Rumour Mill: One Ford may become less "one"

rickhamilton620

has a fetish for terrible cars
Joined
Nov 28, 2009
Messages
16,962
Location
Mount Wolf, PA
Car(s)
2023 Mazda CX-5 Premium
Autocar via TTAC said:
Ford goes less global

Despite expressing continued faith in the One Ford policy last year, Ford?s global design chief Moray Callum told Autocar that the concept has ?peaked.? Callum specified that the global method isn?t being abandoned, though future models will be tailored more to individual regions.

The company?s One Ford plan ? consolidating dozens of platforms into a globally-friendly handful ? always included the option for models to be tailored somewhat to individual markets. The future changes that Callum referred to will be more than just a few tweaks, especially for vehicles that receive less love in specific regions.

Callum says the next Focus will likely be different depending on the market. ?It?s an entry-level model in the US, but not in Europe,? he said. ?They will be visually similar but there will be less content for the US model.?

Autocar says that in addition to a reduced level of standard equipment, the upcoming U.S. Focus could also feature a ?less sophisticated? suspension, given that the need for strong driving dynamics isn?t hugely important in that vehicle class. Ouch. While it may not make sense to pour money into a stalled segment, this is throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

Whether this means we?ll eventually have more unique models by region is debatable. Most likely, we?ll see certain platforms receiving market-based favoritism. Ford knows that entirely abandoning its global stratagem would be a mistake. One Ford allowed the Mustang to become the world?s best selling sport coupe last year and many have attributed the program to keeping Ford competitive during the recession. It sounds as if Ford is simply unwilling to pump any additional money into small cars for the U.S. market.

Source: http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2016/10/ttac-news-roundfca-calculated-mess/#more-1441354


Hopefully that doesn't mean we'll get a 2008-2011 North America Focus part deux:

2009-Ford-Focus-1.png
 
Critics around the world have raved about the current Focus, even the lesser models (not the ST or RS). Hell, when I played Rental Car Roulette last week, I was seriously bummed that the last Ford got snagged by another customer just before I got to it, leaving me the Yaris or Accent.

If I was buying a hatchback today, the first place I would go is the Ford dealer. In my mind, everything else is already an "also ran". I can't help but think that this is a mistake, the last time Ford tried to cut costs it nearly tanked the company because no one would buy their cheap garbage. It was only when they reinvested in high quality materials, good construction, and better design/engineering that the brand started to recover.
 
One Ford may become less "one"

One Ford may become less "one"

If I was buying a hatchback today, the first place I would go is the Ford dealer. In my mind, everything else is already an "also ran".

Yup. It seems like everybody else is trying to play catchup with the Focus and Fiesta.
 
I never understood the whole One concept. Having one philosophy for the whole world could never work, the markets are just too different. Europe doesn't get F-Series trucks or Lincolns. We don't get S-Maxs or Kas. India, Brazil and Australia all get their own sets of cars. China has a few cars specific to their market too. And engineering? There are engineering centers all over the world. It was never really "one," though there was a lot more communication between the regions. Even global products like the Focus, Fiesta, Fusion/Mondeo, Edge, etc vary hugely between regions

I'm not going to speculate on what this announcement means or what will happen with the products, just voicing my own opinions of the whole One concept. I do believe Ford needs a global design identity, but definitely not global engineering or strategy.
 
Last edited:
I think that is literally what is going to happen.

^ This. Disappointing. If Toyota is putting lane departure warning crap as a standard feature on the new Corolla then Ford absolutely does not need to reduce features in the Focus. I will say that all manufacturers here in the US need to absolutely make real stripper models that have nothing but power windows/locks and nothing else because the problem with the car industry is the cost of new vehicles more than "interest". Its time to go back to affordable compact and small cars, let the consumer add features on to jack up the price. Its sickening to see a mid-trim models of compact or small car cost almost as much as a mid-sized car--and in some cases more. I'm sounding like an old fart so I'll digress... :lol:
 
It's why I haven't bothered getting a new car. I'm satisfied with what my private cars provide. I don't need any special features or a screen to do stuff. I'm here to drive and listen to podcasts.
 
