Ford refuses to sell 65MPG car to US, only for Europe.

[Thanatos]

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bus...ord.65.mpg.cnn

Doggone it, this would be great, and yet they purposely do this just so we have to keep buying cruddy cars.

[Last Roman]

BOOOOO. As a Ford man, this seriously disappoints me.

[Mikelus Trento]

I called up my local Chevy dealer a few weeks ago to ask them when I might expect to be able to come in and put a deposit down in the Volt. The salesman I talked to on the phone seemed hopeless, and I had to actually say the word Volt 3 times, finally explaining it was Chevy's upcoming electric car supposed to debut in 2010. He finally told me he had no information on it.

That same day, I received a call from the same Chevy delearship as a result of having our car serviced. He didn't really care about my impression, but wanted to remind me to make sure I answered all the questions from a questionairre GM would be sending me soon, and oh, btw *chuckle chuckle* "Good comments really help us out a lot." And that I should mail it back promptly.

I told him I would be happy to mark them highly, and would indeed return it on the same day they could tell me when I could make a deposit on a Volt.

[Markas]

pfft. With the credit crunch I doubt many people will be able to buy one.

[Erik]

Doggone it, this would be great, and yet they purposely do this just so we have to keep buying cruddy cars.

The video says it's because of some kind of regulation surrounding diesel cars.

I called up my local Chevy dealer a few weeks ago to ask them when I might expect to be able to come in and put a deposit down in the Volt. The salesman I talked to on the phone seemed hopeless, and I had to actually say the word Volt 3 times, finally explaining it was Chevy's upcoming electric car supposed to debut in 2010. He finally told me he had no information on it.

Are you sure this "Volt" isn't just a promotional concept car, that will never actually be produced in large numbers, but that makes a nice TV story about how great and forward thinking Chevy is?

[the_mango55]

People, this is a Ford Fiesta.

Nobody wants one of those anyway.

Are you sure this "Volt" isn't just a promotional concept car, that will never actually be produced in large numbers, but that makes a nice TV story about how great and forward thinking Chevy is?

Yes the Volt is coming, I don't know if it will be in huge numbers, but it will be a regular chevy production car.

However with the costs associated with the battery tech, it's costing them a lot more than they anticipated, looks like they will cost about $40,000 each, when they hoped to sell them for about $30,000.

[Yorkshireman]

People, this is a Ford Fiesta.

Nobody wants one of those anyway.

The car this threads about is the Ford fiesta? Christ i can't imagine who'd want one of those, they're for women and old grannies. It would probably take you about a week to drive across an American state in one of those piddly little tin boxes.

[Viking Prince]

The car this threads about is the Ford fiesta? Christ i can't imagine who'd want one of those, they're for women and old grannies. It would probably take you about a week to drive across an American state in one of those piddly little tin boxes.

It looks sporty, but no power or acceleration. But I am not one to talk with my new Chevy Cobalt. It is a p.o.s. but it is cheap.

[Yorkshireman]

It looks sporty, but no power or acceleration. But I am not one to talk with my new Chevy Cobalt. It is a p.o.s. but it is cheap.

Thats a nice looking car, but I'm not a fan of small motors, probably because I'm big. We've had fiesta's in the UK since the 70's, I just never imagined the smaller European cars being popular in the States. (Probably because I watch too many 70's American films)

[Erik]

The car this threads about is the Ford fiesta? Christ i can't imagine who'd want one of those, they're for women and old grannies. It would probably take you about a week to drive across an American state in one of those piddly little tin boxes.

It's a fuel efficient car.
Of course it's something small and underpowered, what did you expect?

As for needing a bigger car: The vast majority of people drive alone, the vast majority of the time.
Why not buy a small, efficient car for the daily commute and a big truck for the weekends?
But I know why: Americans like to drive monster trucks to work, so they can impress their colleagues, they are too afraid people will laught at them when they drive a "ladies car". - Europeans generally aren't that insecure.

[Yorkshireman]

It's a fuel efficient car.
Of course it's something small and underpowered, what did you expect?

Personal preference thats all, I can't stand small cars. I buy German.

[GrnEyedDvl]

But I know why: Americans like to drive monster trucks to work, so they can impress their colleagues, they are too afraid people will laught at them when they drive a "ladies car". - Europeans generally aren't that insecure.

Thats a pretty broad statement, pure BS by as well.


Part of this thread may need to be split now, into the differences between Europeans and Americans.

Lifestyles are just different here, and the vast majority of Europeans just dont get that. You have this idea of how the world is and how it should be because of how things work over there, and you try to stick the rest of the world into that paradigm. You do it with everything, from cars to politics, from computers to airplanes, from hotel rooms to mass transit.


