When Ford debuted its production Fiesta at the Geneva Motor Show, it made a point of talking about the global ramifications of the car. The Blue Oval has stated that it plans to bring a version of the Fiesta, as shown with multiple Verve concepts, to Europe, Asia, and the Americas.
While we’ve been led to believe so far that the U.S. version of the car will be a sedan, mirroring the third Verve concept that debuted in Detroit this year, new reports indicate that the U.S. may still be getting a hatchback as well. Ford marketing guru Jim Farley has reportedly said that a final decision will be made in the next 12 months. Farley indicated that younger American buyers don’t share the disdain for hatchbacks, which has been a sort of hallmark for U.S. auto buyers historically. Said Farley, “We have an opportunity, and we’re studying it very carefully.”
Ford has evidently found that younger buyers tend to associate a hatchback configuration with sport utility vehicles and crossovers, but increasingly less with low-end economy cars. Do you believe that a Fiesta hatch could find a home with American buyers? Have your say in comments.
+ Motor Authority: Ford considering Fiesta hatch for North America
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The two-door hatch would appeal more to me, but probably less to the overall market. I’d have no interest, at all in the four-door sedan, preferring the five-door hatch, if I needed the space.
I’m not their demographic, being a fifty-two year old man.
believe it or not, with a 5 speed manual and at least 105hp, that would be my car of choice, nearly perfect for what I do everyday.
what I’d like is a high spec 140hp or better engine with a six speed and some real nice seats and such on some bigger wheels with a handling package, all for 14-15k
I don’t expect to see it stateside, ands thats a pity, cos theres sht all else I’d buy from ford america
fun to drive like anything that weighs 2500lbs or less should be. I imagine it’ll even have drums on the rear and it won’t make a difference.
what ever they sell it here for it’ll be a bargain, knowing (as we do) that the same vehicle costs the europeans nearly twice the price and that its a real premium product, designed and engineered over there for their tastes. Yummy
bring it on, just make the redline high
I think the idea that Americans don’t like or buy hatchbacks is associated with them not buying crappy hatchbacks. As a thirty-something professional from the East Coast, I’m dying for more 5-door hatch options (beyond the Rabbit and the A3), and would strongly consider a Fiesta if the performance and price were right.
I think the Big Two need to learn that although hatches might never be the dominant shape of cars in the US, that if we get them with Euro-spec and handling (and not crapped down like happens so often), a solid market will show itself. I think a lot of the urban youth market is begging for cool, fun hatches that are cheap to own and fun to drive.
Scion? MINI? Hellllooo?
As long as it comes with a different name
I’m 27. I like hatchbacks - 3-door or 5-door. I like the looks of these hatchbacks. Keep the weight down and the fuel efficiency high, stick a diesel engine in some, and make it solid.
There is a market for a hatchback. It needs to be of high quality because the US market has been force fed low quality econo-junk for years. Once burned, twice shy. Put some technology and pride behind an elegant design and it will sell. I too would go for the 3-door over a 5-door. I am a tall guy, and door size becomes ridiculous in a 5-door econo-car, unless it is the half door option.
I remember Ford’s marketing attempt with the first Escort in 1981. Ah, yes…”the World Car.” It was a piece of junk, first, and a hatchback, second. Just like the Chevette, Vega, Pinto, Omni and Hor(rid)izon, the EXP, some Mustang varieties….
Meanwhile, I can’t recall how many hatchbacks Toyota sold as multiple varieties of Corolla. And “youth” whomever they are, seem to go for the low-end Acuras.
So make us a decent hatchback. We’ll buy it.
Message to Jim Farley over at FORD,
if it takes Ford 12 months to figure out whether or not to bring the hatchback version of the Fiesta to N.A. then he probably won’t be around when Ford does decide. The question is WHEN will the Hatchback version of the Fiesta come to North America? I swear it seems like Ford is run like a Municipal Government.
in the next 12 months
I don’t even know whether to get mad or to laugh. Government works faster than that. Ford needs to fire the retards that run the US operations, otherwise it will never recover.
Hatchbacks are the most versatile of the variants and the US consumers deserve it. Look at how well the Focus hatchback did… I see a lot of them on the road. I agree with the others here… the US market was thrown a LOT of C-R-A-P-P-Y hatchbacks for years.
