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I can see a detuned RS (by way of bean counters/lawyers) coming here, a couple of notches above the Focus SVT....say around 240hp, with a sedan variant as well.
While I am not in the market for an RS (or MS3 or MINI or Genesis), I can see what the RS could mean to the enthusiasts.
Charge 30 for it and it better be capable of taking down all contenders... and 30 puts it up there with some very formidable contenders...
$30k for a FOCUS?
Just don't see it happening. Mustang GT has ford performance at 30k... whats the incentive for ford? whats the profit margin?
Not to mention that its based on an entirely different platform than the US focus...
Hmmm...call me biased, but for $30k, you can get a high-option Mustang GT putting almost 300hp on the rear tires (325@crank on the 2010, I think) that still gets over 25mpg on the highway, runs regular and ain't too bad at any racing you throw it. Unless you could make the RS an all-wheel STi killer for the same money, I think it's wasting money Ford needs elsewhere.
Not to say that they're not crazy cool, of course.
I think the best angle to sell a high-performance Focus will be one of competition with the WRX and Evo. It was brought up that neither of those cars are selling as well as they did a few years back, but I would argue that has less to do with the turbo/AWD craze dying down and more to do with the fact that both Subaru and Mitsubishi just dropped hugely different cars than the previous generation.
However, I'm not really sure what Americans are after in a car right now. The SUV craze has very obviously dropped off, but nothing has come in to fill the void. People are switching to crossovers, but I don't see tons of them leaving lots, they almost feel more like a "me, too!" model for those who want an SUV but realize they can't afford to only get 18mpg.
I hate to say it, but the only new car that's had me going, hrm, that MIGHT actually be interesting was the Scion iQ concept. Assuming it was offered with a manual transmission, that is.
Well if the fiesta come here, and becomes the Civic-priced car fighter the focus either has to go after wrx/evo's, or die, right?
BobOfTheFuture wrote:Well if the fiesta come here, and becomes the Civic-priced car fighter the focus either has to go after wrx/evo's, or die, right?
Why? The Fiesta is smaller than the Focus, filling the demand for a sub B class vehicle. The Fiesta is slotted to compete with the Fit, not the Civic.
E-
ReverendDexter wrote: People are switching to crossovers, but I don't see tons of them leaving lots, they almost feel more like a "me, too!" model for those who want an SUV but realize they can't afford to only get 18mpg.
case in point the GMC acadia..
http://www.fuelly.com/car/gmc/acadia
the round town mileage really drags it down...
I think people are going to like small cars for a bit.
I dunno I just filled up for $1.89 at flying J in virginia... people have pretty short memories. I think until gas prices get up and stay up, people aren't necessarily going to flock to smaller cars unless the industry makes them (or makes it more attractive for them to) do so.
I thinks sales of the Honda Fit prove that you don't necessarily have to be the cheapest if your quality is good and you are offering nice interior, sporty handling, on top of the whole good MPG small car deal. Having said that, I see a lot more Aveo's, Versa's, and Yaris's than I do Fits. For the price of a fit you can buy a Cobalt, Sentra, or Corolla, respectively. And I see a lot more of those than I do any of the subcompact group.
Cars are demand driven to a certain extent (there is the whole argument that the public can't buy a car that isn't offered, etc, but lets skip that for now) and I think the sales numbers show that as long as prices are similar, people will take a corolla over a yaris, or a civic over a fit. People like the space, the styling, the safety, and the comfort. And with gas at two bucks a gallon again, MPG isn't driving that many sales, especially with trucks and SUVs sitting on dealer lots with $5000 incentives and factory rebates.
So I saw 4 Ford Fiestas yesterday 3 on a trailer outside of a hotel in Atlanta near perimeter mall, since I live down the street I may go over and see about a private drive :), and a 4th actually driving down the street, they had stickers all over them, don't know what was up, but I'm fairly certain they were Fiestas. I know it's not the RS but still pretty cool...
EDIT: looks like there's a 'Fiesta Movement' ( http://www.fiestamovement.com/ride-and-drive/events/location:southeast ) and they're going to let people drive the international version in the US before they come and they're here in Atlanta this week/end...
alfadriver wrote:BobOfTheFuture wrote:Well if the fiesta come here, and becomes the Civic-priced car fighter the focus either has to go after wrx/evo's, or die, right?
