dwford

Nice. But too much Aston, not enough Mustang. I though we were getting a front wheel drive 4 door Mustang, but we get a front wheel drive, 4 door Aston Martin instead. This looks like the Hybrid version, since it shares the front grill of the Focus EV and the C-Max EVs.

US buyers haven't shown much interest in small vans, let alone micro vans. Yet everyone here loves SUV's - even the Juke. The Ecosport should come here.

There is a $1000 rebate on the 2012 Focus where I live..

I would say that the sales chart validates Ford's approach with the new Explorer: http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2011/08/chart-of-the-day-midlarge-cuv-sales-in-july-and-year-to-date/#more-407482

Mexico is the 51st state. It's citizens can come and go as they please and collect welfare just like any other US citizen. So Mexican made Fusions count as American.

I was mad that the C-Max wasn't at the New York autoshow, now I know why..

It's not a difference in skill that lets Google give such generous benefits - most people couldn't do factory work. Google has much higher profit margins because the have very low overhead. Their cost of producing their product IS the wages - there aren't any parts to buy, just imagination of the brains of the people they pay to work there. It is almost pure profit, unlike the auto industry where there is labor expense, cost of materials, transportation costs, etc..

Isn't the 1.6EB going to be the upgrade motor on the C-Max?

Leave a deposit on an incoming unit so you have the right of first refusal when it gets there. If you hate it, get your money back. Any reputable dealer would do that.

So Nissan admits upfront that their new car is ugly, but that that doesn't matter because style isn't important. They said exactly the same thing when they went from the 1st gen Altima (which looked like a little Infiniti J30) to the second gen that ruined the style. Sales took a nose dive if I remember....

I have owned my 2011 Sonata SE for 12 months/11,500 miles so far. I have not had any problems with it so far except the check engine light that came on, stayed on for a couple days, then went out on it's own. Since 90% of the time the check engine light is either the gas cap or some other emissions item, I ignored it since the car ran fine. The Sonata has had several minor recalls in the last year - door latch (1200 cars), steering column bolts (all cars, but just a checkup), a couple ECU reprograms. While I have had no problems with mine, I have seen others with noisy fuel pumps - a constant hum from the gas tank, a couple bad tranny's, and alignment concerns are common. Hyundai's in general are prone to alignment issues. I sell them, and it is a common complaint for a customer to say their car pulls to the left/right. It's not just the Sonata. My beefs with the car are the suspension tuning - it's just not the right balance of sport/comfort (I have the 18" wheels), interior squeaks, and the paint, which is easily damaged. Overall, though, it is an impressive combination of style, performance, room, features, and price. I am not disappointed in mine, and am glad I sell them for a living.

The whole point of Ford's "One Ford" strategy was to lower development costs by building one car worldwide for each category. I doubt Ford is concerned about the US sales of the Fiesta, considering that the same factory in Mexico supplies Fiestas for all of North and South America. The idea that a car needs to sell 100's of thousands of units solely in the US is outdated. As more and more designs become globalized, looking at only US sales is irrelevant. Also, Ford has lowered its break even point so it is profitable at much lower sales volumes. As long as the Fiesta is selling to willing buyers with minimal factory incentives, Ford will be happy.

The current Azera is a nice car, but is outdated compared to Hyundai's newer designs. This car could be a hit - bigger than the Sonata and with a V6, but cheaper than a Genesis and with front wheel drive. Think Lexus ES350 competitor for $10k less.

Kind of like, BMWs, Audis, Mercedes - small medium and large - all the same styling cues.

This type of vehicle is solely the result of government market intervention run amok. Instead of encouraging people to drive more fuel efficient vehicles through higher gas taxes, or taxes on engine displacement, the government puts it on the automakers with CAFE rules in the US and CO2 rules in the EU. No automaker wants to produce these nonsense cars, but they are forced to to meet the rules.