Ford going ahead with Euro models in US: Kuga to be built in Louisville

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When Ford began laying out its plan to build European product over here, Ford's Louisville assembly plant was tipped to build the Euro Focus. But according to sources who spoke to Louisville's NBC affiliate Wave3, the plant will actually be getting the Ford Kuga. It's a coup for the plant's roughly 3,000 employees, who currently build the slow-selling Explorer and its siblings, to now have an undeniably anticipated vehicle to look forward to.

Ford and city and state authorities have been negotiating the fate of the two plants for a while. The truck plant was reportedlysafe, but the assembly plant's future was uncertain. Ford has said it will spend over $100 million to retool both of its Louisville plants - it also has a truck plant there that makes Super Duty F-Series vehicles - which will save 6,000 jobs. The conversion is expected to take six months and probably won't be ready until 2011. A Ford spokeswoman had no comment on reports about the Kuga.

https://pic.armedcats.net/a/an/anonymous/2009/03/01/kuga_louisville_plant7.jpg
 
NooooooooooooOOOOOoooOOOOooOoooooo....

Want Euro Focus plez.
 
The Kuga looks very ungainly from that angle. Do not want.
 
The Kuga looks very ungainly from that angle. Do not want.

They're not awful-looking - that photo just happens to find the Kuga's worst angle.

Having said that I'm not entirely sure if another small SUV is what the US is after to pull itself out of a rut...
 
They're not awful-looking - that photo just happens to find the Kuga's worst angle.

Having said that I'm not entirely sure if another small SUV is what the US is after to pull itself out of a rut...

A small decent handling SUV with a pretty good interior would be a welcome change to the Escape. People are definitely backing away from large SUV's, but the smaller ones are still pretty popular.
 
There was talk about the Kuga being built in the US and exported to Europe, but what we are talking about here is the Kuga launching in the US and being built there as well? Our Kuga will still be built in Saarlouis?
 
That's good new for us Louisvillians. I've always like the look of the Kuga (and all of Ford Europe's offerings). Good deal all around.
 
NooooooooooooOOOOOoooOOOOooOoooooo....

Want Euro Focus plez.

what he said...

Why, have both of you been holding out for the past nine years until America will finally see a dedicated European spec Ford Focus?
Of course not. The Kuga is a cute ute that will be snapped up by hoards of 25-40 year old women and homosexual men. In other words, THEY WILL MAKE FORD MONEY.
Sounds like a good plan to me! Cobol74, when he called me a few weeks ago during his visit to America, noticed the lack of hatchbacks here, and he is right. We are a nation of sedan drivers, not interesting hatchbacks you can fling around corners.
I came to terms with this notion long ago: the people like us, who are hardcore lovers of vehicles, make up a tiny percentage of car buyers.

I really wish I was wrong, but after working at a Nissan dealer for the past four years, you cannot argue with the sales of Altimas and Sentras.
 
Why, have both of you been holding out for the past nine years until America will finally see a dedicated European spec Ford Focus?
Of course not. The Kuga is a cute ute that will be snapped up by hoards of 25-40 year old women and homosexual men. In other words, THEY WILL MAKE FORD MONEY.
Sounds like a good plan to me! Cobol74, when he called me a few weeks ago during his visit to America, noticed the lack of hatchbacks here, and he is right. We are a nation of sedan drivers, not interesting hatchbacks you can fling around corners.
I came to terms with this notion long ago: the people like us, who are hardcore lovers of vehicles, make up a tiny percentage of car buyers.

I really wish I was wrong, but after working at a Nissan dealer for the past four years, you cannot argue with the sales of Altimas and Sentras.

I think our lack of hatchbackery is due to lack of hatchbacks... we have the Golf, the Mini... Oh and the Volvo C30.

And... I think that's it. Correct me if I'm forgetting any.

Anyway, my point is they're not mainstream because people don't know about them. If more and more people (ie, you and me and the regulars here) start saying how good they are more people will buy them. The Mini got HUUUUUGE press and I see a ton of them around.

Look, I know everyone here wants Ford to do well, but we want them to do well AND sell good (ie, ones that we like) cars.
 
The Kuga seems an odd choice to start building Euro models in the colonies. I'd have thought they'd have started with something a bit more... what's the word... good.
 
... the colonies.
george-washington-picture.jpg


No really, I do wish we were getting that fantastic euro Focus. Not this, this thing. But like Jay said, it's most likely going to make Ford money, and we all know that's all that matters right now. Us gearheads will have to suck it up until this recession is over.
 
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No really, I do wish we were getting that fantastic euro Focus. Not this, this thing. But like Jay said, it's most likely going to make Ford money, and we all know that's all that matters right now. Us gearheads will have to suck it up until this recession is over.

Exactly - this slots into that niche occupied by the RAV4, CR-V and Rogue. The current Ford entry in that segment, the Escape, is a sick outdated joke and needs to be replaced.

If it is sold at a competitive price and is even vaguely good, they should sell a lot of them. God knows the first-gen Escape sold like mad when it was competitive with the others in the niche.
 
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Cobol74, when he called me a few weeks ago during his visit to America, noticed the lack of hatchbacks here, and he is right. We are a nation of sedan drivers, not interesting hatchbacks you can fling around corners.
I came to terms with this notion long ago: the people like us, who are hardcore lovers of vehicles, make up a tiny percentage of car buyers.

Despite the fact that a sedan version of the Euro Focus is available (not that popular in Europe, but sells almost as many as the hatch here). I guess Ford are biding their time until the third-gen Focus is made (which would probably be designed for a quicker lower-cost production like Golf 6).

That said, the Kuga would probably be able to sell for a higher cost than a Focus. Put the 2.3L engine from the Mondeo/Fusion in, and you'd probly have something that'd sell quite well.
 
Technically the New Beetle is a hatch...
 

Kuga = Cougar

Cougar = older woman looking for young men.

Anyway, I think the Kuga looks pretty good and will be a lot better than the awful Escape. It will give the RAV-4 and CR-V some nice competition.
 
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