FoMoCo: Charging More, For Less?

[MTI]

Interesting story yesterday . . . remember the Geo Metro? 3 cylinders and 50+ mpg? Apparently Ford is bringing back the tri-cylinder . . . doing a turbocharged 1.0 3 cylinder 125 bhp EcoBoost in a Focus. Ford expects that not only will there be a demand for this Euro spec wonder, but that customers will be willing to pay about $1K more than the bigger, heavier four cylinder. Ford already gets a higher price for the optional V6 (turbo and direct injection) in their trucks over the standard V8s.





Americans will have to wait however, Ford's plans for the US may find the triple in a . . . Fiesta.

[tbomachines]

I've heard this in the plans for a while...as long as it gets good mpg (with direct injection it should) and over 100hp it should sell well. I heard the new Mazda2 skyactiv is also a tiny engine producing about 80hp but delivering astounding mileage for a gas engine. Might be a derivation of the same engine? Since the two share a platform. I don't think it has launched stateside yet.

[TheDon]

Why can't we have an economy car with an economy car price?

[Brian Carlton]

The fundamental problem in this country with new vehicles is the incessant quest for more horsepower to simply travel to the next red light. It's beyond the pale for a vehicle to have 200 hp to travel at speeds of 70 mph or less.

A vehicle with 125 hp can easily handle that task and offer fantastic fuel economy as a benefit of the smaller engine.

Unfortunately, Americans are just too stupid to understand how to drive a vehicle that goes 0-60 in 12 seconds. Their ego just cannot handle it because they cannot keep up with the DB in the next lane.

[Hatterasguy]

Should do pretty well in the mileage department.

I know someone with a 2012 Cruze and it will return over 50mpg if you keep the speed on the highway to 60-65.

[jplinville]

Originally Posted by TheDon

Why can't we have an economy car with an economy car price?

We had the Yugo and the Kia Rio (2001)...both horrible cars. What more are you asking for??

[Ara T.]

Does it need 91 octane? I doubt it will do well if it requires it.

[MS Fowler]

Silly title. One could just as well ask why MB charges so much for a 4 door sedan that is so similar to other 4 door sedans that cost less than half.
Engineering and research and innovation all cost money.

You'd prefer to go back to the days of "more road-hugging weight"?

[Air&Road]

Originally Posted by Brian Carlton

The fundamental problem in this country with new vehicles is the incessant quest for more horsepower to simply travel to the next red light. It's beyond the pale for a vehicle to have 200 hp to travel at speeds of 70 mph or less.

A vehicle with 125 hp can easily handle that task and offer fantastic fuel economy as a benefit of the smaller engine.

Unfortunately, Americans are just too stupid to understand how to drive a vehicle that goes 0-60 in 12 seconds. Their ego just cannot handle it because they cannot keep up with the DB in the next lane.

Or in this part of the country, more size and weight just to show that you can have it.

We are COVERED UP down here with Suburbans and four door, long bed, dually, one ton pickups that never have anything in the back or anything on the trailer hitch. MOST people that have them do nothing more than drive back and forth to work by themselves or go to the grocery store. With energy being a concern it is nothing more than a fuel wasting fad.

Don't get me wrong, AFAIC anyone is free to drive whatever they can afford to put fuel in and find a place to park. Also there are indeed people that need vehicles like this to do their work. The vast majority of them around here are nothing but a display of something, I don't know what; wealth, masculinity (although many of them are driven by ladies,) little penis syndrome......

On top of the waste involved, half the people that drive them are incapable of parking them within even the largest of parking spaces.

End of rant.

[t walgamuth]

Many of the lovely european countries tax autos fiercely and always have....in some places a new car will cost say 10K and 20K in tax so if you want a new car you pay 3x.

Thats in addition to paying 10 or $15 per gallon at the pump.

But these countries also have excellent public transportation systems and things are much closer together than here and in Australia for instance. So you can get by walking and biking in between.

The public transportation is paid for no doubt at least partially from the taxes on cars and gasoline.

I'm not saying it is practical here in much of our country but it works over there.