^ This. Disappointing. If Toyota is putting lane departure warning crap as a standard feature on the new Corolla then Ford absolutely does not need to reduce features in the Focus. I will say that all manufacturers here in the US need to absolutely make real stripper models that have nothing but power windows/locks and nothing else because the problem with the car industry is the cost of new vehicles more than "interest". Its time to go back to affordable compact and small cars, let the consumer add features on to jack up the price. Its sickening to see a mid-trim models of compact or small car cost almost as much as a mid-sized car--and in some cases more. I'm sounding like an old fart so I'll digress... :lol:

Toyota isn't just putting in LDW, but they're also fitting ACC and other features as standard. To a refreshed car. Not a all new vehicle, or even platform, in the slightest.

The car itself remains mediocre, but the fact that they're doing this is a shot across the bow at Honda who was the first to bring these advanced features to the base trims as an option.

The thing is, those stripper models do exist - You can get a base Focus S with roll down rear windows for pete's sake. VW had a semi-hidden Jetta "Base" trim that was so stripped it didn't even have air conditioning or a radio for a few years. The Dart is/was available without cruise or AC.

The stripper Jetta was 14k in 2011 money: http://jalopnik.com/5783395/this-is-what-a-new-14000-vw-jetta-actually-looks-like

The Focus S is $17,225.

The Dart SE is 17k.

People don't want these models for the most part. They want to enjoy a few creature comforts like cruise control and AC. These bottom feeders probably leave very little margin for the automakers as well.

One stripper that people do buy, for better or worse, is the Versa S and S Plus, but that's a different class of car.
 
I never understood the whole One concept. Having once philosophy for the whole world could never work, the markets are just to different. Europe doesn't get F-Series trucks or Lincolns. We don't get S-Maxs or Kas. India, Brazil and Australia all get their own sets of cars. China has a few cars specific to their market too. And engineering? There are engineering centers all over the world. It was never really "one." Though there was a lot more communication between the regions. Even global products like the Focus, Fiesta, Fusion/Mondeo, Edge, etc vary hugely between regions

I'm not going to speculate on what this announcement means or what will happen with the products, just voicing my own opinions of the whole One concept. I do believe Ford need a global design identity, but definitely not global engineering or strategy.

I agree.
Having a "global car" makes no sense to me.
 
It's the MBA mentality again winning out against thinking based on actual results. When it comes to maximizing return vs. keeping a product's hard-earned reputation, the boardroom power-pointing geniuses are always quick to point out how much money they can save the company with 'just-a-little' de-contenting.

I bought a 2013 Focus SE hatch (automatic) new three-and-a-half years ago. It had no options other than the automatic and my dealer had to search long and hard to find that (I don't like bells and whistles...). The purchase came down to two cars: the Focus or a GTI. The GTI was a LOT more money than the Focus, but it had more power and better handling. What it didn't have was the load space, fuel efficiency and better ride of the Focus - which tipped the scales for what was to be - mostly - a daily driver. If the Focus' handling and (cloth) interior hadn't been as good as they were, I would have spent the extra $$$ and gone directly to VW. As it stood, though, the greater flexibility of the Focus, plus its excellent fuel economy, made the buy nearly a no-brainer. So far, the only problem I've had with the Focus was a leaky transmission seal and Ford handled that in a very seamless, professional manner, so I can't complain.

My advice to Ford: Don't fix what's not broken. The reason you sell so many Focuses is that the buyers appreciate the quality/engineering more than you imagine.

Just my two cents...
SL
 
Last edited:
I think the MBA comment hit it right of the head. Some business grad decided to run a focus group of millennials (who are not buying cars in the first place) and people who buy whatever Toyota slaps their badge on. They were all asked if they would like cheaper cars - and of course they all said "yes", because who wants more expensive cars? The problem is that Mr. MBA decided that was more important than anything and started pushing for stripped down cars and cheaper suspension systems to shave a few hundred dollars.

