Biker16 Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 Ford will have 1 team for global small car Amy Wilson | Automotive News / March 12, 2007 - 1:00 am >> 2007 Geneva Auto Show Index GENEVA -- In one of his first big product decisions at Ford Motor Co., CEO Alan Mulally is merging far-flung B-car development teams into one global program team. Teams in Europe, North America and Asia were consolidated into one team based at Ford of Europe in January, said Joe Bakaj, Ford of Europe vice president of product development. Mulally made the call, he said. B-cars are smaller than the Ford Focus. The segment, with such new entries as the Nissan Versa and Honda Fit, is growing in the United States. Ford lacks a U.S. entry. Ford already had decided to share one B-car for Europe, North America and Asia. Now, having one team will eliminate cost and reduce the number of engineers, Bakaj said. It also will minimize changes as the car is modified for each region. "The danger there is if you don't coordinate that centrally, you end up after a while with three vehicles that are nominally the same vehicle but don't actually share many of the key parts or technologies," Bakaj said. "We've seen that happen way back in Ford's past. Engineers always like to think they can make something better by changing it." New Ford-brand B-cars will ride on the same platform developed by Mazda that underpins the Mazda2 unveiled at the Geneva auto show. They will go on sale in Europe, North America and Asia from 2008 to 2010, Bakaj said. The European car will come first, Bakaj said. He wouldn't specify when the B-car would go on sale in the United States or Asia. Suppliers and analysts most recently have expected Ford's U.S. B-car to go on sale in 2009. The global B-car team will operate in Germany under Marin Burela, a Ford of Europe veteran. Team members are working on modifications for individual markets. In addition to satisfying regulatory requirements, they will tweak vehicle tuning and design to satisfy local tastes. "Americans prefer a less aggressive grille than Ford has on its cars in Europe. They want a basic entry-level car," said Martin Smith, Ford of Europe's executive design director. "Europeans want a stylish car. Chinese buyers want a vehicle that looks sophisticated - for example, with chrome fittings." The B-car development team soon will start choosing suppliers for the Asian and North American versions, Bakaj said. Suppliers already have been chosen for the European car. Paul McVeigh contributed to this report You may e-mail Amy Wilson at awilson@crain.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deanh Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 who's bringing common sense to the table at last ..Mullalley? Dis-agree with the less agressive grill here in the states...BRING IT ON! The 500 had a less agressive grill...look what happened.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 Yeah that 'less aggressive grille' is a real noodle scratcher. FoE's grilles are ultra anonymous in the U.S. market. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LincolnFan Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 My Focus' grille is bland and unoffensive. I can't imagine anything more unoffensive than that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 Yeah that 'less aggressive grille' is a real noodle scratcher. FoE's grilles are ultra anonymous in the U.S. market. I was about to say the same thing...but when I think cheap, I think of a black egg crate type grill with black (non-painted) trim on the car. I seriously wonder how much they save by doing that... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deanh Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 what we need here is something that pushes the bloody envelope...NOT a damn car that gets lost in parking lots and can only be found by button pushing remotes...damn I going to say it ...we need styling BALLS! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kris Kolman Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 Style will be style... Lets see the final products before bitching... About f**n time someone in Dearborn kicks the NIH idiots down a peg... Small sheet metal changes, insulation, and material changes to match the price point and market likes, but no way in hell should the fundamental sturcture be changed like what happend with the NA C170. And no way in hell should the NA and FoE C-class products been allowed to drift apart... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deanh Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 Style will be style... Lets see the final products before bitching... About f**n time someone in Dearborn kicks the NIH idiots down a peg... Small sheet metal changes, insulation, and material changes to match the price point and market likes, but no way in hell should the fundamental sturcture be changed like what happend with the NA C170. And no way in hell should the NA and FoE C-class products been allowed to drift apart... we must have a two tone Eddie Bauer edition though, or a king ranch...Americans would be lost without....sheesh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bb62 Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 Before everybody hails this decision as the greatest thing since sliced bread, consider that this has been tried before with less than adequate success. And the lack of success has not been due to Ford capabilities but to: - incompatable regularoty requirements - supply base unable to make the same parts worldwide - tariff issues with some of the markets - incompatable vehicle requirements - exchange rate fluctuation Mullaly has never had to deal with these many of these types of issues and the difficulty to resolve them will come as a shock to him over time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deanh Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 Before everybody hails this decision as the greatest thing since sliced bread, consider that this has been tried before with less than adequate success. And the lack of success has not been due to Ford capabilities but to: - incompatable regularoty requirements - supply base unable to make the same parts worldwide - tariff issues with some of the markets - incompatable vehicle requirements - exchange rate fluctuation Mullaly has never had to deal with these many of these types of issues and the difficulty to resolve them will come as a shock to him over time. hopefully from previous "experiments " they have learned their lesson, and hopefully this time their are not too many cooks. Question...if one designs a vehcle from the ground up to the most strict regulations worldwide, would the car not be able to be sold in ANY market ( for example...Cal emmisions are apparently the strictest in the US, if all cars had Ca emmisions could they not be sold in all states? ) and if cars are built one way world wide, then all the dies etc would be the same and cheaper to manufacture, the factorys would all be the same, the parts would all be the same....surely that means eventual savings and quality benefits...ie..if one bulids an item 50 times the same way it must be more efficient than 10 times this way, 14 this way etc etc... