Ford of Europe = Blue Oval’s American Showroom of the Future?
The Way Forward may involve some container ships from Europe. According to Automotive News, Ford is considering selling more European-market vehicles like the S-Max, Mondeo, and Transit in North America.
This would be welcome news to many enthusiasts, who’ve been clamoring for much of the Blue Oval’s overseas product line for some time now. Ford CEO Alan Mulally seems to be among the chief endorsers of this plan, as he’s already gone on record lamenting the fact that North Americans aren’t getting the latest Ford Focus, or a number of other interesting products. This latest word comes on the heels of rumors pegging the automaker as bringing its diminutive commercial carrier, the Transit Connect, to North America in 2008.
While Ford’s outlook stateside has been decidedly grim, its European arm booked $469 million in profits last year. Ford’s cross-town rival, General Motors, has already begun Euro-izing its lineup, transforming Saturn with a range of Opel products. And while it’s too early to assess whether GM’s lineup jostling is paying off financially, it has at least been garnering positive press and word-of-mouth.
+ Automotive News: Ford looks to Europe for new U.S. products (subscription req’d.)
Comments
marco
I don't really have more words.....americans are gettin totally crazy!!
ford and opel europe are crap!!!! ugly wimpy cars!
where are the real big american cars such as cadillac eldorado,ford thunderbird etc.....
you(americans) do not realize that your country was famous all over the world also thanx to big crazy american cars!!!!
now the freeways and streets of america are filled with the ugliest cars a man has ever seen....asian horrible looking cars and now also the big three want to look ugly and wimpy!!!
I really hope the next camaro and challenger will change the dangerous and dumb way americans are thinking about cars!!!!!
Jeb
I think it's brilliant. Mulally has shown tremendous sense that the Ford family has failed to embrace. The Fusion SHOULD have been the Mondeo from the start, for one thing. Jeremy Clarkson and his Top Gear co-hosters point to the Mondeo as being the best argument against buying a BMW in their market. And all you have to do is look at the popularity of the Mazda 3 versus the US market Focus to see that buyers WILL pay extra for the improvements in the Euro-Focus platform that underpins the Mazda 3. Bringing over these cars will inject fresh style, improved economy, and some needed excitement into an increasingly tepid car line.
LandCrusher
Jeb has it right.
Why not take cars that sell well overseas and bring them back here. In the past, they have strangely tried to make NEW european cars for the US. Why not just bring over the favorites?
Abdul Sachedina
It's about time, however the plan is way too late.
Sean
As I mentioned in one of my first posts on my site, BeyondTheKM.com, Ford does need to consider bringing the cars over from Europe that are what make Ford popular over there. In other words, bringing the Ford Focus RS to the USA would be very beneficial - and provide competition for the VW GTI. In my analysis, there is much market to be created here.
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