No 2005 Focus?
08-26-2003, 06:24 PM
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No 2005 Focus?
From Autoweek.com
Ford U.S. likely won't get new global compact car platform for Focus
By MARK RECHTIN AND AMY WILSON | Automotive News
In a reversal of course, Ford Motor Co. will not use the new global C1 compact car platform for the North American Focus until at least 2007. While the rest of the world will get a redesigned C1-based Focus next year, North America may never get the vehicle, executives have confirmed.
Ford executives had said the North American Focus would shift to the C1 platform, which will accommodate the European Focus and several Ford, Mazda and Volvo models. Based on a standard vehicle cycle of four or five years, that shift could have come next year or in 2005.
The decision means the American-market Focus, which is based on the C170 platform, will be eight years old in a hyper-competitive segment where five-year cycles are the norm and four years is not unheard of. Cost appears to be a major reason for the decision.
Chris Theodore, Ford's vice president of advanced product creation, said Ford North America still needs to pay for the development costs of the current Focus before it can look to adopt the new platform.
"We have to amortize and make money on our original investment," Theodore says.
But Theodore denies that the decision was a red flag signaling a change in Ford's platform-sharing strategy.
"Ford is not backing away from globalization of its platforms. This is just a timing issue. We will continue to march toward platform consolidation. We will see unique models coming from those platforms," Theodore says.
But a decision to switch to C1 for North America has not been made, he says.
"C1 is the obvious candidate, but it is not the only one. We don't want to make our decision too soon," Theodore says. Part of the decision also involves the timing and cadence of Ford's product introductions.
The Europe-market Focus has run a full five-year cycle and is due for a redesign, while the North American market did not get its version of the Focus until the 2000 model year.
"It was never an option to short-cycle the C170 (in America)," says Nick Scheele, Ford Motor president. "We are sticking with the C170, which is doing quite well. Why change it?"
But Ford has been trumpeting the benefits it would gain by sharing engineering and supplier resources in developing the C1 platform with Mazda and Volvo.
More than a dozen vehicles are slated to be derived from the C1 platform, from Ford Focus convertibles to Mazda3 hatchbacks to Volvo S40 sedans to Land Rover Freelander sport wagons.
The first vehicle off the new platform, the five-seat Focus C-Max mini-minivan, goes on sale in Europe next month.
The other European Focus variants will be produced in April.
The Mazda Protege was redesigned for the 1999 model year and is on schedule to be replaced in December by the Mazda3. Volvo's S40 and V40 - co-developed with Mitsubishi - were introduced in America in fall 1999 and will be replaced in the spring.
But the Volvos had been on sale before that in Europe and were due for a redesign.
In the meantime, Ford North America will soldier on using the old C170 platform, although some interim changes will be made. Ford just launched a PZEV-emissions version of the Focus in the spring, with a new 2.3-liter inline-four engine. A re-engineered and restyled Focus will debut in April for the 2005 model year. A performance version of the sedan will be added to the lineup for 2005 as well.
It may be that the new C1 platform priced itself out of North America's budget car segment.
In Europe, Focus is in a segment with vehicles that hold a price premium, and people value its performance-in-a-small-package character. But in North America, the compact segment is much more price sensitive. Chevrolet, for instance, has offered rebates of $4,000 on the Cavalier, while Ford has kept Focus rebates to about $2,000. Focus sales through July are flat compared with last year.
"The Focus here is different than in Europe," Scheele says. "In Europe, it is about family, handling and performance. In America, it's an entry-level vehicle. So what I would do for one product, I might not do for another. They need to reflect a different marketplace."
Using a platform with higher variable costs would require a higher vehicle price to break even and could compromise efforts to reach volume goals for the Focus, one Ford insider says. That could hinder Ford's ability to meet corporate average fuel economy, or CAFE, standards as because the Focus is a big contributor to the automaker's CAFE.
Ford has battled quality problems with the Focus. The car generally received positive reviews for ride, handling and design upon its introduction. But the North American version has been plagued with quality problems that put a black eye on the nameplate.
In contrast, the Europe-market Focus has been touted for its high quality in both J.D. Power ratings and in a German equivalent of Consumer Reports. One Ford source says the company doesn't have the resources for another major product introduction and worried that a Focus platform change could trigger another round of costly recalls.
