Ford Mondeo
Ford S-Max
Ford Transit
Ford may sell European products such as the Mondeo, S-Max and Transit in the United States said CEO Alan Mulally .
Ford made $469 million last year in Europe, where its product portfolio is garnering accolades.
To restore the automaker to profitability, Mulally wants to create a lineup of cars and trucks that can be sold in multiple regions. Since arriving from Boeing last September, Mulally has criticized Ford's disjointed product development, which prevents it from selling the same vehicles in Europe and America.
The S-Max crossover, Mondeo sedan and Transit, a boxy commercial van, are European products that could be sold in the United States.
The Transit family could give Ford's North American operation an immediate shot in the arm. The Transit Connect is expected to go on sale in the United States as soon as the second half of this year.
The Transit Connect, a commercial van smaller than the regular Transit, comes in short- and long- wheelbase versions that are 168.4 and 178.1 inches -- making the smaller version roughly the length of a Chrysler PT Cruiser.
The vehicle would be aimed at small item delivery, such as flowers, and tradespersons who don't carry bulky equipment.
Mulally didn't confirm Ford's plans for the Transit Connect. But Ford has shown the vehicle to some U.S. dealers and analysts, telling them it would be sold here soon.
The van, which sells in Europe with a 1.8-liter diesel engine, likely would be imported from Ford's assembly plant in Turkey. Some analysts say Ford could begin North American production of the Transit Connect in 2010. Ford won't confirm that plan.
Another strong candidate for import would be the S-Max, a crossover based on the mid-sized car platform that underpins the next-generation Mondeo. It was named the European Car of the Year for 2007. Ford is working on a plan to bring the S-Max to the United States.
The mid-sized Mondeo sedan is a trickier proposition. In Europe, Ford will begin selling the next-generation Mondeo this spring. But it overlaps in size with the relatively new U.S.-market Fusion sedan and is more expensive.
Also, Ford's track record in bringing the Mondeo to the U.S. market is bumpy. The Mondeo-derived Ford Contour and Mercury Mystique sold poorly in America in the mid-1990s, hurt by a combination of high price and tight interior space compared to competitors.
The Fusion and Mondeo are built on separate platforms. Ford executives have signaled that the vehicles eventually will share a common global platform but probably not until early next decade.
It's unlikely Ford will sell the Mondeo in the United States before the platforms converge.
If Mulally does bring the Mondeo to the United States, Ford will have to find a special place for it, perhaps as a premium entry above the Fusion or for Mercury, said Jim Hall, a vice president in the Southfield, Mich., office of the consulting company AutoPacific.
Mulally said he hasn't completed plans to import the European vehicles. "But those are all under consideration," he said. "They just all make sense."
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-----The orginal Mr.Goodwrench on the JBO since 11/99-----
wait. let me get this straight.
it took factory shut-downs, losses in the billions, and a new veteran
CEO for ford to figure out they need to bring some euro fords stateside?
Makes you wonder what has to happen for them to change the filter in the
coffee machine, or the debates that go on in boardroom over take-out.
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FReQ Z wrote:Mondeo = Mazda 6, right?
Nope
Mr.Goodwrench-G.T. wrote:
The Fusion and Mondeo are built on separate platforms.
The Mazda 6 is the Fusion, MKZ and the Milan. I think it's also the underpinnings of a Volvo car too, but i may be wrong.
"Formerly known as Jammit - JBO member since 1998" JBOM | CSS.net
Give me one Mondeo in black...however I'm not fond of the thing that looks like a stretched Ford Focus minivan 4 door type contraption.
i wont be satisfied til i see a Falcon GT stateside...
Let's take a page out of GM's playbook.
Isnt the Mondeo already here disguised as the Jaguar X-type?
"...nevermind maneuvers lieutenant, just go straight at them!"
-Admiral Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar
that van looks like a sprinter so damn much.....especially from the side...
so, how bout that focus rs (or w/e the turbo focus is called)
Wow... ugly european cars to replace ugly domestic models. I think Ford needs to totally rethink their new cars. There's no curves on those things, no style. They look like something you buy because you can't afford any better. That's no way to design something. Generic just isn't good enough anymore. Chrysler proved it with it's own cars.
I think that to survive Ford needs to:
a) Start building the Falcon stateside and use it to replace the creaky Crown Vic.
b) Use the Mustang platform for a Mid-Size sedan. It'll make the Mustang much cheaper to produce (thus more profitable) and offer an alternative to all the FWD mid-size cars. It's like the Mustang, offer something no one else does and you have a lock on the market. Plus you can sell it as a Mustang for the whole family. Will give Dad's a boner when they're grocery shopping.
c) Redesign the Focus into something a lot more Honda Civic-ish. With Coupe, Sedan styling. Hatches don't sell here.
d) Open up a Ford of China division to market over there. There's 300+ million middle class consumers buying cars other than Fords. As for "design", they can use the tooling of previous models. Release the old 5.0 Mustang, the Escort, all of that. China has no laws on what you can make. It's a perfect place to ressurect dead cars.
e) Kill off Mercury already! It's dead, it's been dead for decades. (Don't ressurect it in China)
f) Market Lincoln the same way Cadillac is marketing it's cars. Not as old fart cars, but as awesome performance coupes, sedans and SUVs.
g) Offer a micro hatchback with a 3 banger to offer insane fuel economy. The ads can read "A hybrid without the expense" or some damn thing.
h) Keep the Crown Vic, but only offer it as a fleet vehicule. Maybe fix that exploding gas tank thing.
Sell a car as something to go from point A to point B and people will yawn. Market your stuff like it's an Ultimate Fighting Championship and you'll sell them until the world runs out of metal to make the cars. This isn't rocket science: Cars = Fast, Trucks = Tough, SUV's = Muscular. Leave "Practical", "Good value" and "Safe" for the circular file folder.
b) Use the Mustang platform for a Mid-Size sedan. It'll make the Mustang much cheaper to produce (thus more profitable) and offer an alternative to all the FWD mid-size cars. It's like the Mustang, offer something no one else does and you have a lock on the market. Plus you can sell it as a Mustang for the whole family. Will give Dad's a boner when they're grocery shopping.
The D2C (Mustang) platform is already being used as the underpinnings for the Ford Interceptor concept and the Lincoln MKR concept, both of which debuted at the North American International Auto Show. In addition according to what I read on the Internet, the D2C platform will be the basis for (yet) another Ford Thunderbird resurrection and possibly a Mercury sports car. I agree with you that Ford should make the most use of this platform, and as long as they don't try to tout any car under the Mustang platform as a "Mustang" sedan, hatch or whatever, then they should do go business if the car is exciting and built right.
Just my 2/100ths of a dollar.
I think this is a great move. I will have to bring this up in my marketing seminar management class tomorrow.
I like the mondeo and the minivan. The third one is not too appealing from the front, but I don't think that many people buy those types of vehicles for looks though...
mondeo reminds me of the new '08 lancer.
I think that van looks like a Mercedes Benz van.
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And IF they plan on bringing these cars to North America, what is the earliest we could see them? Look at it this way ...
Ford Mondeo = Family Sedan
Ford S-Max = Van for those that have more kids and/or they want more room than the Mondeo
Ford Transit = Commercial van, it pretty much screams handman vehicle.
Just my thoughts.
dan