The good things about the current market climate are that the youth of the US market don’t remember or were not born for the first round of crappy hatchbacks. They are not swayed by preconceived notions.
Secondly, we have the internet which allows the US consumers to see all of the good hatchbacks available elsewhere.
Speaking of this, here is my soap box again: VW needs to bring a diesel Rabbit/Golf to the US! Why only the Jetta? This makes no sense at all.
Not sure if anyone else noticed this - but including this story, the previous 5 articles have been about euro-spec hatches! from the Fiat 500, Lancia Delta return, Ford Fiesta, etc. Maybe that means that if there are good, attractive hatches out there on the market there will likely be people that will buy them.
I agree with everyone else on here, make it a good quality ride and it will make a market for itself.
As commented before Scion & Mini, and I’ll add Mazda3, former Focus hatch, even the Fit and Yaris. There is a market for these cars!!
“Build it and they will come!”
I bought my ‘88 Mustang GT for it’s hatch.
I bought the used ‘97 Volvo 960 wagon that replaced the Mustang for the Hatch.
I bought my ‘02 Corvette as a coupe not Z06 for the Hatch.
My wife bought her ‘03 SVT Focus for the hathback. Her sisters Focus sedan sucked in comparison.
I loved the Mondeo I drove in England back in 2000 because it was a hatchback that didn’t look it. All the utility without prying eys for the luggage.
I was dissappointed Ford dropped the Mustang and Focus hatchbacks. What good is a daily driver that you can’t load up the back end with everything from groceries to sheets of plywood. The Mustang held two sheets of plywwod cut in half easily, with tha hatch closed.
The Corvette took two of us, four bags fo luggage, a flat of water, a helmet, a cooler, a laptop computer, and a bunch of cd cases for a week trip to New Hampshire and we even had room for the case of wine we bought in New York, without taking up any passnger space.
But then we are weird for americans, since our toys cars are an Alfa Berlina (4 doors, huge trunk and it handles like a GTV) and a Lotus Elan (handles like nothing else can).
So yes America will buy hatchbacks, if they are nice inside and not like the Chevette Scooter I had in college. Heck they buy VW Golfs in spite of their JD Power ratings.
I Absolutely LOVE my ‘05 manual focus, so far its got 53 thousand miles on it and its never given me a problem. Its a blast to drive, it’ll outrun all of my friends econo boxes and I can fit everything I own in it. HEY FORD IM 21 please give us more!
Ford…..wake the BLEEP up…..lets see…we have Scion, Mini, Mazda3, Mazda6, Vibe, Matrix, Impreza, Fit, Yaris, Versa, Caliper, Optra5, Kia Rio5, I am probablty forgeting some….and some are better than others, but the good ones sell well.
What has Ford done….gotten rid of focus hatch, the Mustang hatch, the Cougar hatch…good work Ford!
the Mazda2 hatch will be coming over too.
MY last 3 cars have been a 1999 Cougar hatch, a 2001 Cougar hatch, and a 2004 Mazda3 hatch. LOVE hatches…
Fiesta 3 door hatch would sell amazingly, a 5 door hatch would be nice 2.
It should take 12 months to decide…maybe 12 seconds..
I must assume they have already have the plan set to bring the hatch version to the US - if not, good luck on sales and profits.
Just bring the thing over. I’ll buy.
[…] strong product launches like the new Fiesta and Kuga aimed at a world audience, Ford Motor Company’s assertion that it is on the road to […]
I think this car is really cool looking. My daughter is going to be a senior in high school and I think would dig this car for college(as would I, I like the four door hatch).
But I hope they get rid of the cheap sounding name, from days of old, FIESTA. That is not a traditional Ford name.
Get rid of it now, before you make people think of that peice of crap that the Fiesta used to be.
I agree 100% with “The Stig.”
I also think it is time for Ford to “think diesel” as an alternative to high priced hybrids, where you’ll rarely get a decent return for the extra investment.
You have to do this, Ford! And the Fiesta name is OK. Don’t understand putting on a pair of doors for a back seat that is marginal at best for anything larger than a hobbit, which is to say 3-door is the way to go.
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