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The Pub For General Automotive Related Talk |
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#91 | ||
Oppressive patriarch
![]() Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: Brisbane
Posts: 733
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I hadn't heard of it either. So I looked it up and the description was...
"...a four-door Focus hatchback with a 1.2-inch suspension lift, black plastic around the wheel arches, faux skid plates at front and rear, and a slightly different front bumper and grille design. The Active also has different interior trim pieces that Ford describes as “more rugged” and “textured." A competitor for Subaru XVs, perhaps. |
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#92 | |||
Peter Car
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: geelong
Posts: 23,145
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Quote:
But it takes a bit of the risk out of the strategy. |
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#93 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Catland
Posts: 3,618
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Thanks for explaining the Focus Active gents, in particular the pic was good. That is a Ford I could buy - like an XV but with a torque converter Auto. Now, will it have selectable or full time AWD, or the unfortunate haldex on demand, applied when it recognises you are already in trouble? Enquiring snowboarders want to know...
The XV is excellent in this regard - constant 60/40 split but has the grrrr CVT. Previous model manual was 50/50 constant split. i've always considered an AWD that is constantly applying torque to all four wheels superior in icy/low traction. Hence why the petrol AWD Terry was so good. If you want a laugh, try watching an earlier generation CRV hit sand and refuse to send power back when it is already axle deep.
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I6 + AWD |
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#94 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Catland
Posts: 3,618
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You could try the Camry RZ, it looks and goes... oh wait nevermind...
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I6 + AWD |
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#95 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Perth, Northern Suburbs
Posts: 4,881
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Gees some people are thick, read the title and go Ballistic.
For starters, it may well be that they are referring only to manufacturing, in NA, and could continue to sell some models as imports. Even if not, the rules have been pushing the American market this way for 50 years, its hardly a surprise. It's simple. If you want to buy a "Passenger Car" in the USA, then the vast majority of you must buy a squeaky little plugin pimple. But hey, step on over to the SUV side of the dealership, and you can still buy a thumping great V8. The previous version of the rules probably pushed the market so far as to kill off all large passenger vehicles, but the revised rules make even less sense. By 2025 (not that far away) small cars (eg Fiesta) have to achieve a CAFE of 60mpg (and that's US gallons not Imperial.) Only way you do that, and meet emissions, is with plugins and ZEVs. And that big honking SUV? 30mpg. guess which ones the Americans are buying... Furthermore, even if you want a small or medium vehicle, if you buy an SUV instead of a hatchback, the CAFE standard is roughly 10mpg higher, so again guess which one Ford wants to sell. It's typical of what passes for government in the US. For years SUVs were exempt, so whilst manufacturers were forced to sell more smaller and more economical cars, it was open slather on SUVs and Trucks. Now that the government wants to reign those in, the auto companies point the finger and say "see, its all your fault, everybody drives SUVs now, we need concessions" Plus of course, surprise, surprise, sur-prise, these new rules are absolutely hammering importers whose sales are heavily biased towards cars, whilst the American companies make out like bandits with their huge sales of SUVs and trucks. |
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#96 | ||
Au Falcon = Mr Reliable
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: North West Slopes & Plains NSW
Posts: 4,076
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Here's a interesting read -
http://kfgo.com/news/articles/2018/m...for-automaker/ "Ford Motor Co shareholders should expect "fairly large" changes in the coming year, Executive Chairman Bill Ford Jr. told Reuters, building on the automaker's moves to discontinue some North American models and boost electric vehicle investment." To face the axe - "It could be regions, it could be functions, it could be areas of emphasis," Ford said in an interview. "We’ve done some big things, and we still have some big things to do." Plenty of jobs about to go too? cheers, Maka
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Ford AU Series Magazine Scans Here - www.fordforums.com.au/photos/index.php?cat=2792 Proud owner of a optioned keeper S1 Tickford Falcon AU XR6 VCT - "it's actually a better-balanced car than the XR8, goes almost as hard and uses about two-thirds of the fuel" (Drive.com 2007) |
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#97 | ||
Boss 335
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 4,330
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#98 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Catland
Posts: 3,618
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In the finance newsfeeds this morning Ford shelving F150 production and over 7000 workers for a short while in the states as a fire at a component supplier has stopped supply of an alloy radiator support section.
They sell 15,000 of these a month, average time before sale is 76 days so they have some supply. Gotta love just in time production.
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#99 | |||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Catland
Posts: 3,618
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Quote:
"Clearly, the old dinosaurs like F-Series and Mustang not only sell well but their manufacture is reasonably straightforward and can be managed by less efficient plants and their margins are obviously high. Focus, Fiesta and Fusion are much more modern platforms and require manufacturing tolerances that are beyond those older plants and then quality suffers but they are also less profitable if only because they require more recent (and thus unamortised) capital expenditure. " Revenge of the dinosaur... I like that a lot.
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#100 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 11,277
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The announcement only affects North America.
What would you say if Ford's sales volume was down by 10% but profits and margin were up? That's the likely result. Absolutely and I can think of no better example than in 2019, 125K Ranger sales mostly dual cabs replacing a similar number of Focus / C-max sales in 2018. (2020 sees high profit Bronco with 60K sales?) The next example would be CD6 Explorer/Aviator swallowing up current production of Taurus and PIU. those 40K combined annual sales then become mostly new Aviator sales with much higher ATP. And if Ford is prepared to let Fusion remain at Hermosillo for the next few years, does that open the door to a new model SWB C2 Ute along side it (as was planned with Focus) the new model gradually increases production as Fusion approximates the slow decline of D3 Taurus at CAP to a point where it finishes quietly. |
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#101 | ||
Ford screwed the Falcon
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 7,059
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Just like GM, Ford is downsizing the company to better reflect their market share.
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Falcon: 1960 - 2016 My cars Current ride 2016 FG X XR6 - 6 speed manual Previous rides 2009 FG XR6 - 6 speed auto 2006 BF MkII XT ESP - 6 speed auto 2003 BA XT V8 - 5 speed manual 1999 AU Forte - 5 speed manual 1997 EL Fairmont - 4 speed auto 1990 EAII Fairmont Ghia - 4 speed auto |
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