Ford just doesn't get it

Mazda is building its entry-level Mazda3 on the same platform as the new European-market Ford Focus and Volvo S40. That's too much to ask of Ford in North America, evidently:

Although Ford Motor Co. wants to develop more cars and trucks from global platforms, it’s making an exception for the next-generation Ford Focus.

When the re-engineered Focus is introduced to the United States in 2007, it will not share mechanicals with the C1 version of the Focus sold in Europe. Instead, Ford will save money by keeping the U.S. version on its current C170 platform, suppliers say. Ford passed on a chance to move the compact to a global platform developed in Europe for the 2005 model year. The Mazda3, European Focus, and Volvo S40 and V50 all ride on the new platform, called C1.

The higher cost of C1 parts and the risk of quality problems with a new platform explain the company’s decision to stick with a C170-based Focus.

Europe can support a higher-cost small-car platform. But in North America, the Focus is an entry-level car with much smaller profit margins.

Suppliers say Ford is worried about quality glitches after the botched launch of the current North American Focus.

I learned about Focus quality problems the hard way. But once again, we see that Ford has absolutely no idea how Honda and Toyota got so big so quickly in the North American market. They may not have made much money on the Civics and Corollas, but they knew offering a high-quality, up-to-date product at that end of the market would pay off in the long run, as satisfied customers traded up to Accords and Camrys. By contrast, it will be a long time before I risk buying another Ford, and I'm sure a lot of mid-90s Neon buyers feel the same way about Chrysler. (The Chevy Cavalier may be somewhat more reliable, but that's because GM has been making the things since Reagan's first term. Literally.)

The 2007 Focus could be wonderful, but I wouldn't bet on it. (By that time, the C170 platform will be nearly a decade old.) Younger buyers will keep buying Civics, and Ford will keep making the same mistake, over and over again.

The British motor industry used to be the second biggest on earth, and now MG Rover has been reduced to slapping its name on a car made (and designed) in India. Just sayin'.

Posted by damian at August 16, 2004 05:26 PM