Next Freelander to be based on C1 platform, that's Focus of Europe

Now, you may notice that I haven't posted pictures with the latest pieces, I'm having technical difficulties so bear with me. But I hope that people stop by more for my rants than the pictures. So here we go.

Over at AutoBlog, there is a piece about the new Land Rover Freelander, saying it's going to be based on the new C1 platform and styled similar to the LR3 (Discovery.) Neither is a huge surprise, it's been mentioned on this blog and many others before. The C1 platform if you didn't know is the European Ford Focus (Mazda3 Mazda5 Volvo S40/V50/C70 Ford C-Max/S-Max) and maybe some day, come here to the US as a Ford. But the Freelander, may have company on this new all wheel drive variation of the C1, the XC50 from Volvo and the next generation Jaguar X-Type. Rumors on the X-Type say it will be an Estate/Shooting Brake, that's station wagon to us Americans. Some purists will argue about the Freelander being based on such lowly a chassis as a Ford, but to hell with them. Land Rover needs a fresh start with the little SUV, and will of course tune the C1 chassis and powerplants enough to distinguish itself from it's lesser siblings.

So I say again, why don't we in the US get a Ford on the C1 platform? It's available here as a Mazda and Volvo, and obviously soon as Jaguar and Land Rover, so it's good enough. But again the argument about costs comes up. And again I say Bull, it's getting to the point, that Ford can't afford not to bring this new Focus to the US. Not that the US version of the Focus is actually a bad car, it's just the knowledge that a better Focus is available everywhere else, really grinds my teeth.

What say you? Should Ford bring the C1 Focus to the US? What do you think about the C1 based Freelander? Is it diluting a brand?