Ford Building Awareness of Upcoming Fiesta

[ANTAUS]

LINK-Wardsauto.com

 

Ok so we can't say it's European in it's roots because Americans dont warm up to that. But people would be more accepting if it were Japanese then ? Geesh...well thats fine, because Europe isn't like the U.S. right now lol

[rkisler]

LINK-Wardsauto.com

 

Ok so we can't say it's European in it's roots because Americans dont warm up to that. But people would be more accepting if it were Japanese then ? Geesh...well thats fine, because Europe isn't like the U.S. right now lol

 

Well, first off this article is not accurate in saying Ford has not sold a b-car in the US since the Fiesta in 1981. Although they might not be remembered with joy, the Festiva was sold here from 1988-1993 and the Aspire from 1994-2001. They were derivatives of the Mazda 121 and were most certainly b-cars. The experience with those products (Ford had to continually push the volume) is probably part of the reason that Ford was reluctant to hop into the market again.

 

I'm not sure Ford has to shout "European", but I'm very suspicious of the findings of the research. I think it would be a good thing to be more like VW than Toyota on this product to differentiate Ford from the Asian masses. Maybe the key point is to just say "it's a Ford" and let the press pick up on the fact it's a world car. And hopefully the public will say "Wow. That's a Ford?"

 

Of course, since the lead product on the platform was the Mazda 2, I suppose there is a case to be made that it is Asian in origin!

[F250]

From the article:

 

Ford has not offered a B-car in the U.S. since a previous version of the Fiesta was replaced by the Escort in 1981.

 

I see Ford would like to forget the Festiva and Aspire to.

[RangerM]

It depends on the demographics, imo.

 

If your target is youth, maybe it'll be in the next "Fast and the Furious" (assuming that gravy train hasn't left the station already).

 

If your target is more mature, target it to the youth. Scion seems to have blazed the trail there.

 

Are they going to have (something like) an ACR edition similar to the Neon? (just curious because other than the Cobra, I'm not aware of any Ford like that)

Edited January 16, 2009 by RangerM

[mike_in_va]

“The key for (the) Fiesta is getting it in the hands of consumers, because we have virtually no consideration,”

 

Wait. I'm considering. I can probably find another 100 on the interwebs who are considering. Ford look, there's all these people with their hands up ready to buy this car. When will you notice us?

[Ford Jellymoulds]

Gotta say l am pleased in way that the Fiesta won't be arriving Stateside until 2010 because fuel prices look so cheap at the moment due to the lack of demand and the downturn in the US economy, folk won't feel they will need to buy a small car. But once the US economy picks up so will car sale and the price of gasoline with it, long term the price of fuel will go higher and higher relative to today so Big Al has done the right thing bringing the Fiesta to the US.

 

My only reservations with bringing the European Fiesta & Focus to will Americans warm to them buy them in the same way Europeans buy them in big numbers, based on European sales numbers both would make it into the US top 10 best selling vehicles chart every year.

 

But FOE is the No1 Fleet/Rentall best selling brand something Ford USA does not do anymore, and FOE sales success is mainly down the large sales of diesel models something most folk on BON don't seem to care much for and Ford USA don't sell, 50% of private car buyers have disappeared from the new car market in the UK that why FOE are doing so well at the moment because they do fleet/car rentalls.

 

Gotta say l think the Fiesta will do well in the US regardless and will hit the US top 10 long term, Euro Focus not so sure if it will make the US top 10 as a lot of its sales are made in the fleet car/ rental diesel markets in Europe something the US Focus is not doing at the moment so l put ? on it.

 

Can there ever be a one world taste in cars with such a difference in cultures, US auto - Euro manual stick changers, fuel prices, fuel types and different environmental legislation - Europeans banning high CO2 big engine gas guzzing gasoline cars 999cc will be as big as it gets come 2012 unless its an hybrid or fines will have to be paid, Californians banning high NOX small fuel efficent diesel cars.

Edited January 16, 2009 by Ford Jellymoulds

[Gnostic]

Gotta say l am pleased in way that the Fiesta won't be arriving Stateside until 2010 because fuel prices look so cheap at the moment due to the lack of demand and the downturn in the US economy, folk won't feel they will need to buy a small car. But once the US economy picks up so will car sale and the price of gasoline with it, long term the price of fuel will go higher and higher relative to today so Big Al has done the right thing bringing the Fiesta to the US.

 

My only reservations with bringing the European Fiesta & Focus to will Americans warm to them buy them in the same way Europeans buy them in big numbers, based on European sales numbers both would make it into the US top 10 best selling vehicles chart every year.

 

But FOE is the No1 Fleet/Rentall best selling brand something Ford USA does not do anymore, and FOE sales success is mainly down the large sales of diesel models something most folk on BON don't seem to care much for and Ford USA don't sell, 50% of private car buyers have disappeared from the new car market in the UK that why FOE are doing so well at the moment because they do fleet/car rentalls.