Ford conducted 10 U.S. recalls of the 2000 Focus, six recalls of the 2001 Focus and one recall of the 2002 Focus SVT.
In September 2002, Ford began offering an extended five-year, 100,000-mile powertrain warranty. It also increased advertising on the 2003 model to an estimated $100 million, even more than Ford spent to introduce the vehicle.
Ford officials boast that the Focus has been free of recalls for nearly two years, and that warranty repairs for the 2003 model have improved by 23 percent over the 2002 model.
The article discusses the new C1 platform that the Mazda 3 and Volvo S40 sedans will ride on. Apparently, due to cost-savings, the 2005 Focus for America may continue on as a mere refresh off the old-platform while the rest of the world gets the "new" Focus based off the C1 platform. Unlikely in my opinion, as Ford will need to refresh its line-up with a new Focus to keep sales up or risk using more incentives.
Ford U.S. likely won't get new global compact car platform for Focus
By MARK RECHTIN AND AMY WILSON | Automotive News
In a reversal of course, Ford Motor Co. will not use the new global C1 compact car platform for the North American Focus until at least 2007. While the rest of the world will get a redesigned C1-based Focus next year, North America may never get the vehicle, executives have confirmed.
Ford executives had said the North American Focus would shift to the C1 platform, which will accommodate the European Focus and several Ford, Mazda and Volvo models. Based on a standard vehicle cycle of four or five years, that shift could have come next year or in 2005.
The decision means the American-market Focus, which is based on the C170 platform, will be eight years old in a hyper-competitive segment where five-year cycles are the norm and four years is not unheard of. Cost appears to be a major reason for the decision.
Chris Theodore, Ford's vice president of advanced product creation, said Ford North America still needs to pay for the development costs of the current Focus before it can look to adopt the new platform.
"We have to amortize and make money on our original investment," Theodore says.
But Theodore denies that the decision was a red flag signaling a change in Ford's platform-sharing strategy.
"Ford is not backing away from globalization of its platforms. This is just a timing issue. We will continue to march toward platform consolidation. We will see unique models coming from those platforms," Theodore says.
But a decision to switch to C1 for North America has not been made, he says.
"C1 is the obvious candidate, but it is not the only one. We don't want to make our decision too soon," Theodore says. Part of the decision also involves the timing and cadence of Ford's product introductions.
The Europe-market Focus has run a full five-year cycle and is due for a redesign, while the North American market did not get its version of the Focus until the 2000 model year.
"It was never an option to short-cycle the C170 (in America)," says Nick Scheele, Ford Motor president. "We are sticking with the C170, which is doing quite well. Why change it?"
But Ford has been trumpeting the benefits it would gain by sharing engineering and supplier resources in developing the C1 platform with Mazda and Volvo.
More than a dozen vehicles are slated to be derived from the C1 platform, from Ford Focus convertibles to Mazda3 hatchbacks to Volvo S40 sedans to Land Rover Freelander sport wagons.
The first vehicle off the new platform, the five-seat Focus C-Max mini-minivan, goes on sale in Europe next month.
The other European Focus variants will be produced in April.
The Mazda Protege was redesigned for the 1999 model year and is on schedule to be replaced in December by the Mazda3. Volvo's S40 and V40 - co-developed with Mitsubishi - were introduced in America in fall 1999 and will be replaced in the spring.
But the Volvos had been on sale before that in Europe and were due for a redesign.
In the meantime, Ford North America will soldier on using the old C170 platform, although some interim changes will be made. Ford just launched a PZEV-emissions version of the Focus in the spring, with a new 2.3-liter inline-four engine. A re-engineered and restyled Focus will debut in April for the 2005 model year. A performance version of the sedan will be added to the lineup for 2005 as well.
It may be that the new C1 platform priced itself out of North America's budget car segment.
In Europe, Focus is in a segment with vehicles that hold a price premium, and people value its performance-in-a-small-package character. But in North America, the compact segment is much more price sensitive. Chevrolet, for instance, has offered rebates of $4,000 on the Cavalier, while Ford has kept Focus rebates to about $2,000. Focus sales through July are flat compared with last year.
"The Focus here is different than in Europe," Scheele says. "In Europe, it is about family, handling and performance. In America, it's an entry-level vehicle. So what I would do for one product, I might not do for another. They need to reflect a different marketplace."