What was it Ford said the live rear end lowered the price of the Mustang? Something like $200-$300 per car, as I recall. I wonder how many people bought the Corvette or Camaro instead of the Mustang because of the back end? I'd also bet that an extra $300 on the price of the car would not have put more than a tiny fraction of people off buying that vehicle. I thought I saw an interview where someone at Ford said not putting on the better rear end was a mistake. And here they are taking cars that are selling like mad and intentionally Nerfing them for no damn good reason.

Fuck it, I'll take a look at what Toyota/Scion has to offer when I need a city commuter.
 
Mullay left and now the old mentality feels safe enough to seep back in.
 
VW and countless others have done well with same or similar global cars. Why can't Ford continue doing the same? Obviously pickups and SUV's are exempt but, cars aren't.
 
VW and countless others have done well with same or similar global cars. Why can't Ford continue doing the same? Obviously pickups and SUV's are exempt but, cars aren't.

I beg to differ. VW gets a bunch of different engines in Europe. All the cars have massivly different dynamic tuning per region. We don't get the Amorak or Caddy or Scirocco. China gets some unique VWs too. They only have a solid global brand image, which is what it looks like Ford is going for.

I do think journos are making a big deal about this announcement for the sake of writing something about nothing. Like mentioned in the Jalopnik=garbage thread, a lot of these site authors have proven that they really know next to nothing about the industry.
 
Last edited:
One Ford may become less "one"

One Ford may become less "one"

Well the fact that most of jalopnik make posts about how they changed an alternator and how amazing that is, makes me lose a lot of respect for them.

Hell, after hearing Doug demuro speak on the the smoking tire's podcast makes me hate the guy. He sounds incredibly useless and basically the face of millennials today.
 
It's the MBA mentality again winning out against thinking based on actual results. When it comes to maximizing return vs. keeping a product's hard-earned reputation, the boardroom power-pointing geniuses are always quick to point out how much money they can save the company with 'just-a-little' de-contenting.

I bought a 2013 Focus SE hatch (automatic) new three-and-a-half years ago. It had no options other than the automatic and my dealer had to search long and hard to find that (I don't like bells and whistles...). The purchase came down to two cars: the Focus or a GTI. The GTI was a LOT more money than the Focus, but it had more power and better handling. What it didn't have was the load space, fuel efficiency and better ride of the Focus - which tipped the scales for what was to be - mostly - a daily driver. If the Focus' handling and (cloth) interior hadn't been as good as they were, I would have spent the extra $$$ and gone directly to VW. As it stood, though, the greater flexibility of the Focus, plus its excellent fuel economy, made the buy nearly a no-brainer. So far, the only problem I've had with the Focus was a leaky transmission seal and Ford handled that in a very seamless, professional manner, so I can't complain.

My advice to Ford: Don't fix what's not broken. The reason you sell so many Focuses is that the buyers appreciate the quality/engineering more than you imagine.

Just my two cents...
SL

The Focus is a car that gets very little public love down here, and I for one had never given it a single thought until I had a very brief ride in a friends base model 2014. I would now argue that its at the top of my list for next cars. Especially when you can get a Sport (17's, body kit, suspension, etc) with a turbo 1.5 and a six speed manual for 6-8 grand less than the equivilant 2.5 Mazda 3 all day, every day, I think the fact that its a bit fugly is the only reason few are buying.
 
I think the MBA comment hit it right of the head. Some business grad decided to run a focus group of millennials (who are not buying cars in the first place) and people who buy whatever Toyota slaps their badge on. They were all asked if they would like cheaper cars - and of course they all said "yes", because who wants more expensive cars? The problem is that Mr. MBA decided that was more important than anything and started pushing for stripped down cars and cheaper suspension systems to shave a few hundred dollars.

What was it Ford said the live rear end lowered the price of the Mustang? Something like $200-$300 per car, as I recall. I wonder how many people bought the Corvette or Camaro instead of the Mustang because of the back end? I'd also bet that an extra $300 on the price of the car would not have put more than a tiny fraction of people off buying that vehicle. I thought I saw an interview where someone at Ford said not putting on the better rear end was a mistake. And here they are taking cars that are selling like mad and intentionally Nerfing them for no damn good reason.

