bzcat

You are wrong but it's ok. We are all here to learn. :hyper: Versa is a "supersized" B car. It is based on Renault's V-platform which came from Clio. It is obviously a bit bigger than traditional European B-car but it is roughly the same size as Hyundai Accent and Kia Rio, which is generally considered B-segment car in the US. Think of Versa as a modern day equalvanet of Toyota Tercel... remember those? B-car price and feature but slightly bigger than European B-cars. Or remember Suzuki Esteem and Aerio a few years ago? Same concept... B+ size but smaller than your typical C-car. You can definitely tell the Versa is a B-car when you see the sedan... It is almost a foot shorter than your typical C-segment sedan (e.g. Focus, Corolla, Civic etc). Nissan Cube also shares the same platform as well as Nissan Note, Renault Modus, Dacia Logan, Dacia Sandero, and the just revealed at NYC Auto Show, Nissan Juke. Sentra is based on the Megane platform.

Toyota Tacoma is specifically designed for the US market too... I think the bottom line on the Ranger is this - the compact pickup truck market in the US is either very low margin fleet sales or "lifestyle" purchases. The "lifestyle" buyers will still consider a unibody truck based on D3 platform, which makes much more sense. Or they will buy a high MPG F-150 if Ford decides to make one. The low margin parts runner for Autozone is not worth the effort to introduce a while new platform in the US. They can buy a Transit Connect and it will work just as well (probably better). Either way, the volume is too small to support assembly of the truck in the US. The only way I see T6 making to the US is if somehow the Chicken tax is repealed and Ford can import the truck from Thailand. The US-Thailand free trade pact which would have eliminated the Chicken Tax on Ranger was not ratified... this is why Ford changed its mind on T6. If they have the option of importing the truck to test the water, they would surely do it - the same way they tested the water on Transit Connect.

I don't know that Ford would have licensed its technology to Mazda on a worldwide basis now that their relationship are not as close... and if Mazda is really intend on selling small number of hybrids in Japan only, buying from Toyota makes more sense for them. For Mazda, it is just the reality of being a small fish in a big pond... they are going to need a lot of help with next generation everything. Good luck developing a whole lineup of vehicles by itself... there is a reason why there are no independent car companies the size of Mazda left.

The V6 Mustang is now fully competitive with the likes of 350Z, G37, 335i, A5... for a lot less money. And for similar money, the V6 Mustang absolute kills bitchbaskets like the Accord and Altima coupe. While the GT and various V8 powered Mustangs have always been the performance ticket and best bang for the buck, the V6 has finally arrived as a worthy alternative on its own. This is really the first time since the early 80s that a base Mustang is fully competitive with all of its competitors on all fronts (performance, price, interior, overall aesthetic and design etc).

Some chinese language car blogs are saying the concept car will be a "SUV" type vehicle. Would seem to suggest the new Escape...

The only problem with MT's comparison test is that 2 years ago, the identical Camry lost in another 10 car family car comparison. There can only be 2 explanations for this: 1. Other cars got worse (doubtful) 2. Shenanigan... June 2008 issue of MT: http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/sedans/112_0808_top_five_family_sedan_comparison/results.html March 2011 http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/sedans/112_1005_best_selling_midsize_family_sedan_comparison/index.html 1. Camry 2. Fusion 3. Sonata 4. Accord 5. Legacy 6. Malibu 7. Altima So right off the bat, you have to wonder why VW Passat (or VW CC) was not back this time... secondly, Malibu and Altima both didn't change very much from 2008 and yet Altima lost a place. But really the one that jumps out is that Sonata, despite being a much better all around car that the previous generation, did worse.

is the upgrade brakes the same as the one in SHO performance pack? If not, then is it better than the regular SHO brakes? Seems like Ford should make the big brakes a retail option on the Taurus.

5) F-150 with a "car" top hat 6) Repurposed Transit Connect taxi package 7) 4 door Mustang 8) Fiesta LWB 9) Ranger double cab 10) Rebadged Chevy Caprice :lol:

The cost of modifying 5.0 V8 to sit sideways and somehow shoehorned in the D3 for which it was not designed to handle is next to impossible to fathom. Not to mention D3 is not designed for RWD... just because a platform can handle AWD, doesn't mean it can be converted to RWD. If Ford was going to sunk this much money into making what is in effect a dedicated platform, it sure as hell won't be a low volume, low profit margin, fleet sale only car!

The Ranger, Bantam, and C1 Focus are all end of the life products at this point. I can understand why Ford India choose not to offer them there. T6 Ranger is less than a year from introduction so I'm sure that will happen in India. Also I'm sure C2 Focus will be in India soon when Ford finalized assembly plans in Asia and figures out where the CKD kits for India will come from (China, Thailand, South Africa, Australia, Taiwan, Europe?).