 

Gotta say l think the Fiesta will do well in the US regardless and will hit the US top 10 long term, Euro Focus not so sure if it will make the US top 10 as a lot of its sales are made in the fleet car/ rental diesel markets in Europe something the US Focus is not doing at the moment so l put ? on it.

 

Can there ever be a one world taste in cars with such a difference in cultures, US auto - Euro manual stick changers, fuel prices, fuel types and different environmental legislation - Europeans banning high CO2 big engine gas guzzing gasoline cars 999cc will be as big as it gets come 2012 unless its an hybrid or fines will have to be paid, Californians banning high NOX small fuel efficent diesel cars.

 

Fiesta no way makes top 10, its way to small for mainstream Americans. Focus has a chance.

[rkisler]

Gotta say l am pleased in way that the Fiesta won't be arriving Stateside until 2010 because fuel prices look so cheap at the moment due to the lack of demand and the downturn in the US economy, folk won't feel they will need to buy a small car. But once the US economy picks up so will car sale and the price of gasoline with it, long term the price of fuel will go higher and higher relative to today so Big Al has done the right thing bringing the Fiesta to the US.

 

My only reservations with bringing the European Fiesta & Focus to will Americans warm to them buy them in the same way Europeans buy them in big numbers, based on European sales numbers both would make it into the US top 10 best selling vehicles chart every year.

 

Jelly, Farley has to address a number of issues with the Fiesta, and you can see he's noodling on it based on a couple of comments he has made to the press. I'd like to mention 3 areas that need to be sorted out; some have been mentioned before:

 

1. Previous Experience -- Ford sold the Fiesta for a very short period, but that's been over 25 years ago, so there isn't much memory. But Ford sold the Mazda 121-based Festiva and Aspire more recently. For a number of reasons (mostly due to cheap gasoline and a lust for large cars), Ford had to force the dealers to take them, and annual volumes were at about 30-40k. Certainly Farley never wants to get in that situation again; that's part of the reason he has mentioned dealer training as necessary. Deanh mentioned he is anxiously awaiting the product, and I hope all dealers feel that way.

 

2. Consideration -- Farley has to be concerned about consideration. In the US, particularly on the coasts, Ford's market share has deteriorated significantly. And the foreign transplant manufacturers have made it OK to drive an import in the South because there is a local manufacturing presence. Farley one time mentioned that some customers in California literally had no idea that Ford still made cars other than the Mustang. Ford is simply not in the consideration set. So Ford needs to use Fiesta to help rebuild car share. But, for a majority of the customers, the first buying decision they make is "import or domestic". Once they have pulled the import switch, they will even consider a Kia, but not a Ford. I'm going to speculate that part of the reason he did the market research on European origin is to answer the question "can Ford get the customers who would previously only have considered an import to consider the Fiesta by associating it with imports?" The Fiesta is a sharp car and has the ability to break through, but I'm sure Farley is concerned over how to craft his message.

 

3. Target Market and Actual Buyers -- RangerM mentioned this. To help build market share, you want the target market and the actual buyers for the Fiesta to be youthful so you then have the opportunity to walk them up to Focus and beyond. But, in the US market, small has often been associated with inexpensive. So sometimes those with constrained incomes (like retirees) end up driving small cars. RangerM mentioned how Scion has a share of mature buyers, as does the Honda Element. It's not that those customers are "bad", but it's not the image you want for the car. So, once again, Farley has to be concerned about the message.

 

As for volumes and market share, I have no idea what the plant capacity of Cuatitlan will be. But even if the Fiesta took off, there won't be enough capacity to make it to the top 10.

 

Fortunately, the buzz on the Fiesta has been very favorable, even on blogs and forums that are usually "import fan boy" oriented. The only major negative so far seems to be the delayed timing.....

[630land]

"For a number of reasons Ford had to force the dealers to take them," [Festiva/Aspire}

 

Ever hear of CAFE? That was #1 reason, but then late 90's Escorts got similar mileage, so F/A were canned.

 

The last US spec Fiesta was a good car; last sold 29 years ago [1980]. Also, it has no bad "Pinto/Vega" image. "Verve" sounds trendy and could be even dated already, since there were bands in the 90's called The Verve and Vervepipe.

 

Also, people complain about the wait. But how long did Daimler tease about the Smart car? The first '10 model year cars will be on sale in 12 months, in time for hopefully a better market.

Edited January 16, 2009 by 630land

[rkisler]

"For a number of reasons Ford had to force the dealers to take them," [Festiva/Aspire}

 

Ever hear of CAFE? That was #1 reason, but then late 90's Escorts got similar mileage, so F/A were canned.

 

The last US spec Fiesta was a good car; last sold 29 years ago [1980]. Also, it has no bad "Pinto/Vega" image. "Verve" sounds trendy and could be even dated already, since there were bands in the 90's called The Verve and Vervepipe.

