I finally got a response from Ford to one of my many emails.
They sent me an email asking what my inquiry was and I asked them why they don't sell the Australian Falcon or Mexican EcoSport here in the US. They responded that they were unaware of any plans to sell these models in the US as they had been designed for their respective local markets. They also mentioned that they prefer that only approved sites link to www.ford.com , sites that they can be sure of the content
I guess that makes sense for a company to say that about linking to their site, but I don't plan on removing the link, because it's a major source of information that relates to many of my posts. They didn't expressly ask me not to link, so click the link to see what's new at Ford around the world.
2 comments:
Go ahead and link all you want. THere is nothing they can do about.
As for the Falcon, etc., I too would love to see a 5.4L RWD full sized sedan that goes like stink and looks good... but the problems are these:
1) CAFE
2) CARB/EPA Emissions regs
3) NHTSA crash standards
4) Left hand drive
THe cars would have to be substantially re-engineered to meet all those requirements... Ford would have to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on re-engineering. It woudl have to be a hit to pay off, and after the whole Contour/Mystique fiasco, I think they are gunshy.
I can see your points about the cost, but in response, the CAFE and CARB/EPA issues should be negligable, because Ford has the 5.4 available here in the US and fitting equipment would be a matter of parts bin items.
You may be right about NHTSA crash standards, but I doubt Ford would build a flagship model for the Australian Market and it not be safe. So while they would have to have the car tested and certified, I'm sure it could pass. They have airbags and bumpers in Australia.
Left Hand Drive, there is a bit of a cost there, that's to be sure. But if GM can do it for the GTO, Ford can do it for this. It's not like it was 10-15 years ago, many cars today are designed to be built as both left and right hand drive and this should not be a stumbling block.
as for your estimate of Hundreds of Millions of Dollars, I don't think it would be that much money or even cost prohibitive. But what do I know. I'm just a consumer who knows what I like.
Besides, the name of my blog isn't "What Ford is going to do next" It's "My Ford DREAMS" I like to indulge in a little speculation and fantasy.
I'm sure Ford is Gun Shy, you do have a major point there. I honestly don't think Ford will ever bring the car here, I just think if they did I'd be lined up with a bunch of other car nuts with checkbook in hand.
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