy can't WE have that black focus!?!
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.T 8:11PM (9/14/2006)
'Cause that black Focus costs something like $30K and nobody in America will pay a premium for a small car, especially one made by Ford.
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Jeremy 8:17PM (9/14/2006)
Slap a Merc badge on it and people might.
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ckm 8:30PM (9/14/2006)
#2 Tell that to Mini, Honda, Audi, Pontiac and VW. All have small cars close to or above 30k and Mini didn't even exist 4 years ago. Never mind cars like the BMW Z-series.
They should bring that car and the S-Max. Both would be a huge hit as long as they pick the right markets (like Mini did), market the cars well (like Mini did) and don't put unrealistic expectations on sales (like 100k units in six months).
For Ford to get back on it's feet, it needs small wins, all the time. Look at Audi. After the 60 Minutes fiasco, everyone thought they would pull out of the US. It took years and, finally, a really good product (the A4) for Audi to be the brand it is today. The Focus may be a bit of a stretch, but it's a very, very good, market leading product. More importantly, it's available TODAY, not in two years.
I've rented a bunch of Fords in Europe. They are light years ahead of US products, better even that most VW products. That kind of quality wins in the marketplace, and that's why they need to bring it here.
Chris.
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ruggels 8:29PM (9/14/2006)
I always wondered what ford products would look like on a veritable who's who of Audi and Lambo rims. Now i know.
Hey #2… you might want to join us in the real world. Guess what the GTI costs over in Germany? $31,000 and in England $38,000! And amazingly it doesn’t cost $31,000 or $38,000 in the US. A world to the wise, when contemplating ford bring real quality cars over here from Europe, don’t just do a straight currency conversion, it doesn’t work that way ;).
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fordman 8:37PM (9/14/2006)
If even half these cars were here, ford would be making money not losing. i dont even care about the mechanicals. The designs are awesome. Why cant the KA come hee and fight with Honda Fit? for those that say its crash regulations, i say no. If there is a will, there is a way.
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WillDaThrill 12:01AM (9/15/2006)
One reason why Ford is way behind. Your Europian division has ideas for their cars and they take the chance on tweaking their body styles instead of using the same minor refreashing.
These vehicles would most likely be a bit cheaper here because they have to level the line to be competative with other company models. Plus, I think Euro engines are tweaked to a higher output rate.
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AMcA 9:04PM (9/14/2006)
You know, if Ford were to sell the euro-Focus and -Fiesta in the States, they'd quickly vault to the head of the small car class. OK, maybe they'd have to fight it out with th Honda kid, but it'd be a fair match.
INSPIRATION: they ought to adopt the Scion model: minimal revision of a foreign model, see if it sells, then with the confidence that you've found a market, do an update specifically for the US.
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Peter Dandyk 10:45AM (9/15/2006)
Fords European Focus is based on the excellent Mazda 3 platform. Here we get a poorly assembled previous generation platform that ( justifiably ) nobody but my grandma will drive.
Right now Ford is reaping the fruits of crappy products and poor quality. Until that changes, they won't be able to give them away. Even the 'successful' Mustang is a 'retread' design.
I agree. Give me that black beauty and I'll come back...
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Opposite Lock 9:38PM (9/14/2006)
Bring back Merkur!
It might just work this time.
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Fustang Sally 9:43PM (9/14/2006)
The real reason that Ford doesn't sell these cars here is that they would rather build SUVs and pickup trucks than cars. They have been short shifting their car lines for the past twenty years and even in the age of near $3.00 gas they still think everyone is going to run out and buy a $30,000 SUV that costs $75 to fill up. Look at the Taurus brand, they had a fantastic product that was well received by import buyers and instead of supporting it they kept the same model in production for 10 years before walking away from it. In the end they were only sold to rental companies. I had a 06 Taurus from Hertz and it had a great engine (24 mpg) and tranny in a outdated package, what a shame. How many generations of Accords or Camry's were introduced between 1996 and 2006 (and I'm not talking about a new grill)? I wonder at times if Ford (and GM) are trying to run into bankrupcy to get out of their UAW contract obligations and perhaps give up on building cars in the US. I also find it ironic that Ford and GM (and every other company in the US)are not screaming to get the one federal program that could save their bacon...National Health Insurance.
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Dana 9:41PM (9/14/2006)
That Focus is hot
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Chris 10:05PM (9/22/2006)
Ford needs to update the Ford focus to even compete with the other small cars in the US. The current Focus is really old. If they updated it im sure it will sell well.
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JK 10:00PM (9/14/2006)
I've always wondered why we don't get some of the overseas vehicles. I think that Focus is pretty sharp as well as the Falcon XR6 from the Australia market. If Ford were to bring some of those over, I just might take another look at a domestic make.
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Matt 10:03PM (9/14/2006)
For the top black Focus ST, I was fed up with seeing how cool this car was online and went to my local dealership. I was surprised to hear that I could custom order one and have it shipped over here. Of course I would have to sign an import title waiver that basically says it's not ford's fault the car doesn't meet US emissions regulations. I would also have to deal with parts taking twice as long to arrive since they will all have to be shipped from europe.
I live in Maryland and checked with the MVA, basically i'll have to get the car inspected before they will give me a title.
So there you have it! Anything is possible :-).
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Richard Warren 10:05PM (9/14/2006)
"I've rented a bunch of Fords in Europe. They are light years ahead of US products, better even that most VW products. That kind of quality wins in the marketplace, and that's why they need to bring it here."
Agreed, very nice vehicles, I've driven my share over there also.
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Richard Warren 10:05PM (9/14/2006)
"I've rented a bunch of Fords in Europe. They are light years ahead of US products, better even that most VW products. That kind of quality wins in the marketplace, and that's why they need to bring it here."
Agreed, very nice vehicles, I've driven my share over there also.
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Misaniovent 10:10PM (9/14/2006)
You know, the only car here I don't like is the "Fusion". I would consider any of these cars if I were considering their segments.
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Andy 10:17PM (9/14/2006)
I decry Ford's SUV and pickup fetish, but that was what consumers wanted for a decade. I think this year will be Ford's last for huge F-150 and Explorer production, since sales have been weak. If Ford did import the English Focus to the US, it would retail in the same price range as the VW Golf. But those Ford compacts look terrific; much better than the US Focus and the Five Hundred sedan.
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naggs 10:19PM (9/14/2006)
"Why cant the KA come hee and fight with Honda Fit?"
the ka makes a fit look huge, but to answer your question its illegal to sell cars that small in the US because its impossible for it to pass crash testing.
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