 

Also, people complain about the wait. But how long did Daimler tease about the Smart car? The first '10 model year cars will be on sale in 12 months, in time for hopefully a better market.

 

Of course I've heard about CAFE, but that had little or nothing to do with the Festiva/Aspire situation. It was binned to the import fleet and didn't do any good until Ford bought Jaguar and (in a bizarre twist) actually made the Panthers import for a while to absorb the credits that Festiva/Aspire created.

 

The main issue was a contractual volume commitment with Kia, and Ford pushed the volume to try to make the numbers.

 

I don't think any of these cars (Fiesta, Festiva, Aspire) matter whatsoever in the memories of the potential customers.

 

But I do think there might be some dealers who might have long memories of problematic b-cars. Which is why Farley is talking about dealer training.

 

I never said I didn't understand the reasons for the delay (you can read my previous posts if you wish), but only that Ford needs this car as soon as possible to help build car share and appeal to more youthful buyers. No matter the price of fuel or the state of the economy.

[Extreme4x4]

They are doing what they can.

 

You can't build the product, without the plant to build it in. A full retool is time consuming.

[mike_in_va]

I knew that manufacturing and design were the primary reasons for the timing of the Fiesta release but, based on Farley's comments, marketing may have played a role as well. My feeling is if they can get Fiestas out of the factory before they've done all the research and training they think is necessary they should do so. They could "soft launch" the car and encourage the enthusiastic early buyers to share their experiences on YouTube, Flickr, Facebook, and whatever else they have by then. The "Fiesta Movement" plan is good, but Ford should not over-think the marketing. Getting the product right is the most important thing.

[rmc523]

I think, relatively speaking, the Fiesta will be a hit in the small car arena.

[RichardJensen]

I think, relatively speaking, the Fiesta will be a hit in the small car arena.

See, look at that, it's defensible, it's not wildly opinionated, it's optimistic. In short it has none of the things we're looking for in POTW material.

Edited January 21, 2009 by RichardJensen

[rmc523]

See, look at that, it's defensible, it's not wildly opinionated, it's optimistic. In short it has none of the things we're looking for in POTW material.

 

LOL, I'll try better next time.

[BORG]

Ford is Ford, it's not European, American, or Japanese. They produce cars to meet Ford customer expectations. They aren't Mazda with their stiff merciless suspensions or Toyota with their sloppy numb chasis. All their cars go through the benchmarking wringer until they meet certain metrics. That is, if you buy a Ford, you know what you're getting no matter what you buy. I am expecting the same for the Fiesta.

[dwford]

I signed up for info on the Fiesta microsite when I first read this post. That was days ago and I have had no response at all from Ford, not even an auto response. Not a good start IMO. I would expect in 2009 when a customer expresses an interest in your product and gives you all the relevant contact info, that an immediate automatic thank you email would be generated at least!

Edited January 28, 2009 by dwford

[FEH2009]

I signed up for info on the Fiesta microsite when I first read this post. That was days ago and I have had no response at all from Ford, not even an auto response. Not a good start IMO. I would expect in 2009 when a customer expresses an interest in your product and gives you all the relevant contact info, that an immediate automatic thank you email would be generated at least!

Does anyone have updated information on an exact date the Fiesta will hit U.S. showrooms??

[dwford]

Does anyone have updated information on an exact date the Fiesta will hit U.S. showrooms??

 

It's been over 3 weeks, and still no response from Ford. Disappointing.

[mike_in_va]

Does anyone have updated information on an exact date the Fiesta will hit U.S. showrooms??

 

That's the $1 Million Question. Ford has been pretty consistent with "Early 2010" since the beginning. However, that is frustratingly vague. It could mean anywhere from January-June 2010. I think not even Ford's own people know for sure. I signed up for the e-mail list two months ago and haven't heard anything either.

[dwford]

I signed up again yesterday, just in case. The Fiesta is listed as a 2011, so the earliest it could be available it January 1, 2010.

[dwford]

I FINALLY got a small brochure on the Fiesta mailed to me today. Nothing new in it that you don't see on the Fiesta site, except... the brochure says a Fiesta test drive tour STARTS April 2010. So I guess that means the on sale date is summer/fall 2010, which is too late for me. My Fusion lease is up March 2010...

[mike_in_va]

That's gotta be some sort of misprint. I remember Mulally was saying that the test-drive event was this summer. This is what Automotive News said: "In addition to the long-term testers, Ford has said it also intends to put 100,000 people nationwide behind the wheel of a Fiesta for one-time drives by the end of 2009."

Edited March 6, 2009 by mike_in_va

[mike_in_va]

Got my mailing too. Sure enough the thing about the test drives starting in April 2010 is on there, while I thought this was just going to be a form letter, that date is actually "hard-coded" into the brochure. Right below it is this web address: http://www.fordvehicles.com/fiesta2011, which, as of this writing, goes to the Ford site map. Url should have been http://www.fordvehicles.com/2011fiesta