Fuck it, I'll take a look at what Toyota/Scion has to offer when I need a city commuter.

I actually had that rant to a co-worker not long ago, I'm fine with the live axle it actually adds some character that the 15+ is lacking IMO, however the shit stock shifter makes no sense to me. They could have spent a little more money on a better shifter and it woulda made the car what $200 more? Who the fuck would notice $200 in a 35k toy?
 
I never had an issue with having a live rear in my '97 GT. I admit I live in the US opposed to Europe where all the roads are constructed out of cobble stone and recently deceased plague victims.
 
NYC roads are among some of the worst but truth be told I have little issue keeping it under control, the only "problem" is that some of the roads you have to go a bit slower than I'd like.
 
Toyota isn't just putting in LDW, but they're also fitting ACC and other features as standard. To a refreshed car. Not a all new vehicle, or even platform, in the slightest.

The car itself remains mediocre, but the fact that they're doing this is a shot across the bow at Honda who was the first to bring these advanced features to the base trims as an option.

The thing is, those stripper models do exist - You can get a base Focus S with roll down rear windows for pete's sake. VW had a semi-hidden Jetta "Base" trim that was so stripped it didn't even have air conditioning or a radio for a few years. The Dart is/was available without cruise or AC.

The stripper Jetta was 14k in 2011 money: http://jalopnik.com/5783395/this-is-what-a-new-14000-vw-jetta-actually-looks-like

The Focus S is $17,225.

The Dart SE is 17k.

People don't want these models for the most part. They want to enjoy a few creature comforts like cruise control and AC. These bottom feeders probably leave very little margin for the automakers as well.

One stripper that people do buy, for better or worse, is the Versa S and S Plus, but that's a different class of car.

I do agree with most of those opinions. Perhaps a compromise is in order, but, not likely since prices for these base models are stupid expensive. The base models you mention need to be more like $15-16k and not $17-18k. My '13 Focus SE sedan (hatch was $2k more!) with the stupid DCT "automatic" trans was $19k when I bought it new with my D-plan discount. I had the base SE model with the DCT and whatever cheap package came with alloy wheels. My '14 Charger was only $22.9k new a year later with actually a few options on it so clearly the Focus was shit for value. That's the problem I have, if anyone could spend just a tiny bit more they can get almost double the car. For example, had I wanted another wrong-wheel drive car I could of bought a new '14 Fusion @ $19.9k instead of the Charger for almost the same money as my Focus in '14. Hell I almost bought a '14 Chrysler 300 for $24k instead of the Charger

I bought a 2013 Focus SE hatch (automatic) new three-and-a-half years ago. It had no options other than the automatic and my dealer had to search long and hard to find that (I don't like bells and whistles...). The purchase came down to two cars: the Focus or a GTI. The GTI was a LOT more money than the Focus, but it had more power and better handling. What it didn't have was the load space, fuel efficiency and better ride of the Focus - which tipped the scales for what was to be - mostly - a daily driver. If the Focus' handling and (cloth) interior hadn't been as good as they were, I would have spent the extra $$$ and gone directly to VW. As it stood, though, the greater flexibility of the Focus, plus its excellent fuel economy, made the buy nearly a no-brainer. So far, the only problem I've had with the Focus was a leaky transmission seal and Ford handled that in a very seamless, professional manner, so I can't complain.

My '13 Focus SE was a piece of shit, I'm glad yours wasn't/isn't. Many of my fellow Focus Fanatics / Focaljet members had complained about it--mostly the trans-- a couple of years ago. Perhaps I had a lemon...

Mullay left and now the old mentality feels safe enough to seep back in.

You sir hit the nail on the head. :D I'm slowly not liking the direction Ford is going and if they reproduce the mid/late-90's level of garbage I'll stop liking their products again.
 
Top