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Why oh why is it always europe?
I suspect it'll have something to do with what they took out to reduce the weight of the vehicle. Not street legal this side of the Atlantic, perhaps? Just a guess, though.
The reason this won't be sold in the U.S., is simply that the car is built in Europe, where it's workers earn Euros. If it were sold in the U.S. the price would need to be greatly increased to make it profitable.
F U Ford, you deserve to die if you don't offer this car in north america. Unbelievable.
I'm pretty sure Toyota didn't make much (if any) money on the Prius when it first introduced it. Ford is losing billions. At least they could keep some marketshare and get some good press with a car like that, even if they lose money on it while switching production over to NA.
Ford wouldn't want this for the US because they want us to keep using gas guzzling cars. Unless the government forces them or they have good competitors they and others will keep doing the same. There is nothing hindering them from producing it here, but they don't want to.
Would this version be EPA legal in the US? DOT safety standards legal? If not should EPA and DOT standards be changed? .......DB
Ford, like other automakers, makes more money on trucks and SUVs. It's gas prices that will change that. As long as consumers didn't care about low mpg, carmakers were happy to sell them what they wanted.
Lets not blame them too much, after all, someone is buying these vehicles.
But we can certainly blame them for lack of foresight. Oil hasn't been cheap for years now.
I don't understand, why is this car not MADE in the U.S. of A. For the U.S. market. I'm sure there are people reading Treehugger who can explain. And wasn't there a small Ford model on the market some 15-18 years ago? Didn't make enough profit?
- Martin
Ford would clean up the market right now with this car if the sold it in the US. They could easily sell it for $20k since it gets better mileage than a Prius without the expensive battery packs. How short-sighted can they be?
I think there is less conspiracy here than you imply. You can not simply bolt on a coeficcient of drag of 0.33 or reduced weight.
In other news, Ford posted an $8.7 Billion loss for the second quarter (http://www.canada.com/theprovince/story.html?id...). That's $8.7 lost in 3 months. Why are they still in business? How can they still be in business?
Anyway, if this car was available in Canada, at a reasonable price, I'd buy one.
There was another post earlier (can't find it now) that pointed out a bunch positive changes happening in in Europe that are NOT happening in the US. There were comments questioning the patriotism of the Treehugger poster.
This story about Ford is exibit 10547!!!
"I think there is less conspiracy here than you imply. You can not simply bolt on a coeficcient of drag of 0.33 or reduced weight."
I don't think anyone saying it's a conspiracy.
The lower coefficient of drag was achieved by having the car ride slightly lower, by blocking of slightly some air vents in front, by putting different bumps near the rear tires, etc. These modifications can be made on all vehicles, though of course the shape you start with is crucial.
Reduced weight can be achieved with aluminum, or high-strenght steel, or smaller engines, etc.
Current collusive agreements between the oil and auto industries prohibit the sale of this car in the U.S. For the foreseeable future, we must rely on imports for high-mileage products.
By the time they "alter" it to match "American Tastes" it will be a mere shadow of itself.
I used to blame the auto makers but now I have to include the average American consumer which too often doesn't have a clue about what is really good or important in a vehicle. There are exceptions and they have been driving really good cars for a long time but it wasn't until the latest run up in prices did a good number of those "average" Americans begint o question how they get around every day.
Darn "Sheeple"!!! VBG!
Ford, like the other Major corporations are in it exclusively for the money. If they were trying to be good citizens, they would put on a radically different face. Americans are like sheep compared to Europeans. We eagerly swallow the lies that they tell us - that we're the greatest country in the world while we get screwed. We are consumers - we feed the corporations better than any other consumers on the globe. Someday maybe we'll learn to think and make demands on our politiical and corporate leaders. Until then, we might as well be a bunch of stupid apes.
I was just reading an article about Ford and apparently Ford North America doesn't communicate very well with Ford Europe and Ford South America. FE and FSA communicate fairly well with each other but Ford NA isn't real friendly with the other companies and doesn't like to work with them. I would be interested to find out if the South American and European divisions are still profitable.
Compare these two pages
Ford UK
Ford USA
It's plain sad. This Econetic Fiesta isn't the only fuel efficient vehicle their withholding from us. Also note on the detail page for each vehicle is a large button to find out more about this vehicle's CO2 emissions.
Screw 'm all, ride a bike.
I see no need to bring it to the US. Ford seems to be doing just fine lately. Eeeesh
Why do they only release it in Europe when we could really use that kinda stuff in north america?
