philibuster

Nightwing

camp6ell

I don't think so. The Fusion is larger. Their the same class, but different ends of the spectrum.

The S-Max would be more comparable to the Flex, with 3 rows I believe. The Flex is huge. So, our 2 row Edge probably comparable to what their 3 row is.

That was the contour's problem as well, it was too small for midsized

Cars in Europe on the whole are much smaller, and Ford's offerings don't differ.

rlj676-new job, same problems

LoveThatWeasel

We'll swap. Leave your key under the mat, I'll let myself in...

Rust-MyEnemy is stll out there!

Awsome cars too. Chalk up a +1 on the move to europe board.

Schm, lord of Torques!

According to the email (about 6 months ago), there was no plan to bring the S-Max or other European models to the US. :(

woogychuck

The sad truth is that they would do just as well financially if they just cut their prices and made everything 25% less good. Because the dumbed down public at large wouldn't know a good car if they were force fed one.

Rust-MyEnemy is stll out there!

Razor1973

I don't dislike them, I'm not at the point in my life where I want/need to own such vehicles. Even if I were and these were in my budget, I'd rather have a second hand BMW.

amblito

Mikeee

danio3834

Wish I could figure out where they were buying them, so I could burn the place down.

The Name's Ash78, Housewares

amblito

Oh and if I see one more goddamn Bangle-crease running at a drunken angle down the side of another detroit shitbox I'm gonna loose it. Ford Focus, Chrysler Seabring designers please start showing up to work. With ideas. New ones.

That goes for plasticky Aston vents behind the front wheels too. F150, Taurus...you gotta be kidding me...

slostudent

I wanted to like it, and I did, but honestly, screw you Saturn and screw you local Saturn dealer.

Placebo

The Fusion is also several times better than the Contour. Ford's designs are generally as good or better than domestic competition. The number one reason for not buying a Ford is quality concerns, which are purely a perception issue.

The Fusion, Edge, and Flex are much more what Americans (most, just not internet car enthusiasts who whine about everything they can't get) want. The Euro Fords are much smaller than people here want still. It is not just Ford who is doing this, as most makers sell larger cars here than worldwide.

Oh, and that S-Max would not be cheap here at all.

rlj676-new job, same problems

Sounds like they're doing a little niche marketing. But at the expense of everyone else, might end up as a pigeonholing.

The Name's Ash78, Housewares

amblito

UDMan

The Name's Ash78, Housewares

It may make no financial sense for Ford to ship cars made in Germany here, but at some point they have to improve their product line. Good designs aren't coming out of Detroit. Start building the European cars here as they phase out older models.

I'd buy an S-MAX in a heartbeat. What does Ford give me instead? The $30k-$35k, 16mpg Flex. Jesus.

LoveThatWeasel

diskreet

amblito

If it was, say, the Chevrolet Astra AND supported with a decent ad campaign, it would probably be rivaling the Civic in sales right now.

ranwhenparked

Now, by the time those Cherokees had 80K on the odometer, they had loose steering, sagging springs, burned oil and the brake systems were shot and beyond repair. At 95K on the 1992 Jeep I did a complete rebuild of everthing from the back of the transfercase to the tires which included new drive shafts, springs, brakes, rebuilt axles, and rebuilt steering. The new parts gave the old Jeep a new feel again and I was ready to roll. So the Jeep was not all original by the time it was retired, but it was still one hell of a vehicle.

OTOH, much has changed in the 11 years that passed between the building of my Jeep and my Grand Marquis. The car has 97,500 miles on it and it does not need a new brake system, new springs, or any other significant rebuild. The axle had an issue at 67K miles but that was a manufacturing flaw by the foundry that made the axle for Ford. This car does not burn oil and all systems work like a charm. Anyone who says that they do not build cars like they used to is very, very correct. And I am glad they do not build cars like they did 10 or 20 years ago then I would be looking to trade my GranMa instead of planning on driving it for at least another 50K miles. Maybe even I will go for 200K, but I am afraid time will cause more problems than mileage the way my car is built.