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 Before everybody hails this decision as the greatest thing since sliced bread, consider that this has been tried before with less than adequate success. And the lack of success has not been due to Ford capabilities but to: - incompatable regularoty requirements - supply base unable to make the same parts worldwide - tariff issues with some of the markets - incompatable vehicle requirements - exchange rate fluctuation Mullaly has never had to deal with these many of these types of issues and the difficulty to resolve them will come as a shock to him over time. I think the real change here is not a dramatic reworking of product engineering, but having everyone in the same office, working under each others' noses, so to speak. Thus mitigating the amount of change necessary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kris Kolman Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 Just to inform you of the airplane world... There are far, far more differences airline to airline then you would think... And these are in the same "market". Also because of protectionist policies airplanes goign to a certain country's airlines have to utilize the different suppliers. So the same 777 going to British Airlines has sigincant component differences from the one going to American Airlines, or the one going to China Airlines. Even the United Airlines and American Airlines have different parts... But fundamentally the planes structure and flight controls are identical. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-150 Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 (edited) who's bringing common sense to the table at last ..Mullalley? Dis-agree with the less agressive grill here in the states...BRING IT ON! The 500 had a less agressive grill...look what happened.... Relax... Fields still has ultimate sign-off on what will sell in N.A. So if Mr. FoE thinks he knows American tastes so well... let him have his sound byte. Meanwhile... people like Fields, Kuzak and Horbury will ensure appealing vehickes hit the street. But that is aethetics. A global engineering team makes sense. Also makes it more likely that we see a 1 liter diesel in that B-car. Something that can score an easy 50-60mpg without trying hard. And as we see with Toyota hybrids and Volkswagen diesels... people will pay a premium to get that kind of mileage. Edited March 14, 2007 by J-150 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biker16 Posted March 14, 2007 Author Share Posted March 14, 2007 Before everybody hails this decision as the greatest thing since sliced bread, consider that this has been tried before with less than adequate success. And the lack of success has not been due to Ford capabilities but to: - incompatable regularoty requirements - supply base unable to make the same parts worldwide - tariff issues with some of the markets - incompatable vehicle requirements - exchange rate fluctuation Mullaly has never had to deal with these many of these types of issues and the difficulty to resolve them will come as a shock to him over time. I understand your fear. I would think that the global prefered suppliers list would helpe and Ford new aversion to having an expansive supplier list and preference for a stong core of global suppliers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ANTAUS Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 I don't even find the European grill, to be anything remotely considered aggresive...U.S. drivers ARE aggresive, they HAVE attitude, thats what we want. If we wanted a p-s-y mobile, we would buy a Honda or Toyota ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MKII Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 So if Mr. FoE thinks he knows American tastes so well... let him have his sound byte. Meanwhile... people like Fields, Kuzak and Horbury will ensure appealing vehickes hit the street. Yeah like the NA consumer is eating up Ford NA designs now right If you read between the lines in the article from Geneva, its a guarantee NA again will be offered a very watered down, de-contented, cheap, Americanize version of whatever the rest of the world receives. And the naysayers and journalists will have another hay-day trouncing Ford NA somemore, as well as the consumer having excuses why to stay away from Ford showrooms. And all the not made in America Ford people can name another Ford of Europe designed vehicle that fails in North America. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
igor Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 Yeah like the NA consumer is eating up Ford NA designs now right If you read between the lines in the article from Geneva, its a guarantee NA again will be offered a very watered down, de-contented, cheap, Americanize version of whatever the rest of the world receives. And the naysayers and journalists will have another hay-day trouncing Ford NA somemore, as well as the consumer having excuses why to stay away from Ford showrooms. And all the not made in America Ford people can name another Ford of Europe designed vehicle that fails in North America. NO; if you read between the lines this is what is said - there will be no more Brazilian and Indian Fiesta - at least definitely not as autonomous as they are now - they will be brought MUCH closer. THIS is what people were afraid off when Edmunds posted that the US Fiesta come from Brazil - that we will not get EU version, but BR version - nowadays a completely different animal .. this article says what I replied to those concerns - there WILL NOT BE A BRAZILIAN FIESTA .. there will be a Global Fiesta with little tweaks ... They will not bother THE SAME ONE TEAM - with designing 2 different interiors - a great EU interior and a crappy US/BR/IN interior. They will not design 2 suspensions .. one great one for EU and a crappy one for us .. they will make as few changes as possible to keep the cars relevant .. if Europeans will not touch sedans .. .they will not get one ... Americans want a sedan - they WILL get one .. the same with India .. etc etc etc ... This is one team and they will simply design cars that will be no more different than Milan and Fusion. Finally, we need to remember - Ford does not need a successful 170hp Fiesta ST ... Ford needs a home run 100-130hp Fiesta that will sell like hotcakes for good money. Then, maybe Ford can experiment with niche versions .. but if the mass market version fails, there will be no ST, there will be no next generation ... there will be nothing ... so all you "salivating" over "ST or bust", think about this .. without a basic-transportation Fiesta, there will be no enthusiast Fiesta ... Igor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 Yeah like the NA consumer is eating up Ford NA designs now right If you read between the lines in the article from Geneva, its a guarantee NA again will be offered a very watered down, de-contented, cheap, Americanize version of whatever the rest of the world receives. And the naysayers and journalists will have another hay-day trouncing Ford NA somemore, as well as the consumer having excuses why to stay away from Ford showrooms. And all the not made in America Ford people can name another Ford of Europe designed vehicle that fails in North America. Who the hell is going to out and spend 15K on a Fiesta in the USA? Uh NO ONE! Thats what people want...American's equate small cars with being cheap ones. Save a couple small examples like the Mini, most people aren't going to spend megabucks on basic transportation. You can bitch and wine all you want but thats how it is. I'm just hoping its not too cheap... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-150 Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 Who the hell is going to out and spend 15K on a Fiesta in the USA? Uh NO ONE! Thats what people want...American's equate small cars with being cheap ones. Save a couple small examples like the Mini, most people aren't going to spend megabucks on basic transportation. You can bitch and wine all you want but thats how it is. I'm just hoping its not too cheap... have you seen the price of a Yaris or Fit lately? And like I said earlier, if you can stuff a 50-60mpg 1 liter diesel in that shoebox people will pay $16-17 for it (like the pay a premium for hybrids and VW diesels now) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biker16 Posted March 14, 2007 Author Share Posted March 14, 2007 (edited) Who the hell is going to out and spend 15K on a Fiesta in the USA? Uh NO ONE! Thats what people want...American's equate small cars with being cheap ones. Save a couple small examples like the Mini, most people aren't going to spend megabucks on basic transportation. You can bitch and wine all you want but thats how it is. I'm just hoping its not too cheap... your are an idiot. people ARE spending that much for A B-car. Such poor self-esteem. you think the focus is OK selling for 13k. I will continue to bust balls over this Idea that people won't pay for a good Ford product. Edited March 14, 2007 by Biker16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 People WON'T pay for a good Ford product, unless Ford already has a reputation in the area (Mustang, etc.) Ford has no reputation in B cars, and therefore, can't command a premium. Maybe you think people pay for content. The big news is, they don't. They pay for names. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MKII Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 People WON'T pay for a good Ford product, unless Ford already has a reputation in the area (Mustang, etc.) Ford has no reputation in B cars, and therefore, can't command a premium. Maybe you think people pay for content. The big news is, they don't. They pay for names. So how does Ford NA ever get to the point of people paying for a good product from Ford? How does Ford NA get a reputation in NA in B cars? You figure it out RJ, I am sure you are capable of some forward brain thinking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 So how does Ford NA ever get to the point of people paying for a good product from Ford?How does Ford NA get a reputation in NA in B cars? You figure it out RJ, I am sure you are capable of some forward brain thinking. At SmithBarney, we make money the old fashioned way. We earn it. The only way they get a reputation is by earning it. They don't have the advertising budget to buy one. Remember when Japanese cars used to be cheaper than U.S. equivalents? They're not anymore. Why? Because people trust them, and more importantly, they're willing to pay a premium for that trust. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 your are an idiot. people ARE spending that much for A B-car. Such poor self-esteem. you think the focus is OK selling for 13k. I will continue to bust balls over this Idea that people won't pay for a good Ford product. No thats the point...why should someone spend 15K on a B-car when they can get a Focus for that much? Thats the whole fucking point. I never said that it was ok to sell a Focus for 13K (nice way to put words in my mouth) and the only reason they are selling the cheap is because there is no B car under it, you fucking moron... Ford cannot go around DEMANDING people spend X on a product with their reputation they have with the car buying public. They have to have a competively priced/equipped product (preferabily cheaper) that regains the respect of their buyers. Why do you think Japanese makes can sell their cars for more then what US manufactures do? Because they have a good reputation with their buyers (some who are brainwashed anyways) because they think they are getting a superior product. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pablo2079 Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 They should just have different trim levels.... let the sales people do their job and up sell. Upgraded engine, suspension, leather... nav.... nice stereo.... all that extra stuff.... So they start at $11,500 and end up with something around $18k or so. Works on my wife everytime. Also, if you have a great car that all the media outlets review.... then you'll see something like Starts at $11,500..... as tested $21,590. And then they gush over the car...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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