I believe they are going to bring this to the US, hopefully with the ecoboost engine (dual injected turbocharged gasoline engine, 20% efficency boost). They should probably stick with the gasoline engine in the US, seeing that diesel's at $5 a gallon.
Selling this in the US seems like a huge marketing opportunity. Ford could push this as a preferable alternative to the Prius for nominally-green people who do a lot of highway driving, and as a way to screw foreign oil producers for the politically conservative buyer. Unfortunately, the US automotive industry seems more intent on telling consumers what they're supposed to want, than on selling what people are actually buying. How long will Toyota dealers be keeping waiting lists for Prius buyers, before US manufacturers begin to exploit that unmet demand? And, rather than trying to trick buyers into thinking a product is better for the environment (where can people fill up on E85?), shouldn't manufacturers be making products that actually are better?
Ask and you shall receive...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/jul/24/ford.automotive1
For those of you who say :
"I want one now!"
Just get a Yaris, for gosh sake's. At least you know Toyota will still be around in five years, and a 2008 Yaris will have nearly 50% of it's buy-back value in 2013
(depending on your mileage and maintenance)
So many people don't consider buy-back value at the end of their lease or contract when they buy the cheap craptastic cars.
Same thing goes for Honda btw...
Weak! Ford, get with the program already!? I'm sticking by my trusty Honda....
I think a big issue when it comes to US automakers deciding what to offer is that, when it comes to automotive tastes, there is not "one USA". Travel around the country and you'll see vastly differing fleets on the road in different areas. This is partly due to differences in geography and climate, and partly due to education and tradition.
I think smaller, more European-flavored cars have always had an easier time of it on the coasts, while middle America has tended to favor larger, more American-styled cars (yes, these are gross generalizations, and I extend my apologies to those who I offend with them). Guess where our automakers are located? So, even when they bring something over from their European arms, they feel a need to "Americanize" it so it'll play in Peoria. The result: middle America still finds it too European, and the coasts find it too watered-down. So it sells poorly in both areas and gets dropped. See Merkur, Ford Escort & Focus, Cadillac Catera, etc.
The aesthetics look great. This is usually the first thing that people complain about with high mileage cars. I would certainly buy this if I were in the market for a new car.
One thing I would like to ask: Is part of the reason the mileage doesn't make it across the pond because of EPA regulations? I often hear that cited as the reason cars get worse mileage in the US than in Europe.
Also, I do think the issue of different parts of America liking different cars is a big issue. I live and work in NJ. I am a college student who works as a system admin over the summer and I live with my mom in the suburbs. Traffic rarely goes over 50 MPH thanks to congestion, so acceleration is no big deal. I can see how a guy living out in the south with miles and miles of empty highway would want a car that can go to 75 MPH and stay there in under 8 seconds, but for me, I never need to go fast, nor am I able. We need a real suburban vehicle so long as sprawl is a reality. It seems that the big car companies think that sprawl is a market that only wants SUVs and minivans, and it seems that the eco-car companies trying to come out with electrics assume we don't want to drive over 35 MPH.
"Just get a Yaris"
Yaris gets no where near 66 MPG.
All these car posts are starting to sound the same...
0.33 Coeff for drag: same as the new impreza, I'm not impressed
Diesel has a lot of nasty by products, even at 60+mpg
I worry that this car thing my be one of "better is the enemy of good" things. We'll keep telling ourselves a great new car that will save the world is just a few years, everyone wait, and we won't make any of the easy changes that we can today.
I love this diesel-electric combination in a hybrid.
What's this nonsense about not being allowed on U.S. highways? Is the conventional Fiesta not now being driven on those same roads?
I've a theory that oil and auto have long been in collusion to counter and thwart the demand for diesel-powered, autos. The fear is probably that, with a vehicle such as the Fiesta hybrid, too many will discover that they can fuel their commutes on renderings from bacon, beef fat and the Christmas goose.
skeptikool said:
No, the conventional Fiesta is not being driven on those roads. Ford doesn't currently sell it in the US. Ford is supposed to start making a US version of the Fiesta for the 2010 model year.
The US has very different automotive safety standards than Europe. Even when a vehicle is available in both North America and Europe, it's not really the same. The North American version of a vehicle is typically heavier than the European version, in order to meet US (and Canadian) safety rules.
Until a vehicle has met the relevant safety standards, it can not be sold legally in the United States. Current Fiesta models have not been submitted to US testing, and thus cannot be sold here.