Its the biggest inferiority complex there is, and they have been that way for centuries. You dont see Americans running around the boards telling people what they really need and "you should try it our way". But in damn near every single thread in the Pit you can find Euopeans saying it. I will make you a bet, that I can find 100 posts by Europeans stuff like "you should do it our way" or something similar in topics that involve lifestyle choices before you find 10 of Americans saying the same thing. For example in this thread alone I am up 3 - 0 on that bet In any discussion about medicine or education I can triple that in probably 5 minutes.

You cant seem to understand that what works here, works here, and what works there works there. Neither is best, what is best here is diferent than what is best for over there. The two are not completely interchangeable. For all the things Europeans and Americans have in common, there are small cultural differences that when added up mean huge differences in the basic way things are done.

[conon394]

BOOOOO. As a Ford man, this seriously disappoints me.

It should not the CNN story is not providing any perspective.

First the car in question uses diesel so the advantage in the US where diesel is much more expansive than regular unleaded is not that great.

Second the Ford’s point is the engine is made in the UK so right now the currency cost toe bring the vehicle to the US is very high.

Finally I wonder why everyone likes bashing the US auto industry but the US stock and capital markets. Back in the late 90’s Ford had amassed a huge holding of cash and short term investments. The management position was we been through hell before (late 70s/early 80s) we are going to sock away profits for the next rainy day.

Unfortunately that made Wall Street mad – constant pressure was generated for stock buy backs, dividends and other short term pointless exercises in supposed shareholder value.

Result now when if Ford did have a few billion lying around to spend it might just entertain a new diesel plant in the US but sorry that money got wasted long ago the make Wall Street with it simple short term view happy.

Another thing not mentioned that has been a systemic failing in the US industry is a tenancy to develop cars regionally. As I understand it the new CEO of Ford (from Boeing) was rather surprised that for markets with relatively similar standards for did not develop a model, say in Europe to also meat say Japanese and American safety or other standards so that it could be easily sent to other markets if the oprotunity arouse.

[Mikelus Trento]

It should not the CNN story is not providing any perspective.

First the car in question uses diesel so the advantage in the US where diesel is much more expansive than regular unleaded is not that great.

Second the Ford’s point is the engine is made in the UK so right now the currency cost toe bring the vehicle to the US is very high.

Finally I wonder why everyone likes bashing the US auto industry but the US stock and capital markets. Back in the late 90’s Ford had amassed a huge holding of cash and short term investments. The management position was we been through hell before (late 70s/early 80s) we are going to sock away profits for the next rainy day.

So the executives of Ford (and all the other US car manufacturers) bear NO responsibility for not being able to provide to a changing world what it needed? Sorry, when they all go belly-up there will be no cries and lamentations from me.

Part of their responsibility for leading their companies was to predict what the market would demand 5- 10- or 20 years down the road. They were all too smug and satisfied that those nice profits were earned by selling the most fuel inefficient vehicles on the road, and some might say they were pandering to America's lust for material things.

Nope, no sympathy from me.

[Erik]

First the car in question uses diesel so the advantage in the US where diesel is much more expansive than regular unleaded is not that great.

Diesel is more expensive than gasoline in the US?
That's strange, because over here diesel is actually cheaper than gasoline.

Why do you think that is?

[danzig]

Diesel is more expensive than gasoline in the US?
That's strange, because over here diesel is actually cheaper than gasoline.

Why do you think that is?

Alot of stupid reasons why it is including the fact there is a higher tax on diesel then there is gasoline.

[Erik]

Alot of stupid reasons why it is including the fact there is a higher tax on diesel then there is gasoline.

Yes, but why?

It makes no sense to me.
Diesel is mostly used by truckers and other professionals.
Taxing them hurts the economy more than taxing people for their joyrides.

Though in Europe you also have the added factor that if you tax diesel too much, truckers will just fill up in Luxembourg or other low tax countries.

[danzig]

Yes, but why?

It makes no sense to me.
Diesel is mostly used by truckers and other professionals.
Taxing them hurts the economy more than taxing people for their joyrides.

Got no answer sorry to say, simply dont know why. It makes no logical sense to me either. I mean its not even something one can dismiss off as oh big oil companies since oil would still be profiting from it in large part. Sadly of course it makes things like Ford's car simply pointless to try and sell here.

[Sphere]

Why do you think that is?

There is one dollar in added tax on diesel (All fuel taxes goes to road building and repairs). It's aimed at truckers (lorry drivers) who are most damaging to the roads. The idea is that they should pay more to repair roads because the use/damage them more than cars.

[conon394]

Good point Sphere - do the Europeans allow the same kind of axle loads you can have in the rust belt?