I still don't understand why Ford can't sell that car here in the states. It looks like a better car than the crap they sell here.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
The Top Gear Megathread! Mark II
- Thread starter CortexRock
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Isn't Ford actually in the best position of the Detroit 3 today? When they went to Congress Ford was the only one that said they could survive without money now (albeit only until January, but still...)
The new Fiesta looks brilliant. I've been looking at the Fit, Yaris, Accent, etc., and will probably wind up with a Fit, because the Fiesta just won't be here in time. Otherwise it would be a very, very strong contender...
Loved the review, too. Ford should work that Beach Assault into an advertisement.
Probably the best episode of the series so far
3 good Films the Fiesta road test was amazing
its incredible how often they manage to get the Military involved
However I am getting a bit sick of JC endless anti green/electric/hybrid rants
seriously when your getting told off by Boris Johnson for not being green enough it must be time to question your position!
Looks like they've Got the Tesla on Next week
should be interesting to see how that goes
3 good Films the Fiesta road test was amazing
its incredible how often they manage to get the Military involved
However I am getting a bit sick of JC endless anti green/electric/hybrid rants
seriously when your getting told off by Boris Johnson for not being green enough it must be time to question your position!
Looks like they've Got the Tesla on Next week
should be interesting to see how that goes
The Fiesta review was brilliant. I want to swap mine for the new version now. Don't fancy financing a car in the current economic climate though. Maybe the 2nd hand values will be tempting.
Highly unlikely given Ford Europe are profitable over the last quarter, which is impressive when you consider the fact that profits were impacted by not only R+D+T costs of developing 3 new models (Fiesta, Ka, Kuga) but also the fact that the number of sales during that quarter were impacted significantly by buyers waiting for the launch of the new Fiesta, which has since been confirmed by it's return to the top of the UK sales chart, not to mention the new Ka isn't launched until the New Year.
In fact... their sales in the UK are down only 11% in November, which is bettered only by their subsidiary, Volvo. Unlike companies like Honda and Toyota that are seeing sales plummeting in the same period by over 40%, similar falls are been reported on a pan-european scale as well, if not global.
It's more probable that in the event of Ford U.S. collapsing (itself highly unlikely), the profitable Ford Europe arm would be spun off as a separate company, that would then proceed to sell it's vastly superior wares in the U.S.
First up, great episode. Loved the review of the "Commie Cars" and storming a beach in a Ford Fiesta from a landing craft is bloody brilliant.
Jeremy noted the new Fiesta is assembled in Germany. Was the previous/current model still made in Korea? If so, that likely explains the difference.
As iGav notes above, both Ford and GM are doing quite well in Europe. GM's sales in Europe are up I believe 28% as of an article in the paper this morning.
If the parent companies fold, they'll be sold off in pieces. GM, for example, is worth far more in parts then it is as a whole.
The problem prior to that is one of cost. Consider that the "decent" Fiesta costs £11.000 which is somewhere north of $20,000USD at current exchange rates. That's a lot of money to ask for such a small car in the US market, even if it looks good and drives better.
Fortunately for Ford, Alan Mullaly knows a thing or two about worldwide sales of a single model thanks to his time leading Boeing Commercial Airplanes. So a number of the new Ford of Europe models are coming to the US for the 2010-2011 model year at prices that will make them attractive to US buyers.
Jeremy noted the new Fiesta is assembled in Germany. Was the previous/current model still made in Korea? If so, that likely explains the difference.
As iGav notes above, both Ford and GM are doing quite well in Europe. GM's sales in Europe are up I believe 28% as of an article in the paper this morning.
If the parent companies fold, they'll be sold off in pieces. GM, for example, is worth far more in parts then it is as a whole.
The problem prior to that is one of cost. Consider that the "decent" Fiesta costs £11.000 which is somewhere north of $20,000USD at current exchange rates. That's a lot of money to ask for such a small car in the US market, even if it looks good and drives better.