I imagine the 2010 release of the Fiesta in the US will use a gasoline engine, rather than diesel. Diesel is still unpopular in the US, and is typically used only for trucks and the occasional high-end German car.
Until recently US diesel fuels were high in sulfur and European diesel engines typically had to be redesigned to operate on it, which was another barrier to its use in US automobiles (aside from its unpopularity with the general public, who associate it with loud, smelly trucks). A few years ago new diesel standards went into effect in the US, which make our diesel more similar to European diesel. Some auto makers are starting to introduce more diesel models in the US market as a result.
I don't feel sorry for any of the american car makers. They have the technology but just won't bring it to the masses.
I don't give a care about their record losses. What about the loss our planet has suffered at the hands of their huge inefficient SUVs?
I hope they all go down.
We deserve better!
This could sell for a premium here in the U.S....people would be willing to shell out several thousand $ more to own a 70 mpg car.
Don't get too jealous, fuel prices and taxes over here are crazy, I pay £1.32 a litre (most of which is tax) for diesel and petrol isn't much cheaper. Also we pay tax to keep the car on the road, the system is based on CO2/km output which penalises 4x4s while rewarding efficient cars. an example is my brother-in-law pays over £300 a year for his 1.8 petrol Freelander while I pay £35 a year for my 1.5 dci 2002 Renault Clio which does 65mpg and outputs under 121g CO2/km.
Plus if you want to drive in London you'll have to pay £8 a day for the pleasure, thankfully the efficient cars like mine are exempt.
Rumor has it that Ford is converting a large amount of its truck and SUV plants in the American Midwest to start manufacturing smaller vehicles for 2009, including the new Fiesta, to be ready for a 2010 launch into the US.
This will be in America with FORDS announcement from yesterday, I am desparately waiting for these diesels to become available to america, I will drive my 2001 small ford ranger truck till the wheels fall off, until they sell these in the states
Stop whining! remember that fuel prices are MUCH higher in Europe, in the UK diesel is just under $11 a UK gallon. Ford obviously see a bigger market in Europe, where the car is built. The world does not revolve around the USA!
12 seconds to get to 60 isn't safe due to speed differential. People failing to merge and accelerate here causes traffic backups everyday and causes more emissions. They have actually talked about posting signs that say "accelerate" on the bridge. I want to see the American companies succeed, but I hope they don't bring this over without increasing performance. Anyways, 9.0 seconds to 60 and 50mpg sounds like a good tradeoff, but I'm personally not replacing my 2 door until I can buy electric.
"12 seconds to get to 60 isn't safe due to speed differential."
I call BS.
Almost no car does 0 to 60 at their max theoretical capability in the real world. You'll just push the fiesta a big more when you need fast acceleration, and most times you accelerate from 30 to 60 or whatever.
I want one now!! 60+ MPG is the way to go and what we should have been doing for years now.
“I've a theory that oil and auto have long been in collusion to counter and thwart the demand for diesel-powered, autos.”
Aside from being just plain paranoid, this doesn’t make sense. If anything, the opposite is true. Look at the money. Auto manufacturers have made their highest profits when oil prices and oil profits were at their lowest and vice-versa.
December of 1998 oil was less than $10 per barrel. Oil companies were crying and begging for hand-outs. But profitable SUV and large truck sales soared. Auto makers were raking in billions. That year Ford made $22 billion. Now the oil companies are making the money and the US auto makers are losing money. If they're in collusion, they're doing an awful job of it.
Readers here are optimistic about the success of European vehicles in the US. Just because you like it doesn't mean that average US car buyers will. TH readers are by no means typical Americans. If European cars, particularly diesels were well accepted in the US, the VW TDI's would have taken over the market long ago.
Ford is gun-shy about bringing European vehicle here. They've done it many times before, but were not particularly successful. The first Fiesta was sold in the US in the late 70's but it only lasted about three years. Sales were mediocre. It was replaced by the US only Escort, which became the best selling car in the US for some time. Most recently the Mondeo, which was also hugely popular in Europe, was brought here as the Ford Contour/Mercury Mystique to replace the popular but aging Tempo/Topaz. It was criticized for being smaller than other vehicles in its class, particularly in the back seat. Sales were mediocre, and it was eventually discontinued for the US.
The Focus has probably been the most successful European transplant for Ford, but it has enjoyed its best sales after being redesigned just for the US market.
“I don't understand, why is this car not MADE in the U.S. of A. For the U.S. market. I'm sure there are people reading Treehugger who can explain. And wasn't there a small Ford model on the market some 15-18 years ago? Didn't make enough profit?”
