[ZTWsquared]

darkpuppet,Dec 7 2006, 04:13 PM Wrote:It's just the economies and perceptions are so different.

In europe, driving isn't a right, it's a privelege.  Gas is 2 bucks a liter, getting your license costs in the thousands, and you still have the cost of permits, congestion fees, and parking that makes Toronto look like one giant empty lot by comparison.
performance when it comes to north american brands. 
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Not only are our perceptions and sensibilities skewed because we're enthusiasts ... it's doubly out of whack because we're Canadian.

Canadian's for the most part are far more European in terms of what we like about cars than are Americans ... hence the difference in hatchback / wagon sales here vs US and conversely coupes in the states. But economically we still think more like Americans in terms of what we want to pay for a car.

I know for a fact that in 1997 Ford division in the U.S. had absolutlely no interest in the 3-door Focus hatch and it was Bobbie Gaunt (Ford of Canada president) who almost single handedly convinced Ford they really needed a hatch for Canada if the car was to be successful here. And so Ford reluctantly added it to the NA Focus lineup.

Based on 3 and 5-door Focus sales in the states Ford has always regretted that decision and you can see them "making it right" for American dealers by discontinuing the wagon ... and soon the hatchbacks will also be gone. The Focus lineup will soon consist of a sedan and a coupe.

I guess the point is that the Ford lineup in North America will more and more be driven by the needs and wants of the American consumer and the American dealer ... and because of the lack of profitability right now at Ford there will be little support for creating / importing models intended to meet Canadian-specific requirements.

Havings said all that, Ford does indeed need some new "halo" vehicles (vehicles that are industry leading in some way and therefore make a splash even if the volumes are low) as OACSparky pointed out ... but the sharp money says it will be designed to appeal to the American market. Think Mustang and Lightning and not SVT Focus.

IMO all this does not bode well for an enthusiast in Canada ... we can only hope that Ford concludes that some of the cars we'd like to see, will also sell well in the states - because that's the only way we'll see them here.