Using a platform with higher variable costs would require a higher vehicle price to break even and could compromise efforts to reach volume goals for the Focus, one Ford insider says. That could hinder Ford's ability to meet corporate average fuel economy, or CAFE, standards as because the Focus is a big contributor to the automaker's CAFE.
Ford has battled quality problems with the Focus. The car generally received positive reviews for ride, handling and design upon its introduction. But the North American version has been plagued with quality problems that put a black eye on the nameplate.
In contrast, the Europe-market Focus has been touted for its high quality in both J.D. Power ratings and in a German equivalent of Consumer Reports. One Ford source says the company doesn't have the resources for another major product introduction and worried that a Focus platform change could trigger another round of costly recalls.
Ford conducted 10 U.S. recalls of the 2000 Focus, six recalls of the 2001 Focus and one recall of the 2002 Focus SVT.
In September 2002, Ford began offering an extended five-year, 100,000-mile powertrain warranty. It also increased advertising on the 2003 model to an estimated $100 million, even more than Ford spent to introduce the vehicle.
Ford officials boast that the Focus has been free of recalls for nearly two years, and that warranty repairs for the 2003 model have improved by 23 percent over the 2002 model.
The article discusses the new C1 platform that the Mazda 3 and Volvo S40 sedans will ride on. Apparently, due to cost-savings, the 2005 Focus for America may continue on as a mere refresh off the old-platform while the rest of the world gets the "new" Focus based off the C1 platform. Unlikely in my opinion, as Ford will need to refresh its line-up with a new Focus to keep sales up or risk using more incentives.
08-27-2003, 01:24 AM
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jeffphx
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If it is not a truck or SUV, what is the point for NA Ford?? Most of their cars lines are just rentals anyway and this just proves it that Ford doesn't care about their car because they are not profitable. 
08-27-2003, 07:00 AM
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It takes money to earn monet... obviously they don't get that. I just hope they don't keep it around as long as the Cavalier has been. Not to diss GM... but it shoulda' been replaced in 2000.
08-27-2003, 07:20 AM
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Originally posted by LuckyDog
It takes money to earn monet... obviously they don't get that. I just hope they don't keep it around as long as the Cavalier has been. Not to diss GM... but it shoulda' been replaced in 2000.
It takes money to earn monet... obviously they don't get that. I just hope they don't keep it around as long as the Cavalier has been. Not to diss GM... but it shoulda' been replaced in 2000.
08-27-2003, 08:17 AM
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Originally posted by AcuraFanatic
Even earlier than that...the J-Platform is from 1984, although the current bodystyle is from 1995.
Even earlier than that...the J-Platform is from 1984, although the current bodystyle is from 1995.
08-27-2003, 08:24 AM
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Originally posted by Paul
Ford is far worse, the Mustang has been on that Fox platform for 30 years. The Mustang sells well, I don't see what took them so long to develop a new platform for it. I guess "if it ain't broke why fix it?"
Ford is far worse, the Mustang has been on that Fox platform for 30 years. The Mustang sells well, I don't see what took them so long to develop a new platform for it. I guess "if it ain't broke why fix it?"
But agreed, Ford and the Fox platform are probably the worst in the industry as far as age goes.
08-27-2003, 08:46 AM
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Ford needs to fire almost every top and middle manager there. Almost every week you hear how Ford is doing something stupid, or being sued for something stupid. They just celebrated their 100th anniversary and at the rate they are losing cash will not be around for their 200th.
08-27-2003, 12:35 PM
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Yes, I know the J-Body and the Fox platforms are both old, but they've been updated. If GM would have updated it again in 2000, that would have been OK, as opposed to just givin' it new headlights and tail lights... which it did again for 03.
08-27-2003, 01:09 PM
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You know, isn't it funny that at least 95% of Ford cars/trucks/SUVs are sold because A) The Nameplate B) Confused Patriotism C) Fleet sales D) Large rebates/incentives. If All Ford automobiles were rebadged as Daewoos, for instance, and they weren't rebated much I bet they wouldn't sell worth a shit. If all Ford customers were as knowledgable and open minded as we are (sans AcuraFanatic :fawk: ), that company would be forced to update its models and actually produce (gasp) nice cars like they have to in Europe and Australia. Ford is the exact opposite of Honda...it is a terribly irresponsible manufacturer, misuses its resources, and treats the consumer like shit by giving them outdated (and perhaps dangerous) cars rebated heavily.