It is nearly impossible for a domestic manufacturer to build a small car for profit in the US. Their labor is unionized, so their labor cost is higher. Lately they have been slashing costs to try to become profitable again, but laying off workers costs them billions of dollars in severance, and renegotiated labor contracts haven’t taken effect yet, so it will be a few years before they can hope to see significant financial improvements.
The original Fiesta was sold in the US in the late 70’s but didn’t do very well. The Festive and Aspire were also sold here, but were built in Korea. Their quality was bad and fuel prices dropped, so their sales withered away as well.
The new Fiesta will be built in Mexico for the US market beginning in about a year and a half. Production in that plant has to be phased out. Then the plant has to be gutted and retooled.
email ford... let them know exactly how you feel.
I'll never buy another Ford again. They make crappy cars and don't stand by their products. I'd have way more trust in Toyota and Honda. The resale value issue is important too. My mom had a 2000 Focus that she practically had to give away. A 1991 Corolla still fetches a good price.
This car gets better milage than most motorcycles and scooters. I think it is too good to be true, and probably not true at all. But just for the sake of arguement, I think Ford will need to sell some of these in the US just to raise the C.A.F.E. standards of Fords inventory.
I used to have a few diesel Volkswagen Rabbits in the '80s. The got 50mpg and ran for over 200,000 miles. If Fords diesel Fiestas can keep their compression for that long, they will have a winner.
I wonder if You get a car from Europe, what do You have to do to get it registered in the US. In Europe it's pretty simple, You just have to replace the signal lights (they have to be amber). Otherwise no coplicated modifications are required. But at the current exchange rate, getting a car from Europe would hurt the US customer pretty bad:(
Also, If I remember correctly, Seat had an Eco-line diesel that boasted exact same figures on fuel consuption. So 3.2l per 100 km is achievable.
I spent three years in Italy in the early 90s. They have tiny 1.2L cars that had NO PROBLEM keeping up with the big domestics that folks were shipping over. I regularly drove my 90HP 1.8L VW Rabbit convertible at 100 mph for 200 miles at a time. This was a US Spec Rabbit, not some special Euro-spec car.
Americans have their wants mixed up with their needs. We think we need to drive a school bus everywhere just in case we need to haul home a baseball team. You know in case NONE of the team's parents show after practice. We buy the largest things we can afford (or can't afford) b/c we need to tow a boat a few times a year. And all the time the marketing departments tell us that we need this to be cool and it's our American birthright. Blah, blah. blah.
If we want change in America then we have to make the change happen ourselves. Vote with your dollars. Many people have. When (if) gasoline drops again in price keep voting for small, durable, clever cars. Don't go back to big SUVs and thirsty trucks. Use the savings to pay off your mortgage or put solar on your roof. Use the money to travel to other other countries each year - whatever. At $3.75 I figured up that a 17 mpg vehicle costs $40K to operate (only gas) and $20K for a 35 mpg vehicle. Yes, I'll take the savings - thanks!
What we as Americans should demand is global safety and pollution standards so that GM and Ford have no further excuses as to why they won't bring their smaller cars into the US. The European standards are very nearly the same as ours today. The difference is in the details and it acts mostly as a barrier to openly doing business across the seas. The laws protect these major auto makers and I'm tired of it. Ready for the laws to protect us consumers instead and to protect our environment by making it possible to buy modern small cars from Europe directly if we can't buy them from dealers in the USA. Same goes for the products sold in Japan and other countries including Australia or South America. Once upon a time you could buy vehicles in other markets without much safety gear or any pollution controls. The modern Euro-spec cars are just as clean as our's. They are just as safe as ours too. They are generally lighter but just put that down to heavier chassis and drivetrains in cars sold here making a domestic small car better suited to a V-6 instead of a four cylinder. Look at the crash pictures on the NHSTA and EuroCap websites. These cars are tested in similar ways and yield similar results. Yes, smaller cars always do worse in crash tests but if more of the cars on our roads are smaller too then we are safer for it.
Global economy should equal global standards. No more games with the consumer dollars.
I think if the domestic auto makers fail we the consumer will be better of for it in the LONG term b/c it will foster some real change here. I am really unhappy that our tax dollars are going to bail out so many companies and consumers that have made too many bad choices.
