It's always been irritating to watch the rest of the world get cool cars and awesome trucks while the companies just complain they wouldn't be able to market and sell the same thing in the US, even though people were clamoring for it. I have no doubt once the car companies start bringing over the cool stuff, auto sales will boom once again, this time replacing the big trucks and SUVs with ghastly crossovers that get car mileage, and irritatingly trendy looking compacts.
Sadly, that is true to an extent, but the cost to bring them over is large also. Crash ratings, emissions regulations, all sorts of changes need to be made to make a car useable in the US market. Thankfully, all American car makers are now building platforms that will switch over much easier to the US market now, and overseas vehicles can move across the pond much easier now. If they can't recoup the money they would spend to bring a car over here, why bring it over?
Ford tried that recently BTW- with the Mondeo. It was marketed here as the Contour. People didn't bust down the doors for them. While it was tagged as a "world car" the only external items the Mondeo shared with the Contour were the windshield, front windows, front mirrors and door handles. Even the interior was slightly different. Not cost effective at all.
Another problem is, in Europe sizing is out of whack. What we consider small (Contour) they consider large (Mondeo) so the marketing and development is totally out of whack. You can't put stuff into a "large" car in Europe and sell it at a price point and then run the same car in the US as a budget vehicle. It's not an easy game- you lose a lot of money.
The original Focus was the first true "world car" from Ford. And that one has been a decent success. The new Fiesta will sell well I think, it's a nice looking subcompact, and I think when gas goes up to what they pay in Europe, a lot of subcompacts will be sold vs. larger cars like the Explorer.
I really don't care what anyone else says, I'd put Ford quality against Toyota, Honda, Nissan, and Mazda anytime, anywhere. They're that good. Do they have problem cars? Sure. But Toyota hides problems too.
"First, engine sludge in the Camry. Then, rusty frame rails on the Tacoma. Advertising Age (of all people) reveals the latest problem to tarnish Toyota’s solid gold quality image: the Prius’ HID headlights. A number of owners of Toyota’s green machine weren’t well pleased happy their high intensity headlights died after a few years. No surprise there; replacing them runs up a $1000+ parts and labor bill. Owners claim HID death is a “a dangerous but undisclosed safety defect” and that Toyota has “long been aware of Prius’ HID headlight problem” and is “concealing the problems from owners.”
So far the national Highway Traffic Safety Administration (el NHTSA) has received over 300 complaints about the headlights. When el NHTSA contacted Toyota about the issue, the automaker said they’d provide information on the headlights “by the end of the month.”
Meanwhile, an unnamed “company spokesman” told AdAge that Prius owners are responsible for repairs after the warranty has expired. So it doesn’t look like Toyota may be willing to do much to sooth owners’ ruffled feathers.
Looking forward, ToMoCo better be careful, though. As marketing expert Andy Fletcher pointed out, Prius owners are “sensitive people with a clear sense of right and wrong and their obligation to society.” With the new Prius whirring onto the streets, they’re “the wrong group to mess with, particularly now.”
They're not perfect. And those are just a few of the problems. Problem is, nobody wants to talk bad about ToMoCo. Every car is metal, plastic, nuts, and bolts- built by robots and human beings. Many of the components are built at the same supplier, using the same R&D, and the same inspection process. These cars are so close in quality now, it isn't funny. Is a '92 Accord 50% more reliable at 100k miles than a '92 Tempo? Maybe, probably. Is a '09 Accord or Camry 50% more reliable than an '09 Fusion at 100k? No. I'd bet you wouldn't even notice a difference.
As far as trucks go, the ST was a cool niche vehicle, probably one of the most succesful auto show idea driven releases on par with the PT Cruiser, although the ST held it's own for longer in the market because it was more useful. I think Ford will keep the Ranger, and figure out a way to put an EcoBoost in. The American buyer doesn't want a diesel, and it would cost a lot of money to modify one for the US market. If the new EcoBoost in the Taurus gets high 20's/30 mpg pushing around a bull, it would be even better pushing around a little Ranger...
