In the olden days, the headquarter markets got all the new toys first. Joint ventures and subsidiaries abroad had to wait a whole generation, until tooling, machinery, sometimes whole assembly lines were crated up and shipped abroad. Especially in China, this had attracted criticism, as in “we don’t want your hand-me downs.” With computer aided manufacturing and robots, the introduction of new models to other markets was sped up significantly. Now, China can’t complain anymore. This week. Ford China started manufacturing the seventh Generation Fiesta subcompact at their Nanjing plant, only months after the first cars had hit the market in Germany last October. Nanjing is the second plant in the world to build the car. In China, the Fiesta will go on sale late in the first quarter. The Fiesta was shown at the North American International Auto Show in 2007 under the name, “The Verve,” but Americans will have to wait until 2010 before they can buy it domestically. In Europe, they can’t make enough of the little guy.
Ford has sold more than 61,000 Fiestas in its 19 European markets during its two months in showrooms. It is the auto maker’s second-best selling vehicle behind the Ford Focus.
Ford has been touting the Fiesta as its first “global car” since a version of the vehicle – with very little changes – will be available in almost every car market where Ford has a presence, the Nikkei (sub) writes.
China can even be proud of a Fiesta first: The Nanjing plant will be the first facility to build the four-door sedan version of the Fiesta. Fiesta production will begin later this month at Ford’s plant in Valencia, Spain. In 2010, Ford and Mazda’s joint-venture facility, Auto Alliance Thailand, in Rayong will begin producing the Fiesta for other major Asian markets. At that time, Ford’s plant in Cuautitlan, Mexico, will build the Fiesta for the U.S. and other North American markets.
Mr. Schmitt, that begs the question: can you get your hands on one for a review?
I just hope they resist the urge to use the Verve name that they had on the show car. A proper world car has a proper world name, like the Focus or the Escort before it.
Okay, in the end the Escort wasn’t exactly a world car. Is it possible they’ve learned their lesson?
Jimal
I have one (rather my wife does), and it’s a seriously good car – the best Ford (or other B car) yet. Had Ford launched it 6 months earlier the German plant would be working 3 shifts to meet demand.
PS – I only get to drive it when it needs petrol (sorry, gas) – that’s down to me.
Of course they get it before we do. That is Ford’s MO. Bring their actual good products to NA last. Instead of diverting resources to getting the Fiesta here in even a somewhat timely matter, they have been too busy dragging their feet and slapping JC Whitney parts on an F-150.
I have said for years that the United Stated gets the absolute WORST products from Ford. Europe gets the Kuga, we get the Escape. European gets the Mondeo, we get the Fusion/Five Hundred/Taurus. Even Mexico gets the phenomenal Focus ST…while we suffer with a re skinned 2001 Focus. Australia gets the fantastic Falcon…we get…nothing.
And up until a few years ago, Ford would have sold about 12 of the Fiesta, Kuga, and Focus ST in the US because the market bought F-150s with bolt on parts.
Ford has tried selling Euro cars to Americans on a few different occasions and failed every time. Can’t blame them if they’re a little gun-shy now.
Of course they get it before we do. That is Ford’s MO. Bring their actual good products to NA last.
I hear that having the newest model of a product is important to customers in China. Much higher interest in buying the first units produced and no interest in retro or classic cars. On the other hand, car manufacturers believe tha customers in the United States buy a small car because they can’t afford a larger car. Size trumps newness in the status game. Therefore, it makes sense to build the Fiesta in China first. Absent the CAFE two fleet rule, Ford would probably just make the plant in China larger and export the Fiesta to the US.
There would be a market for these here. Everyone wants a new car, even the people who say they don’t. The fiesta is a car that could wrest some of the Honda and Toyota business, and could get some sales to people who always buy used. Why do we have to cede the small car business to the Japanese? They seemed to have made a profit on them for decades.
benders,
What vehicles are you talking about? I know of the Contour that suffered some sabotage courtesy of the UAW, but what other examples are you referring to?
@ kovachian…
For the ’50s, Anglia
For the ’60s, Cortina
For the ’70s, Capri
For the ’80s, XR4Ti
SteveL
@ kovachian:
I’m curious how the UAW sabotaged the Contour. I remember it having a small back seat in comparison to the competition at the time, but otherwise was a solid, good handling car. I’m not saying you’re wrong and I love to read dirt on the UAW – please share!
../c
The only reason we are getting the Fiesta late is that Ford originally intended to bring another subcompact to the US, but management concluded it was too much of a cheapo shitbox to be successful. Ford NA came to the Fiesta program late, so the car had to have portions redesigned for US regulations, hence the delay.
American friends: Buy this car!
It’s good. It’s so good it’s only got the Italian compacts as competition. Don’t believe the bs you’ll hear about the VW Polo, that’s made for boring people. And it kicks the Japanese competition where it hurts, handling, refinement and even economy.
Dwford:
Could that possibly be the new Ka? If so I still believe it has a chance in NA, if marketed directly at young people and if it offers loads of customization options.
This is a highly interesting phenomenon, already observed some time ago when Ford started selling the S-Max in China.
What does this say about the American market? One might conclude that Americans simply don’t want the best products they can get. But I think that’s wrong.
I would say American automotive particularism is a product of the unique regulatory landscape: low fuel taxes and SUV-oriented passive safety requirements. So people tend to prefer heavy, low-cost, fuelish vehicles. Which leads to a question: why does Ford think it will be able to make money in the U.S. in 2010 with Euro-Fords?
The list of great cars that are not available in the USDM is getting really really long.
I’m at a loss to think of what we get that the rest of the world doesn’t (that I wouldn’t easily give up).
Is the Mustang NA only? That’s a keeper. After that, I draw blanks.