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Originally Posted by Thameth
The Civic, Sentra, and Corolla i would think are also Golf competitors, and if the Focus falls into that group.....
As we've always said Ford keeps proving us right that the Euro Fiesta/Focus combo could be kicking some good arse right now if they would have made the bold move 2 years ago......
Then of course we have Mexico latest xmas present....  |
You've three different thought there.
Do you mean the Civic, Sentra, Corolla in Europe or the U.S.? Because in the U.S. I agree that the new Rabbit fits the price point, etc. But I think people either buy VWs or they don't. Otherwise all the Focus MkII whiners would just go buy a GTI.
It's really just as good as the ST, maybe better. I think there are only one or two MkV GTI owners here on FJ.
It comes down to this, the enthusiasts WANT the MkII. Unfortunately the enthusiasts are such a small percentage of the actual market for cars like the Civic, Sentra, et. al.
And, the ST's availability in Mexico has been discussed dozens of times. What don't people GET about it? Ford can import the ST to Mexico AS IS, meaning NO (costly) changes to the car. If you can expand your market with out needing to pour more money into a car why wouldn't you?
Why is the ST not available in Canada? For the same reason it's not available in the U.S. ...it would be cost prohibitive to retool the car to meet crash testing and certify the emissions.
This is VERY costly. And, no before someone says, the ST's engine is already certified in the U.S. (in the Volvo S40/V50)... it doesn't matter. Each make and MODEL require a complete testing and certification.
There are other factors I'm sure that led to the decision to NOT bring the car to the U.S. but these are very real reasons.