[Air&Road]

Originally Posted by t walgamuth

Many of the lovely european countries tax autos fiercely and always have....in some places a new car will cost say 10K and 20K in tax so if you want a new car you pay 3x.

Thats in addition to paying 10 or $15 per gallon at the pump.

But these countries also have excellent public transportation systems and things are much closer together than here and in Australia for instance. So you can get by walking and biking in between.

The public transportation is paid for no doubt at least partially from the taxes on cars and gasoline.

I'm not saying it is practical here in much of our country but it works over there.

Sigh......

[jplinville]

Originally Posted by Air&Road

Or in this part of the country, more size and weight just to show that you can have it.

We are COVERED UP down here with Suburbans and four door, long bed, dually, one ton pickups that never have anything in the back or anything on the trailer hitch. MOST people that have them do nothing more than drive back and forth to work by themselves or go to the grocery store. With energy being a concern it is nothing more than a fuel wasting fad.

Don't get me wrong, AFAIC anyone is free to drive whatever they can afford to put fuel in and find a place to park. Also there are indeed people that need vehicles like this to do their work. The vast majority of them around here are nothing but a display of something, I don't know what; wealth, masculinity (although many of them are driven by ladies,) little penis syndrome......

On top of the waste involved, half the people that drive them are incapable of parking them within even the largest of parking spaces.

End of rant.

My family used to use that rant with me over the trucks and SUVs that I currently or formerly owned. They couldn't argue with me after they started calling and asking to use my vehicles, or buying them from me when I was ready for something new.

If you live or commute in a big city, a small car is ideal for you. With the miles we put on vehicles in a year as a family unit, a large vehicle is in order. I may go 10 months without towing anything, then have to tow 3-4 times a week for a few months. I may go months without hauling anything in the back of my trucks, then something happens and I'm hauling more than Fred Sanford.

Just because you don't see people utilizing their vehicles for what they were designed for, doesn't mean that they don't...it just means they don't when you're looking.

[Air&Road]

Originally Posted by jplinville

My family used to use that rant with me over the trucks and SUVs that I currently or formerly owned. They couldn't argue with me after they started calling and asking to use my vehicles, or buying them from me when I was ready for something new.

If you live or commute in a big city, a small car is ideal for you. With the miles we put on vehicles in a year as a family unit, a large vehicle is in order. I may go 10 months without towing anything, then have to tow 3-4 times a week for a few months. I may go months without hauling anything in the back of my trucks, then something happens and I'm hauling more than Fred Sanford.

Just because you don't see people utilizing their vehicles for what they were designed for, doesn't mean that they don't...it just means they don't when you're looking.

JP,

You obviously are justified in driving such a vehicle. BELIEVE ME! Where I'm at, Big, Four Door, Long Bed, Dually, One Tons are a status symbol for MOST people that drive them.

Some of the people that have them, tow an RV on vacation or pull a cattle or horse trailer. Because of these people who need them, there are LOTS of people that think they look cool in them.

Where I work as we speak there are several hundred vehicles in the parking lot. I would venture to say that somewhere between a third and half of them are pickups, maybe even more than half. Of those pickups, I'm sure that more than 3/4 of them are like I describe. Of THOSE, I would be willing to bet that you won't find a single scratch in the bed, or any evidence that there has ever been anything in the receiver hitch.

As I said originally, there are people that need them, but down here MOST of them are nothing but cowboy status symbols for the folks with hats but no cattle.

[strelnik]

Originally Posted by TheDon

Why can't we have an economy car with an economy car price?

BECAUSE I AM AN AUTO EXEC AND I NEED A BIGGER BONUS EVERY YEAR !

MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE

i WATCHED THIS BS FROM THESE GUYS AND GALS FOR 25 YEARS. NOW I DON'T HAVE TO DEAL WITH IT ANY MORE.

AND THEY WONDER WHY I DRIVE USED CITROENS AND MERCEDES.....

[MS Fowler]

Originally Posted by strelnik

[B][SIZE=3]

AND THEY WONDER WHY I DRIVE USED CITROENS AND MERCEDES.....

Have you ever been to that Carlisle Import Show? They set up show areas for vehicles from different countries. France has been well represented over the last few years. Some import clubs make it one of their meets to encourage members to come.