Why? The Fiesta is smaller than the Focus, filling the demand for a sub B class vehicle. The Fiesta is slotted to compete with the Fit, not the Civic.
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I guess.
Beating the fit is easy, turn the ecsessive height into width. Wanna kill the fit? do that and make it RWD.
Whats the specs on the Fiesta? i know too little on it.
no way to package a car that small and have any space left with RWD. Just not possible. Transmisison hump, driveshaft tunnel, rear diff goes where?? Besides, with that short of a wheelbase it would probably be a little bit scary.
andrave wrote:no way to package a car that small and have any space left with RWD. Just not possible. Transmisison hump, driveshaft tunnel, rear diff goes where?? Besides, with that short of a wheelbase it would probably be a little bit scary.
"No way" is a pretty bold thing to say. The wheel base and track of a hillman husky mk1 are less than the new fiesta (per wiki) and this guy dumped a v8 into it and still has room to have 2 buckets and a rear bench.
ultraclyde wrote: ...25mpg on the highway, runs regular and ain't too bad at any racing you throw it
Unless that racing involves turning corners
ducks
Has anyone been watching the 2011 Fiesta page at ford website ? It has a build option now. It's just some down and dirty options but with a surprse. There is a turbo option you can check, and it tells you after you pick the option the percentage of people that also picked it. I'm seeing this as a poll almost so everyone who'd be interested in a turbo fiesta coming out next year should go and build one with a turbo kit. Any other good fiesta rumors?
Think about if ChryCo had continued the Neon instead of trying to sell us that rebadged Grumman product.
RossD wrote:Has anyone been watching the 2011 Fiesta page at ford website ? It has a build option now. It's just some down and dirty options but with a surprse. There is a turbo option you can check, and it tells you after you pick the option the percentage of people that also picked it. I'm seeing this as a poll almost so everyone who'd be interested in a turbo fiesta coming out next year should go and build one with a turbo kit. Any other good fiesta rumors?
i've done that several times, gonna go and "vote" again!!!
I think the RS would be useful here as a halo car for their compact segment, just as the Shelby variants are for the Mustangs.
'Only' FWD seems like a bit of a miscategorization in a class of cars like this, especially if Ford has done their homework; and the European reviews seem to think they have.
Looks like over 40% of the people have voted for the turbo kit on the Fiesta.
John Brown wrote:Think about if ChryCo had continued the Neon instead of trying to sell us that rebadged Grumman product.
saw their new intercooler piping...
wherethefmi wrote:Capt Slow wrote:I am suspicious that the problems run deeper than simply goverment regs. This seems more like somebody in marketing needs to be canned...
Agreed 100% and that guy's been running that show for WAY too long. How many cool fords never made it to these shores?
How many of them did, and then flopped? We are gearheads and a different breed. Joe and Jane 6-Pack have spoken over and over again, they do not want euro cars. They dont; want cars that feel european, tight and peppey. They want them insulated, cushioned and 'merican looking. Think not just only the Capri, the "world car" modled Escort, the original Focus concept, but look bigger to the Opel product line, the Catera (in its defense GM ruined the engine) and a host of others. The Sterling comes to mind. While you're at it, outside of the german big four, how many european makers even sell stuff here? Saab and Volvo were niche manufactorers at best. Alpha Romea, Fiat, MG, and other I am missing simple stopped coming here. Euro cars simply don't sell well in America. Not in mass numbers anyway, which is what Ford, GM and Chrysler need to stay afloat.
it looks like the guy ran over a swing ball (ladder ball) set.
RossD wrote:it looks like the guy ran over a swing ball (ladder ball) set.
haha, that game is fun as hell!!
GameboyRMH wrote:ultraclyde wrote: ...25mpg on the highway, runs regular and ain't too bad at any racing you throw itUnless that racing involves turning corners
ducks
Not true. The latest Mustang, equipped with the Track Pack, pulls over .9G on the skidpad and has been universally praised by the scribes for its handling/steering feel prowess.
I'm doing this quiz and when they ask about you the questions are ridiculous, why don't they just ask, are you male or female and are you old or young. That's basically what all of this is boiling down to.