Another point to make: Europeans pay so much more for fuel because more than half of it is taxes. Remember they have universal healthcare programs, and al sorts of social programs to pay for. Remember that too when Hillary starts talking about universal healthcare again. A noble pursuit but we really need to talk about how we will pay for it too. Can we have the world's largest military, huge government expenditures AND universal healthcare? We're already spending more than the gov't collects in taxes... I'd certainly be all for spending less and then talking about healthcare reform.
Also consider how many miles you drive each week and how far the average Brit drives. If $4 gas hurts, what are we going to think of $10 gas?
I won't car b/c I hope to have Phoneix Motor Cars EV by then...
whose complaning more europeans or americans about gas prices?
Ford built trucks for the Nazis in WW2. They could sell cars that get 60+ mpg here, for about 10,000 U.S. dollars if they wanted, and still make a decent profit. Ford and most other U.S. corporations don't really care about "doing the right thing". Evidently, they think that life is a game and that those who make the most money are the winners. They are the greatest threats to mankind. There should be a war against the proponents of unbridled greed and environmental devestation.
well said JAY TEE!
"They could sell cars that get 60+ mpg here, for about 10,000 U.S. dollars if they wanted, and still make a decent profit. Ford and most other U.S. corporations don't really care about "doing the right thing". Evidently, they think that life is a game and that those who make the most money are the winners."
Is the weather nice in la-la land?
I guess that's why detroit is losing all that money and closing all these plants.
Back in the '90's I drove an '86 VW Rabbit diesel. It got 50mpg consistently. Even '70's gas cars got higher gas mileage than modern cars. The eco-friendly thing to do is to drive these older cars. That is much better than the effort, cost, and pollution going into making a brand new car that isn't really any better than the old ones.
In Europe, oil prices have always been high, and cars are sold with smaller engines that use less gas. The u.s. consumer is told that they want a big suv that has plenty of power. It is the consumer that is at fault over todays problems.
One example of engine sizes is Audi. My audi A6 (stateside) had a 2.6 liter engine. In Europe, similar Audis have 1.8 or 2.0 liter engines. There are also smaller Audis available in Europe, the A2 and A3. They are smaller cars, cars that are accepted in Europe, but u.s. consumers are tricked into thinking that they are too small.
ford misses the boat again. americans are left with gas hog ford products nobody wants. no wonder ford is in dire straits.
if they want to survive they better start selling some of these cars over here. the demand is here not there.
i'm a ford fan but i'll go asian or european if ford don't get it right.
Can't get this one for a couple of years (if ever on the diesel) but I can sure get me an awesome deal on an SUV or Full sized truck....
All of the "Big 3" in North America should replace their management with their European counterparts.
Europe has been on the ball for decades while the American divisions are living in the 60's.
Sigh, it's like a bad sci-fi movie, you keep yelling at the screen "Quick get out of there, the gas hogs are going to get you!" but our Heroin (Ford) just keeps walking into the propeler blades , one of these times they won't get back up Sigh.
The US consumer has been the meth hit for the US Auto makers, who got their high from charging a premium for vehicles that no one else in the world wanted (Hummers, Yukons and the like).
Now the US Auto makers are addicted to these "cheap highs", but the consumer can't oblige. The sad thing is, addicts always see themselves as the victim and this is no exception. The US Auto makers have blamed everyone else (in the world) except themselves, which just shows that they are no where near being ready for rehab, and will just have to hit bottom and have reality forced upon them.
This isn't available in the U.S. because the largest market in the U.S. is California. The overboard environmentalism in CA holds the rest of the U.S. hostage. So instead of getting our oil from here where we control the environmental impact, we get it from places like Venezula who hates us.
You want high mpg diesels in the U.S., don't blame Ford, blame us.
European emission standards are stricter than California's. So yes US automakers are the culprit here. They are already selling low emission, high efficiency vehicles in Europe and Japan because they have to in order to compete in their markets. They choose not to here because they have bought legislation that allows them to make cheaper, less efficient vehicles and sell them for a premium.
Great little car. I bet we see this hit the US. real soon. I cant wait to get out of my SUV. I am stuck in a lease right now but I am happy to see these type of cars come out.
Somebody said, "TreeHugger bloggers aren't your average American". THANK GOD!
The average poster here seems to be high school or. at best, college age, with little perspective on the real world.
Most of us are interested in keeping costs down, for cars, gasoline, rent, groceries, whatever, because we have to earn a living and pay our own way. That happens to be "environmentally friendly" in the case of fuel. That's great, just don't expect us to go out and buy an expensive new automobile for the appeal of lower CO2 per mile or some other such nonsense.
