xcel
10-20-2007, 02:46 PM
A separate brand may not be in the offing, but Ford intends to be a leader as many manufacturers bring successful small models to the U.S. from Europe and other countries. (http://savannahnow.com/node/378801)
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/2008_Ford_Focus_Coupe_Rear.jpgTom Krisher - Savannah Morning News - Oct. 20, 2007
The 2008 Ford Focus (shown) will not set the sales charts on fire but a future European based Fiesta, Focus and Fusion (not related to the US based Focus or Fusion) once available in the US market should bring about a resurgence in Ford small car sales. -- Ed.
DEARBORN, Mich. - U.S. automakers pretty much ceded the small-car market to the Japanese during the past decade. Now, with consumers shifting toward more gas-thrifty models and the realization that a strong compact brings buyers to their brand, Detroit is trying to make yet another comeback.
The revamped Ford Focus is now making its way to showrooms. Early next year, General Motors Corp. will offer a glimpse into its future small cars when it sends the Saturn Astra to dealerships, and more compacts are on the way.
Industry analysts say the improved offerings are much better than the chintzy small cars of the past, but Detroit still has a long way to go to unseat the Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic, which together control almost 30 percent of the small-car market. Foreign nameplates have 76 percent of the U.S. small-car market.
"It's a segment that we've been out of, so we need to have really good products in it," Ford Motor Co. Chief Executive Alan Mulally told The Associated Press in an interview.
Mulally, who just began his second year leading Ford after being hired away from aviation giant Boeing Co., said his five adult children are a perfect example of Ford's challenges in the compact market.
"We missed a whole generation of Ford products," he said. "We knew the trucks and the SUVs, No. 1 in the world, but they grew up with Civics and Accords."
His children, he said, love the new Ford vehicles, but the company has some huge challenges getting people to believe it's making quality cars again.
"The thing is consideration and awareness that we even have them," Mulally said.
Ford and GM research shows that small-car buyers will no longer tolerate flimsy seats, cheap plastic dashboards, noisy engines and bumpy rides. They also want sleek body styles and performance comparable to larger cars - all in a fuel-efficient package.
"People who go into a small car want expressive design and they want a level of refinement in the interior," said Jill Lajdziak, Saturn general manager. "We've got to make sure that our small cars are delivering what they want. They don't want to compromise."
The Focus, a refined version of the old car that debuted in 1999, is quieter, faster and more efficient than its predecessor. It and the Astra have interiors that rival larger luxury cars, and the Focus is the first car to get "Sync," a Microsoft Corp. system that allows people to control phones and personal music players with voice commands.
But the coming generation of Detroit's small cars still will have a tough time breaking into the market controlled by the Civic and Corolla.
The new Focus, while vastly improved, looks like the tired old model, said Erich Merkle, vice president of auto industry forecasting for consulting company IRN Inc. in Grand Rapids … http://savannahnow.com/node/378801
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/2008_Ford_Focus_Coupe_Rear.jpgTom Krisher - Savannah Morning News - Oct. 20, 2007
The 2008 Ford Focus (shown) will not set the sales charts on fire but a future European based Fiesta, Focus and Fusion (not related to the US based Focus or Fusion) once available in the US market should bring about a resurgence in Ford small car sales. -- Ed.
DEARBORN, Mich. - U.S. automakers pretty much ceded the small-car market to the Japanese during the past decade. Now, with consumers shifting toward more gas-thrifty models and the realization that a strong compact brings buyers to their brand, Detroit is trying to make yet another comeback.
The revamped Ford Focus is now making its way to showrooms. Early next year, General Motors Corp. will offer a glimpse into its future small cars when it sends the Saturn Astra to dealerships, and more compacts are on the way.
Industry analysts say the improved offerings are much better than the chintzy small cars of the past, but Detroit still has a long way to go to unseat the Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic, which together control almost 30 percent of the small-car market. Foreign nameplates have 76 percent of the U.S. small-car market.
"It's a segment that we've been out of, so we need to have really good products in it," Ford Motor Co. Chief Executive Alan Mulally told The Associated Press in an interview.
Mulally, who just began his second year leading Ford after being hired away from aviation giant Boeing Co., said his five adult children are a perfect example of Ford's challenges in the compact market.
"We missed a whole generation of Ford products," he said. "We knew the trucks and the SUVs, No. 1 in the world, but they grew up with Civics and Accords."
His children, he said, love the new Ford vehicles, but the company has some huge challenges getting people to believe it's making quality cars again.
"The thing is consideration and awareness that we even have them," Mulally said.
Ford and GM research shows that small-car buyers will no longer tolerate flimsy seats, cheap plastic dashboards, noisy engines and bumpy rides. They also want sleek body styles and performance comparable to larger cars - all in a fuel-efficient package.
"People who go into a small car want expressive design and they want a level of refinement in the interior," said Jill Lajdziak, Saturn general manager. "We've got to make sure that our small cars are delivering what they want. They don't want to compromise."
The Focus, a refined version of the old car that debuted in 1999, is quieter, faster and more efficient than its predecessor. It and the Astra have interiors that rival larger luxury cars, and the Focus is the first car to get "Sync," a Microsoft Corp. system that allows people to control phones and personal music players with voice commands.
But the coming generation of Detroit's small cars still will have a tough time breaking into the market controlled by the Civic and Corolla.
The new Focus, while vastly improved, looks like the tired old model, said Erich Merkle, vice president of auto industry forecasting for consulting company IRN Inc. in Grand Rapids … http://savannahnow.com/node/378801