Ha ha... why would you need to "shoehorn" a tiny I4 engine into a big engine bay designed to fit 6.2 V8? Now if you are talking about fitting the new Powerstroke V8 into the F-150 then it would require some shoehorn...

So that is every Ford cars (and some trucks)? B2, C1, C2, CD3, D3 can all handle 2.0 Duratec... hemm :shades:

My guess is that production is capacity constrained at least initially by facility because Azure Dynamics is doing the drivetrain fitting offsite. Ford could literally sell all 1,000 in a matter of days in Los Angeles or NYC. If demand if high enough, Azure could probably hire a 2nd shift... just my guess of course.

- 80 miles max range with regenerative braking - 6-8 hours of charge time - Ford will produce 1,000 for 2011 model year (production starts in 2010 Q4) - Rolling chassis imported from Turkey, drivetrain installed in Michigan - First of 4 EV Ford plans to sell by 2012 (Focus is #2 - what are #3 and 4???) My link Video: http://www.latimes.com/videobeta/a3a02129-1360-47c7-b89b-9f386514fe73/Auto/The-Ford-Transit-Connect-Electric

If that's the case, I'm almost positive that Fusion+Milan outsold Accord sedan because the coupe is typically about 10-15% of Accord volume.

No, that Fiesta in the R&T road test with Prius and Golf TDI was European 1.6 model, which comes exclusively with 5 speed manual. The 4 speed auto is only available on the 1.4 Fiesta in Europe and Asia.

Interesting to see that Cobalt + HHR beats all in the C-segment (even if you combine Corolla and xB). Granted Cobalt is fleet heavy but still, impressive results for GM. I think Suzuki SX4 is in the wrong category... but not like it is going to make a difference.

Does the Accord number include the coupe? Fusion + Milan = 19,134 Accord - Crosstour = 20,024 Difference of 890 units... if the Accord number includes 2 door coupe sales I think the Ford twins might have outsold the Accord sedan.

Did it really nosedive? It's a bit lower but the model changeover probably has a lot to do with it.

The WRX certainly will be competitive with any performance Focus. I think you mean Impreza STi? Lancer Evo or STi level Focus would be a full on RS effort (like the current RS Focus) and I don't think that is what Farley was talking about. I think Ford will be much more successful with something like the previous SVT Focus in the US. The reason being that Ford can probably sell about 1,500 RS Focus with high boost turbo with 300+ hp a year at $30k+ price tag in the US... it would mean the car has to be imported from Germany and pricey. On the other hand, a 2.0 Ecoboost with about 230hp will probably sell a decent amount at low $20k price point; and with enough volume, Ford can build this in Michigan. Think VW GTI, Impreza WRX, or Mazdaspeed3 competitor, not Evo or STi.

How is that any different than... ever? It has always been that way in Europe because C-segment is the most popular and important segment for car companies over there. :shades: How many body style was Escort available in Europe? I count at least 8 over time (3 door hatch, 5 door hatch, 2 door sedan, 4 door sedan, 2 door wagon, 4 door wagon, convertible, van). How many body styles is Focus available now? I count 8 (3 door, 5 door, 4 door, convertible, wagon, C-Max, Kuga, Transit Connect)... How many body styles will Ford make in the new generation? Probably about the same number as always... 7 or 8 when it is all said and done. In comparison, Ford is not even the most proliferate at spawning new body styles. Check out VW: Golf 3 door, Golf 5 door, Golf Plus, Golf Cross, Golf wagon, Jetta, Jetta wagon, Eos, Touran, Touran Cross, Tiguan... that's 11 different body styles just for VW. The whole family is over 50 body styles if you include all the Audi, Skoda, and SEAT models.

And let's not forget that Lexus sells way more FWD based cars (RX and ES) and RWD cars.

All the references I can find on the internet says FWD or RWD Transit both have longitude engine (i.e. NS). Are you sure the FWD version has EW engines? (edit: never mind... I found the FWD Transit van configuration and you are right... it has transversely mounted engines) I can't imagine the cab chassis version of Transit not being part of the program here in the US... something like this is a good replacement for Ranger pickup in the US.

But then you'd have to combine sales of other cars too to make apples to apples comparison. e.g. Fiat Palio + Siena + Palio weekend; VW Gol + Voyage; Renault Sandero + Logan; Chevy Corsa + Corsa sedan; Chevy Celta + Prisma etc. You get the point...

I have no idea... but the 3.0 V6 is E85 certified in the US so it shouldn't be too hard to get it working with higher ethanol blends.