This isn't Ford's fault. They've just been supplying what we buy. Don't forget the most popular vehicle in the USA for the last 30 years is the F150!
The other point is you rag on Ford or GM for quality. But the vehicles they build now are (for the most part) as good as any others. I know, I own an F150 and an Explorer, both 100K or more and extremely trouble free.
My F150 is a "real work" truck, but I'm looking forward to the new F100, which I think will do what I need to do and be a LOT more efficient. GM has a hybrid full size pickup due out for 2009. These are the positive kinds of changes we need.
Not everyone can ride a bicycle or use a 100mpg "tin can".
"The average poster here seems to be high school or. at best, college age, with little perspective on the real world."
Wow, somebody neads a nap. If I threw a tantrum like that, I'd get a time out.
neads = needs
Americans are not sheep. Gas costs more than twice as much in Europe. That is why you see much more tiny, diesel vehicles there. Corporations are "only out to make money" because that is what corporations are supposed to do! Any attempt at "good corporate citizenship" is an advertising campaign in disguise. They don't tell you what to drive, you tell them what you want to drive. Maybe U.S. auto companies screwed the pooch by making too many SUVs but if anyone there realized several years ago, when these decisions were being made, that oil would hit $150 they would have been wasting their time working for a car company. Personally I don't think I would ever buy this car because I would need another one for 90% of the stuff I use a car for.
"you tell them what you want to drive''
How are we supposed to do this? There are very few good high mpg choices in the market, the ones that exist are selling a lot. People are buying Priuses like crazy. They are buying Honda's like crazy - that is pretty much all we get.
Every car sold in the US is the worst performing version of the car. Compare the Volvo c30 US v. Europe - its night and day. They have like 8 engine configurations to choose from, we have 2 and they are the least efficient. How are supposed to send a market signal, if we don't have the option to buy a higher mpg car??? Its the same story with nearly every brand. VW, high mpg cars in Europe, low MPG versions sold here. Audi same. Ford: ugly inefficient version sold in US.
"They don't tell you what to drive, you tell them what you want to drive"
That is not even remotely realistic. Where are all the high efficiency vehicles? Sure as hell not here. The Big Three only made available for sale in the US what they wanted to sell the US market, which was large cheap vehicles that could be sold at a premium. And that is what people bought because that is what was made available to them.
You TELL them by buying what you want. If they don't have it, you don't buy anything. Trust me, EVENTUALLY they will figure it out. They were able to get away with selling large cheap SUVs for a premium because everyone wanted them because they were so "cool" or safe or whatever. You're damn right they are trying to tell people to buy them now because they are stuck with them and they need to move them to raise money to completely change the way they do business because people are telling them now they want small efficient cars.
Ford had they chance in the seventy and the blew it and they will do it again .it,s all about money not save the world
Some of you guys need to settle down a little bit. After Ford's lastest (and terrible) earnings statement, they indicated that they would begin to bring some of their European, fuel-efficient cars over to America in one to two years (depending on how quickly some of their truck/suv factories can be retooled). Ford will also be decreasing the percentage of SUVs and Trucks to only a third of their total automobile production (rather than a half). I think Ford, though a little late, has finally got the message.
There's nothing stopping Ford from sticking them on a boat and bringing them over to the US.
Germany has done it, Japan has done it, why can't Euro-Ford.
OK this drives me crazy... I saw an ad for a Chevy (I believe) sedan type Hybrid in the US that they're advertising as GREEN and gets somewhere in the range of 25 MPG. My old regular car gets way better mileage than that! Then comes this European Ford that gets 65 and is also not a hybrid. Makes no sense! It's like they're betting that the US consumer just sees "Hybrid" and assumes it's better mileage, when the improvement is so modest as to be laughable.
If ford don't offer this car in the U.S they would be kicking themselves in thier own ASS. It will be a big huge slap in the face to the American worker. We sit and complain about what The JAP's are doing and they have stollen the Number one spot in the automaker slot. But when we have a chance to take back that slot, we sit with our thumbs up our asses.
"The JAP's are doing and they have stollen the Number one spot in the automaker slot."
Stolen? Excuse me, but I think that Toyota has worked pretty hard to get there. I sure am glad that there is global competition on the car market, because otherwise we'd have much crappier cars, at much higher prices, with much older technologies in them.
The more competition, the better.
This car will make it here to the U.S. as soon as Ford can figure out what to do with the huge backstock of crap. They're hoping that this is before congress critters stitch across the fleet loopholes that have the Expedition as a light truck.
But they've got to go as slow as possible or they'll be sued into oblivion by the stock holders.