I am ashamed of my cohorts of the Jalopnos Community for suggesting that cars are not as well made today than they were 25-50 years ago. Perhaps the materials are not as heavy and perceivably durable as we would like to see, but these are the safest, best built autos to have ever been built coming off our assembly lines now. It is just ashame that the styling does not necessarily fit my taste for what a car should be.

cgarison

Number_Six

You summarized that quite well.

Where do you get off making a comment with sound business principles when it's easier to be an "expert" and criticize everything without understanding it? It's just not expected for the internet.

rlj676-new job, same problems

Consumer products in general, in the US, have gone to crap over time. Our whole mentality is "disposable everything." Just look at how long most people keep their cars. Compare it to 20 years ago. Or compare it to Europe.

I always love seeing places where 10-15 year old cars still look brand new. And not just dry, wealthy California. I'm talking about England and Netherlands and Germany and...

The Name's Ash78, Housewares

turbofreak

The Astra is just the latest example. Don't forget Ford already sold the Mondeo here as the Contour and the original Focus here, both of which lost Ford a large amount of money. GM has tried Opels here before, the Monaro and currently has two Opels here again in the Vue and Astra and another Holden on the way. All of which besides the Vue probably won't sell well and the others have almost zero profit margin.

Like I said, this country only seems to buy cheap and ugly which is why we get cheap and ugly. Even Asian companies go through the trouble to engineer cheap and ugly cars specifically for us while selling better ones to the rest of the world.

The goodness is lost on us.

TriShield

But I never saw people on message boards screaming for them en masse. But the Euro-Ford and diesel issues are the two most universal commentaries on every auto forum I've ever visited.

So while there's definitely "grass is greener" syndrome with both issues, I think they have plenty of merit an support.

I never saw anyone screaming at GM to bring the Aura or Astra over here.

The Name's Ash78, Housewares

So, to satisfy the so called industry experts (Like this audience) Ford would have to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to bring over their Australian and European models, to produce them here, federalize them through the EPA, DOT, and the NHTSA, so that they can increase their sales by what, 1/2%? Ford has enough problems now without throwing good money after bad.

According to Ford's Annual Report, Ford of Europe Lost money in 2005, but made most of it back in 2006. Ford Asia (which includes Australia and New Zealand) has Lost Money in 2006, while Mazda made money. The PAG Group (Volvo, Jaguar, Land Rover, and Aston Martin) Lost Big Money. They are getting rid of most of the PAG Group, and have to get other markets right, along with NA. Simply bringing product from their other markets won't help. New product has to be developed with all markets defined.

UDMan

The grass is always greener.

rlj676-new job, same problems

I'm not complaining, i for one am really enjoying looking at all these right-sized Ford products. And instead of looking at it as offshore envy, i like to think that's it's proof FoMoCo is in top form at least somewhere.

General Halfshaftery

I'm curious how many people drive diesel powered cars on this board?

Nightwing

Ford and a couple other manufacturers play the displacement game, but 2.2 usually pushes buyers over the edge. The previous gen 2.0 TDCi was fine, as was the 2.0 HDI in the 406. Peugeot got smart and put a 1.6 HDi in the 407, which is why many people buy them over a 2.0 Mondeo.

oyumurtaci

Nightwing

russell_s

Despite what everyone wishes if these Fords were sold here all we would do is nitpick them. We'd whine about the price, we'd whine about the power, we'd whine about the interior size, and we'd whine about the cupholders.

GM brought the Saturn Astra over from Opel unchanged and nobody seems to be buying them. Now that it's here people find every excuse in the world not to buy it. Why would it be any different with any foreign Ford?

Everyone foreign product GM and Ford have tried in the US have been money-losing duds.

TriShield

graverobber- My Yugo Nova!

nitroracer

Number_Six

B

Unevolved

TampaRon

The Kuga, on the other hand, looks like exactly the sort of sleek, modern crossover Ford ought to be replacing the truckish Escape with.

ranwhenparked

TampaRon

sos10

Sincerely,
The United States of America

Adamskiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiy

.: R32-PΩWER ™

The Name's Ash78, Housewares