Cars -9.7%, Trucks -9.0%. Overall -9.2%.

http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2...01/083043.html

 

Focus and Edge bucking trends with upward sales trend, though.

 

Mustang seems to have stabilized at ~10k units per month, which isn't as bad as it could be by any means. Focus is a pleasant surprise, and must come as a complete shock to all those who thought a 'cobbled together' refresh of the old Focus platform couldn't sell. I think four important ingredients are moving the Focus off lots, While an older design than some alternatives the Focus is a fairly well sorted, fuel efficient model that offers something no established competitor does (SYNC) for slightly less money. Imagine how well it would do if it was good looking.

 

Sync is definitely helping to move the Focus. But you're right, a "good looking" Euro Focus would sell even better still. And I think this current "redesign" will sell reasonably well for a little while, then sharply fall off before very long.

 

Which is reason #102710 that its a good thing we're getting a new one in just a couple years.

 

All the magazines, car blogs, and internet "enthusiasts" were wrong about the Focus. They all said this car is doomed, but the truth is, it's sales have been up every month for the last six months since it debuted.

The general public doesn't care that it's not the C1; they don't care that we don't have the same Focus as Europe. The general public doesn't think it's styling makes it the new Edsel, like all the wise internet sages have implied.

They were wrong about the refreshed Escape too, which is up in sales again for the month.
And the "not good enough " and "unrefined" Fusion? Still holding it's own...
I guess all the "enthusiasts" are out of touch with normal people.

 

What are the new Focus' sales vis-a-vis its direct competition? Numbers may be up, but are they good enough? And are they as good as they more than likely will be with an all-new, and yes, superior Euro-based Focus?

Those are the real questions that need answering.

 

I'm not a bit surprised ... maybe they'll wise-up, offer 60(s)-style pencil-in performance option packages (to include the 5.4 engine) for folks that haven't purchased anything since 2004 because there really hasn't been much of a bargain for the buck since the 2003-2004 MACH 1 and Cobra Terminators.

No matter how much I want to, I just can't feel sorry for them. They've got the best platform going since 1970 and they've absolutely BLOWN IT ~ !!!

SAD ....

 

Thats right. It's about time to have something like the euros have. A great looking, performing econobox. Hope they don't change much from the prototypes

 

What is "good enough"? I don't think that car will ever do anything "good enough" for you.

But it has done good enough for Ford to say this:

And the "failure" 08 Focus is now #11 on the best selling vehicle list for the year so far. If sales stay up, it will be in the top 10 soon. When was the last time there was a Ford car in the top 10 list besides the #1 selling vehicle, the Ford F-Series?

 

I absolutly love my 2007 focus. While as much love there is for an economy car. I've had my civics and they are great vehicles but it is no better then the focus.

 

"Good enough" is matching or exceeding the competition in sales - neither of which it is doing.

Moreover, let's not forget the rebates, incentives and 1.9 percent financing deals Ford is throwing on the hood right now to move these things.

By comparison, how many incentives is Honda offering on the Civic right now? Answer: none.

I believe that whatever success this Focus is enjoying will be short lived, perhaps moot since it will thankfully be replaced by its Euro sibling in short order anyway. The fact remains that the Euro version is a much better car, and will be far more competitive against the Japanese imports.

 

Yeah, just keep moving the bar, since it wasn't the miserable failure you hoped it would be, as in sales have been up since the '08 was released and not down, so now it has to beat all it's competitiors. That's quite a leap from being the internet "auto enthusiast's" and car magazines' favorite whipping boy to superstar.
Ford put incentives on the Edge and Escape, even though their sales are up, too. They're trying to keep the momentum going, as the economic news keeps getting worse. The F150 and Mustang also got incentives. I guess they're failures too!
Here's what I learned from you on how to respond to these sort of comparisons.
Translation:
Oh and by the way, rumor has it that the C2 Focus chassis is being developed in Dearborn, not Europe. I guess your hopes for the "superior" Euro sibling are being dashed...

 

Just because they're selling some of these things by throwing money on the hood doesn't mean the car isn't a miserable failure.

It is, and so are your rebuttals, as usual.

Uh, I think you missed the point there. I didn't compare the Focus to vehicles outside its class and inside its corporate umbrella, I compared it to its market competition. Focus = incentives, Civic does not. End of story.

Clearly, you haven't learned anything, aside from how to spend hours digging through everything I've said over the years.

I suppose I should be flattered that you devote that much time to me.

Curiously, I'm not.

 

Sez you. And face it, you are wrong. You are out of touch with the real world and real world buyers. Vehicles that are considered successes by the public and the press, such as the Edge and F150 have incentives. Even the beloved Mustang has incentives. So by your definition, having incentives ("Ford throwing money on the hood") means they are failures. Or could it be, I don't know, maybe an actual Ford Motor Company plan to keep sales rolling during these tough economic times? Even the Camry has "cash thrown on the hood", the "miserable failure" that it is.

No that's NOT the end of the story. The Corolla has incentives. The Sentra has incentives. The Cobalt has incentives. The Hyundai Accent has incentives. Almost every single car in the Focus' class has incentives. So they are all failures except for the Civic ?

Five seconds looking up how you replied in the last '08 Focus thread when I asked where's the Corolla hatchback is hardly "hours". And I've learned plenty about how your arguments are always divine wisdom until they are turned around on you, then they are totally wrong.

 

Check back in six months and then we'll have enough empirical data to truly measure whether or not it has been a success.

Meanwhile, the new Focus is an ugly POS, and no amount of gum flapping by you is going to change that fact. Keep drinkin' that Ford Koolaid, slick.

 

I think the Focus numbers will be very good. Redstar posted a 30% increase in Focus production for the high demand.