One way out! Increase production to recycle all the non-saleable crap. Sure, it sounds wacky, but there's got to be some point on the sliding sales scale when they're worth more in PR and recycleables.
"The Big Three only made available for sale in the US what they wanted to sell the US market, which was large cheap vehicles that could be sold at a premium. And that is what people bought because that is what was made available to them."
Then who made these cars available for sale in the US?
Chevrolet Aveo, Cavalier, Cobalt
Dodge/Plymouth Neon
Ford Aspire, Escort, Focus
Geo Metro, Prism
Mercury Tracer
Pontiac G5, Sunfire, Vibe
Saturn Astra, Ion, SC/SL/SW
in an attempt to find a way out of a crisis gripping all of Detroit's major motor manufacturers, Ford is looking to the success of its European operations which delivered a profit of $582m.
WE SHOULD BOUYCOT FORD AND THE OTHER MAJOR CAR MANUFACTORS. ALSO I DON'T THINK THE AMERICAN GOV(PEOPLE) NEED TO BAIL THEM OUT FOR MAKING POOR BUSINESS DECISIONS. CAR SALES WOULD SOAR FOR VEHICLES GETTING THAT MPG.
If you like me want to express your discontent with the CEO of Ford Motor Mr. Allan Mulally, you can email him at amulally@ford.com
Dear Mr. Mulally:
I recently found out about Ford’s announcement of the “new” Ford Fiesta Diesel and the fact that Ford is not going to be offering this product in the US.
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/07/ford-econetic-fiesta-diesel-63mpg.php
My comments to you Mr. Mulally is you have got to be kidding that you are not offering this product in the US.
You are struggling to make Ford Motor Company into a profitable business as it once was.
You company is getting kicked around by the Japanese automakers.
The oil companies have killed your profitable SUV and Truck sales here in the US, which is mainly why Ford is in the shape that it’s in. This business is not coming back as long as fuel is near $.4.00 per gallon. Unless you can get the mileage in the high 20’s to 30 mpg we aren’t buying these vehicles again.
Other than the Focus, which is getting half of the mileage as this new car can you have nothing to offer us Americans that can cut our fuel bills.
Now you have a chance to offer the American public something that in my mind would be as huge as when Ford introduced the model T and for some unknown reason you don’t want to offer it in the US?
For a CEO that doesn’t want to take and introduce this to the US. Your company must be looking out for the oil companies if you don’t introduce this product. These are the same people that from what I can see can care less if Ford lives or dies. They haven’t looked out for your company as they been the major reason that we aren’t buying your profitable products any longer. Why protect them by not introducing this product, they are not looking out for you?
I am going to tell you one thing, we American’s will be very upset with The Ford Motor Company if you don’t introduce this car to the US. You have a chance to be #1 in the US and if you don’t take this opportunity, when I need a new car it will be Japanese and not Ford. I am loyal to the US car makers, but if you are not going to look out for us then my loyalty will stop and I and many other Americans will be changing our views and we won’t care if The Ford Motor Company is in business or not.
RETHINK YOUR DECISION. It may be the best or worst decision that you make as a CEO of The Ford Motor Company.
I and many Americans are waiting to see what you plan to do. I can assure you that we will tell all of our friends and family via email of your decision. When we look for a new car we can either look out for your company or decide that our loyalty is gone as your company obviously can care less about us. We need this product in the US, which is a much larger market than Europe is. I urge you to reconsider this decision.
Thank You,
Your name
Complain complain complain , the internet and TV is full of nothing but people complaining.
You wan the car the bad than move to France so I dont have to read your complaining
Think about it people.. It is not sold here because oil runs our country and this is a 65 MPG car.. and it runs on diesel... Thats why it cant be sold here.
Ford won't offer it in the USA because they want to sell us their entire inventory of gas guzzlers which they wouldnt be able to unload elsewhere, thanks to the US Govt.
The cost of diesell fuel is 40cents higher than gas here. That's why they won't import it. THat kills the great mpg.
As a Ford employee, I would love to see this car available in the US. However, we are not allowed to offer this engine for sale in the US due to CAFE and EPA regulations. We have tried to get this engine to pass these standards as it is being produced in Europe and Asia but have been unsuccessful. I have personally tried to have one imported for my own use but was blocked by the government. Please write to your elected officials and tell them of your desire for vehicles like the Ford Fiesta Diesel that gets 62.5 mpg. Inform them that vehicles like these cannot, by law, be brought into the country until CAFE and EPA regulations are brought into line with european standards.