Fortunately for Ford, Alan Mullaly knows a thing or two about worldwide sales of a single model thanks to his time leading Boeing Commercial Airplanes. So a number of the new Ford of Europe models are coming to the US for the 2010-2011 model year at prices that will make them attractive to US buyers.
At which points? His voice was clearly fairly borked for all the studio stuff filmed last week.
The previous generation was made in Germany, Spain too.
The previous Fiesta was at launch regarded as its class leader, both in terms of build quality and dynamics (as all Fords generally are).
As other manufacturers have released their next generation of cars, it's obviously lost some of it's competitiveness, though even at the time of it's demise it was still generally regarded as being one of the best dynamically, even though it was a generation behind competing models.
They're tanking in the UK. Vauxhall are down 38%, Chevrolet 28%, Saab 57% for November. Reports over the weekend, suggest that Vauxhall especially are in serious trouble.
Current exchange rates would make it around $16k. Obviously still substantial for such a car.
But it's unlikely that the americanized versions of Ford's European cars will imported, they're more than likely to be produced in Mexico... Arriba! Arriba! Andale! Andale! indeed.
Tough to compare directly, since the car is obviously priced for the market. The US version will probably be $15 000 for a decent one? They'll be built in Mexico, not Germany, so hopefully the quality is up to par and the cost is where it needs to be.
I really, really like the new Fiesta. Shame it won't be here sooner...
You can't compare costs like that.
Take my car, a VW GTI for example. In the US, it starts at about $23,000. In the UK, it starts at about £20,000 which is roughly $30,000. Big difference. I don't know the reason for the big difference, but cars in Europe almost always cost more than they do in the states.
Take my car, a VW GTI for example. In the US, it starts at about $23,000. In the UK, it starts at about £20,000 which is roughly $30,000. Big difference. I don't know the reason for the big difference, but cars in Europe almost always cost more than they do in the states.
What are the import duties like in the UK from Mexico (if any)? Since the Golf's are built in Mexico, I am operating under the assumption they are covered under NAFTA which might account for some of the price difference.
Then again, I find many things in the UK priced as if the Pound and Dollar were 1:1...
He didn't get it back. During "the news" he just slightly less exaggerated how bad it was...
I sure hope the Hamster won't be doing the "welcomes" every time, BTW.
Had a gr8 laugh about the Commies cars. Anyone remember the episode when the Lotus folk had enhanced an old Lada to a gr8 car?
Attachments
I thought the latest episode was by far the best, the Ford Focus section and the Commie car tests were by far some of the funniest bits I've seen this series...
Golf's are built in Germany. They've not been made in Mexico for some years.
Even though we are part of the EU, we in the UK do not necessarily benefit from the same fair and consistent pricing as our european neighbours and discrepancies in pricing do exist, regardless of the differences in currency and the fact that we drive on the correct side
, in some cases it is still cheaper to purchase a car on the continent and drive it back, rather than purchase it here in the UK, though you do still occasionally read the odd report of some official dealers refusing to sell a RHD car to UK customers, despite the fact that such refusal is illegal. On a side note, that Caterham looked like a potential hedge trimmer didn't it.
I thought we'd sorted that problem out a few years ago, namely that we were being royally shafted in the UK on new car prices. The UK has been the cheapest country in the EU to buy a new car for some time now AFAIK, reducing the need for the once-popular personal importing of RHD cars from Holland etc.
I thought we had too... an acquaintance on a recent shopping trip suggested otherwise though.
That was an amazing episode. The news was the most hilarious thing. I died laughing when James randomly pulled up a giant "pork sword". Also, the shehe bit was quite amusing
The last part on the Honda was really cool. I've heard about it, but i never looked into it. It seems like something auto companies should really be looking into. J-Lenno's explanation about using petrol cars for recreation was actually really smart-sounding.
Can't wait for the special on the 28th
The last part on the Honda was really cool. I've heard about it, but i never looked into it. It seems like something auto companies should really be looking into. J-Lenno's explanation about using petrol cars for recreation was actually really smart-sounding.
Can't wait for the special on the 28th
