http://www.autoblog.com/2007/01/29/f...-s-max-to-u-s/

 

both great cars, but i'll take a transit express with a 5 speed!!!!!!

 

From Automotive News >>

Ford Motor Co. may sell European products such as the Mondeo, S-Max and Transit in the United States. "The probability is very high" that Ford will tap its global product bank for U.S. consumers in the near term, CEO Alan Mulally told Automotive News late last week. He spoke after Ford announced a $12.7 billion loss for 2006, the worst financial results in its 103-year history.

And more from BON here.

 

BC, Red . . I merged your respective threads.

 

I think Transit was confirmed few weeks ago, but Mondeo and S-Max are not comfirmed yet.

 

Where is there place in the N.A. line up for the Mondeo? Seems like it would step on the fusion of five hundreds toes.

 

The S-Max looks a whole lot like the Mazda5 (or visa versa), which isn't (to me) a bad thing.

The Mondeo is just a nice vehicle. Unfortunately it ranges from £16,195 to £24,740... or approximately $31,782 to $48,552... at least in the UK, I'm not sure what they're price it at in the USA. I'm curious where Ford would put it exactly in its line up.

 

i think that would not be a bad thing, as long as ford is making money on them. just look at the first few years of the focus. now its not on the european platform, now it doesnt sell well.

 

you cant really look at those prices. it costs a bit more to buy a car in europe than it does here. there are a lot of goverment charges and taxes built into the purchase of a car over there. they have cheap (if not free) health care and property taxes.. we get cheap cars. it could be brought over and made competitive, ford wouldnt do it if that wasnt possible

now give me a transit connect express!!!

 

Exactly right. As someone else noted: Cars are more expensive in Europe, period. A BMW 328xi, that cost $38,000 in the US, is almost $50,000 for a base model in Europe. You can easily chop 20-25% off the European prices to get an idea of the US prices. The European prices also include VAT, a 17-20% tax.

My concern would be capacity. Can the factory in Belgium supply enough cars for both Europe and the U.S. initially? I must assume that the Mondeo would eventually have to be built here...perhaps in Mexico?

Also, the Mondeo is quite different from the Fusion. First off, it's a five door hatch, is it not?

Despite what the naysayers assert, I'm glad to see Ford finally thinking outside the box about leveraging its global assets under Mulally's stewardship. I don't buy this argument that we need completely different cars for different regions of the world anymore. Certainly a few select models need to be region-specific, but not the whole lineup. North American buyers have demonstrated a clear preference for Japanese and European cars, and manufacturers like Honda and BMW have no problems selling the same lineup worldwide.

 

From Turkey!

http://www.ford.com.tr/UIControl/veh...te_default.htm

 

totally agreed

i think overall the car built in other countries are nicer than waht is here though. seems horrible to me that the home country of the company gets shafted in product. The fusion is great, my aunt has one and loves it. but the 500 has already turned into a rental car (a nice one at that) and then the panther platform needs an update. the world needs all the same fords. with a few (f150, truck based SUV's) are america only, but they need to step it up. I believe the mondeo is a normal sedan with a wagon version to come. whatever it is, its real nice, has some lines from the new xk in it.

the only hole in your post is honda. The american honda accord is the accord in america only. I think they just recently started selling it in japan under another name. however if i were to buy an accord it would be a proper accord.. which in america is the acura TSX, which in the rest of the planet is an accord. although still a great car, and has a world wide appeal.

 

Well, the North American Accord is sold all throughout South America and, as you mentioned, in Japan, too. And the TSX is nothing more than a rebadged Accord from Europe.

Ford needs to simplify. Still WAY too many "cross-over-sport utility-people-hauler" vehicles in the portfolio. And some of THOSE appear as rebadged Mercurys.

I think Ford should just take Mercury out behind the barn and put a bullet in it once and for all. Focus on Ford and Lincoln. Give us a Ford car lineup like this >>

- Interceptor (full-sized, RWD, red-blooded American sedan built to high standards of quality with two or three trim levels).

- Mondeo (Euro flavored, mid-sized sedan to take on Accord and Camry and beat them at their own game...with several variants available).

- Expanded and refined global Focus with several configuration, trim and sport packages to choose from, from two door hatch to four door sedan.

- A B-series car like the Ka to compete with the Yaris' of the world.

- Of course, the Mustang.

All of the above (with the exception of Mustang, perhaps) should be designed for either flex fuel or hybrid capability in time.

And Lincoln should get the MKR. Not some future vehicle "inspired" by the MKR, but a production version of that very car.

Yes, I forgot the Fusion, but it might be best to view the Fusion as an interim car that helped keep Ford sales from sinking any faster, and just phase it out when the Mondeo arrives.

 

One nitpick: while the Mondeo has great name equity in Europe it has Zilch here among the masses. Sure, a number of Americans saw it in Casino Royale, but how many average American motorists know it's name? By 2010 there's going to be alot of Fusions out there, and it's been very well recieved. So just call Global Midsize Ford "Fusion" here in the US, "Mondeo" in Europe, and take advantage of the names where they're bext known.

 

well they cant bring back contour, but they could start calling it a fusion. but who cares about having a new model. could be a fresh start. and remember those of us who know the euro mondeo, will be willing to buy.

i dont like going and "forum engineering" ford will do what it has to do to survive, thats all i know, i am not going to try and tell ford what it needs to do.

 

I like your lineup you got there BC. The only thing I would change is put the Fiesta in place of the Ka.

And I think your right. The Mondeo (especially the one in the new 007 movie IS a 5-door hatch, a la a Mazda 6).

 

NOPE

Ka FTW
i want a car that can kill a cat

 

If you want to see what Fords we can't have in the US go to the Ford UK website or go to Barnes&Noble and pick up a copy of Car which is a magazine published in the UK.

Even the UK version of the Focus is WAY better than the one we get here and I think it available with a 170 HP four and maybe even AWD. A car the size of the Focus is considered mainstream in UK and Europe and it shows in the performance versions that are available.

Or....check out the Austrailian Ford website...you will be amazed what we can't have in the US.

 

^^^ Focus cost way more in Europe than in the US.

 

The Contour was the Mondeo of the time, same car. They increased the size of the car and it became a little more upmarket, then we got the Fusion. Which isn't a bad choice as the Mondeo would be a tad more expensive then the Camry/Accord, more like the Passat. The Fusion's price range is a nice little niche they have now in the midsize market.

Best move would be to bring the Falcon for Lincoln, and possibly a Mercury version. Personally without a hot rod like that or something over the top like a S-197 based forty-nine in the works, I think Merc should just go away entirely. Then again, the prowler didn't save Plymouth either. If they are just going to keep treating it like Oldsmobile/Plymouth, let it suffer the same fate as its following the same business model at this rate.