In another article I read on this car, FMC wasn't going to release the car in the US because Americans don't like diesel powered cars.
Diesel used to be cheaper than gasoline, but taxes were raised to target trucks and made the price $ 0.40 to $ 1.00 higher than gasoline.
Ford will only release the Fiesta in Europe because our US government hates diesel. Diesel costs more than gas but is cheaper to make. Gas cost more than diesel in Europe. Tell our government to start condoning the use of more efficient diesels, and stop bailing out failing automakers, then maybe we will get the better cars.
Hi,
Petrol(gas) costs £3.76 a gallon in the UK, diesel a little more £4.00. Any economical vehicle is welcome in the UK as gas is so expensive, so I've bought a Fiesta econetic, get 70-80 mpg almost twice as economic as any other car I've owned.
the big three build excellent cars for the eu markets & give us the junk. that is not the way to do business. this is why they are in trouble.
i'll wait two years for the diesel fiesta. if ford won't build it for the usa markets, the japanese will. my next car will then be a diesel honda.
then the big three moan & grown & wonder why americans won't buy american.
Wow, I can't believe people are getting mad at Ford for not releasing it in the US.
1) It is built in Britain, not cost effective to ship over here.
2) Government in the United States is still arse backwards and believe Diesel is a dirty fuel, and therefore penalizes domestic manufacturers making diesel vehicles. They don't charge foreign manufacturers (because they can't). Ford can make it up on trucks with the high margin, but these low margin cars its a no go.
3) Ford plants in the US cannot be configured easily to change production, and Ford can't really afford to change that because they waste all their money trying to keep the whiny, overpaid union. Soon, they will be whiny and unemployed, unless of course they accept market salaries (or get rid of the union and reduce the ridiculous union dues they pay, hence lowering the cost to Ford w/o lowering pay).
WTF. EVERY CAR I WANT IS IN EUROPE!!!!
I AM RECENTLY WITHOUT A CAR SINCE AROUND THE NEW YEAR AND ALL THE CARS I'M LOOKING AT ARE CRAP. OR HORRIBLE GAS MILAGE.
WHY ARE THE AUTOMAKERS NOT SELLING EFFICIENT CARS IN THE STATES!!!!!!!
WHAT IS THE HOLD UP????????????
WTF. EVERY CAR I WANT IS IN EUROPE!!!!
I AM RECENTLY WITHOUT A CAR SINCE AROUND THE NEW YEAR AND ALL THE CARS I'M LOOKING AT ARE CRAP. OR HORRIBLE GAS MILAGE.
WHY ARE THE AUTOMAKERS NOT SELLING EFFICIENT CARS IN THE STATES!!!!!!!
WHAT IS THE HOLD UP????????????
Here's an idea. The Fiesta and the VW Polo clean diesel are both being made in Europe and sold there to an appreciative public. Get them approved for use in the US, and let people place orders at their local Ford and VW dealers. As the cars catch on, and volume supports it, start manufacturing them in the US. Initially no investment in the US other than learning to do maintenance on them (no rocket science), we get a better feel for the level of acceptance in the US, and we grow as the experience warrants. I for one would buy one if it was available. It's current technology, currently manufactured and proven, and significantly cheaper than the new electric technology/hybrid cars being developed or sold - that technology is still early in its maturity.
The only reason this car isnt sold in the US is because you arrogant Americans (and I know thats not everyone) who keep up the demand for SUV's and large passenger vehicles. If you got off your high horse and realised the benefits of economical consumption then this car would be available. Take a look in the mirror!
Missed driving the Fiesta at the 'Fiesta Movement' here in Spokane, WA. Just Dang! Second chance in Tacoma.
Ford wold be very smart in introducing the Fiesta TDCi as an IMPORT from Europe (US DOT specs) along with the 2011 (mid 2010) release of the US Fiesta model.
WIN-WIN for Ford.
No retooling of a US plant. Ford could ask Congress for breaks in any import tariffs/surcharges until Ford get a US TDCi line operational.
Test market the TDCi in the US. In order to build market share and public acceptance before a major commitment to the TDCi diesel production in the US.
Or, import the TDCi engine. Ford does it with their transmissions (Mazda) . . . so what's the dif?!?
I would buy one NOW. Don't care about the failed 'Cash for Clunkers' deal, we need this car, and fast!
BTW - I am NOT an green-enviro-wacko-nutcase! Just an intelligent, practical and savey consumer. Are you listening Ford?