Why different models for different countries

[Flynn]

The title says it all really, why do car companies make a model of car for one country, and a different model with the same name for another country? I don't think Wikipedia has any answers

[avanti]

do you mean Opel/Vauxhall or that for example Fiat makes a different Punto for Italy and Norway?

[Hidden_Hunter]

Mostly things like regulations and what appeals to the market (eg a v8 petrol engine isn't like to be a big seller in Europe with petrol prices as they are but in the US where the prices are more reasonable)

[Flynn]

Yes but why do they make the body shape different like European Focus versus American Focus?

[sonza68]

The Focus started out the same and the seperation happened slowly. My understanding is that the new Focus was deemed too expensive to sell in the US, so they left us with the old one with a facelift. The looked a bit similar at that point, but with the latest restylings of both cars they seperated quite a lot as they aren't really the same car anymore.

[MattD1zzl3]

Because different markets have different needs for the same class of car, and they don't want to give up on name recognition?

[Manimillion]

Different markets, different marketting, different divisions with different management.

Ford USA is stupid for not bringing over the Mondeo and the European Focus. They should have done it ages a go!

[Vector]

What really pisses me off is when car companies cancel particular lines because they compete too much with an existing line. I can't think of any particular examples right now (it's way too early in the morning), but basically when x car is cancelled because it's supposedly too similar to y. But I think choice is important, maybe I don't like the way x is styled, or the image x has in the market, so I would rather have y.

And being that there are really only a handfull of car companies to choose from in any particular price bracket, it's almost like dealing with a monopoly and consumer choice goes out the window.

[Deanodriver]

Originally Posted by Flynn

Yes but why do they make the body shape different like European Focus versus American Focus?

Because Americans won't pay more than 7000 pounds for one

I have long said that the Euro Focus and Mondeo should go to the US with a Mercury badge. Might help revive the name, and the extra money you could ask with that badge might mean selling the Euro Focus/Mondeo in the States would be profitable. (How does Mercury Mondeo sound?)

[PelicanHazard]

Originally Posted by Deanodriver

I have long said that the Euro Focus and Mondeo should go to the US with a Mercury badge. Might help revive the name, and the extra money you could ask with that badge might mean selling the Euro Focus/Mondeo in the States would be profitable. (How does Mercury Mondeo sound?)

I agree. Mercury's turned into Ford's more expensive body double; same cars, slightly different styling.

[Wizegui]

Originally Posted by Deanodriver

Because Americans won't pay more than 7000 pounds for one

I have long said that the Euro Focus and Mondeo should go to the US with a Mercury badge. Might help revive the name, and the extra money you could ask with that badge might mean selling the Euro Focus/Mondeo in the States would be profitable. (How does Mercury Mondeo sound?)

More like 6000 quid. I saw a Focus the other day advertised for around $12,000 USD.

[Ford Prefect]

Originally Posted by Vector

What really pisses me off is when car companies cancel particular lines because they compete too much with an existing line. I can't think of any particular examples right now (it's way too early in the morning), but basically when x car is cancelled because it's supposedly too similar to y.

the reason for this is that if they have both x and y, they won´t be selling twice as many cars, therefore making x and y more expensive causing YOU to buy z, not because you like it any more than either x or y, but because it is significantly less expensive

[Deanodriver]

Originally Posted by Wizegui

More like 6000 quid. I saw a Focus the other day advertised for around $12,000 USD.

There you go, you can't expect a Euro Focus for that sort of money. However, the Mazda3 is similar money to a Focus here, so maybe a Euro Focus would sell for under $15K (Mazda being 14.5K)?

Whether Ford would make any money from it is another factor.

Actually, another factor would be attitudes to such cars. By that I mean, if the average buyer is looking for such a car, will they buy the best in that class, or the cheapest? Particularly at that end of the market, buyers are often very price sensitive.

Probably the reason why Holden Barina sales here increased after they switched from the Opel Corsa to the uglier, less safe but cheaper Daewoo Kalos. Many people aren't prepared to pay the extra for a 'premium' smaller car when they can have a larger one for the same money (particularly Euro superminis, base 207 is the same price as a base Focus).

[MattD1zzl3]

They did bring the mondeo to the US market, but called it something else (I think it was a mercury)

[Flynn]

That would look weird driving around in America,

[KaJuN]

Originally Posted by MattD1zzl3

They did bring the mondeo to the US market, but called it something else (I think it was a mercury)

The Mercury Cougar of around 2001-ish. I'm really hoping the new Fiesta does well here so it'll encourage Ford to bring over more European models. The Australian ones are pretty cool as well.

[sonza68]

Originally Posted by MattD1zzl3

They did bring the mondeo to the US market, but called it something else (I think it was a mercury)

The Ford Contour and Mercury Mystique were rebadged Mondeos. As pointed out above, the 99-02 Cougar was based on the CDW27 platform as well.

[tigger]

Originally Posted by Deanodriver

Because Americans won't pay more than 7000 pounds for one

That argument always makes me laugh. It's simple really, no one spends any money on small cars here because all the small cars we get here suck . Well, 93% of them do at least.

[Nikodemus]

How about different names? Why are they used? Funny example is the one everyone knows. Mitsu Pajero became Montere in countries where pajero means wanker. Why is it Shogun in the UK?

[AiR]

Oooh the Honda Fitta. Bigger on the inside.