Comments on: New Fiesta creates UK sales storm

By: Wheelnut

Wheelnut — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 08:17:18 +0000

Quote [Daniel]: Looks at the focus….Europes best selling small car of all time..bring it over here the stupid Aussies still buy a Barina! idiots!

I’ve seen far more Focuses [or Focii] on the roads than I hve Dae-rinas…. particularly XR-5s

By: Bavarian Missile ( . ) ( . )

Bavarian Missile ( . ) ( . ) — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 05:38:31 +0000

Its called marketing Forza………..nothing to do with Australians being morons!

Ford simply don’t do enough of it here!

Merry Christmas Cupid hope you had a great one !xoxox

By: Forza M

Forza M — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 03:49:39 +0000

Stupid Cupid, whether you like it or not, Daniel San is correct. The blue oval is nowhere in this country. Merry Christmas angry

By: ZF

ZF — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 00:48:57 +0000

Marcus….you are a totoal idiot…….must be a Holdenwoo driver. The new Fiesta is obviously a great little car and will be a success for Ford all over the world including Australia. Go get back in your Barina.

By: daniel

daniel — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 17:19:37 +0000

Just the ones that by holdens! the average aussie with no idea would always buy a holden over a ford…though does that mean all aussies or just the ones that buy holdens…you decide!

By: Cupid Stunt

Cupid Stunt — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 15:19:59 +0000

More profound words of wisdom from the intellectual Guru known as Daniel. Are you saying all Australians are morons or just the ones that buy Holden, I’m not too sure?

By: daniel

daniel — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 14:28:14 +0000

great little car but Australian car buyers are morons and the general person who knows nothing about cars will always go a japanese brand or a holden….shame!

Looks at the focus….Europes best selling small car of all time..bring it over here the stupid Aussies still buy a Barina! idiots!

By: Adam (aka Mada)

Adam (aka Mada) — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 00:48:25 +0000

Marcus,

Based on facts?

How is telling porkies about how mondeo is selling using facts?

It’s selling as FORD expected.

That’s the FACTS.

By: Adam (aka Mada)

Adam (aka Mada) — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 22:29:42 +0000

Marcus,

I didn’t realise you had a crystal ball?

Ford of 2008 if a very different Ford of 15 years ago…

Hello…

By: Cupid Stunt

Cupid Stunt — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 14:26:21 +0000

Yeh I know mate. GM use seriously poor discs, guess its all a ploy to get you back in the workshop for creaming them for a discount. I read stories about Astras having to change discs at 27K kilometers. The after market ones tend to go further at 130000K’s.

Sort it our Ford and GM

By: SamR

SamR — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 13:55:31 +0000

“New rear rotors and pads £235 AU$500.”

Cupid Stunt that is another reason Euro cars cost a fortune to run. Most Japanese small and medium size cars here NEVER need to change brake rotors under 160,000km and maybe not even after that.

The Astra and Focus here are infamous for huge servicing bills at 30,000km or 40,000km for new front and rear brake rotors and pads. They seem to be made of cheese.

Not a problem on performance models but a big one on economy models.

By: Cupid Stunt

Cupid Stunt — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 11:14:30 +0000

Yes Andrew M. I was surpised at how little it cost to maintain cars over there whenI was in Mel. Took my clunky crap TF to have the front wheels balanced. Cost $10! Double it and add a bit more for pommieland.
Just had the Vectra 20K mile service at the main dealer £170 about AU$370. New rear rotors and pads £235 AU$500.

By: Andrew M

Andrew M — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 11:01:17 +0000

Cupid,
Our aussie mades are cheap as chips to repair and service compared to others.
it sort of makes it a viable proposition to hang onto one for a while if you want to

By: Alex

Alex — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 10:04:09 +0000

SamR, you are very right, it’s all about attitude. I have a friend at work and he has a car that he really wants and a car that he feels he should get, a Mazda MX-5 and a Lexus IS250. He feels that he should buy the Lexus on the off chance he should need to transport extra people or put a lot of stuff in his boot, however, in reality it’s never more than him and his wife, they only ever use the boot for the weekly shop (and they don’t buy much) and he really wants an MX-5. That’s exactly it though, I think Australians are always preparing for having to move house or take 5 people in complete comfort. In the UK, you want an Mx-5, you buy an MX-5. And that’s why we buy more convertibles, superminis, hot hatches…

By: Cupid Stunt

Cupid Stunt — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 09:39:38 +0000

Sam R – take into account the fact that modern cars are far cleaner regarding emissions, so it would make sense the pension off cars but 4 yrs is too early really.
I read somewhere that a 1980’s car has 20 times the pollutants than a car made twenty years later.
Given repair costs are higher here we push cars into the graveyard a bit sooner. Take my elderly 99 Pug 406. Its worth about $1000, now the cam belt needs replacing along with a service its basically pointless throwing good money after old. Soon i’ll trade it in for some poor mug to pay repairs on.

By: Naughytius Maximus

Naughytius Maximus — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 08:59:36 +0000

Style and substance by the bucketload and at its starting price one thinks its a much dearer car….S*X SELLS!

By: SamR

SamR — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 08:14:24 +0000

Alex and Cupid Stunt, thanks for the information.

I was watching a recent Top Gear episode where they did a jump over cars. The cars seemed to be all 10 year old Euro hatchbacks.

10 year old hatchbacks here still go for good money as they are still usually in good nick and are reliable they are also mostly Japanese. I am driving a 10 year Pulsar SSS and it is in perfect condition.

Seems wasteful but I hear in Japan cars are pensioned off after 4 years.

I suppose it is just a different attitude to cars here, we expect them to last 10 to 20 years and will not buy them if they don’t.

By: Andrew M

Andrew M — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 07:32:47 +0000

Sam R,
If ford had have brought the Focus here and renamed it a “Laser” im sure it would have remained a strong seller.

you cant put a price on name plate familiarity, especially in the small car class. I started to touch on this in another blog.
Nissan also shot themselves in the foot by not carrying on the “Pulsar” name plate.

Toyotas corolla must have been laughing its tits off when it saw its main competition make that move.

I also doubt much of the small car buying public know where their cars are manufactured.
the name change was the killer for fords superior Focus.

they brought it here because its a hotcake in euro land.

By: Marcus

Marcus — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 07:12:45 +0000

Ummm, Adam (Aka Mada) the 80’s was a life time ago, build a bridge mate……. and drive your Ford Model-T over it !

The Ford of then was a very different company to the Ford of today.
As I am basing my comments on facts, for the last 15 years, Ford have not sold their small cars at all well, they are nothing but cellar dwellers…..and unfortunately for this car, it will be much the same, give or take a few months of pent up sales, it will be left to slowly die in sales over time…..

By: Adam (aka Mada)

Adam (aka Mada) — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 22:41:18 +0000

Marcus,

How has mondeo tanked in sales?

It’s hitting Ford’s company targets?

If you can remember the 80’s Ford’s small and medium vehicles, the laser and telstar dominated the sales charts along with falcon.

I don’t see why Ford can’t sell a meaningfull amount of small vehicle again.

I’d hate to see how you would run a marketing or business, you would give up before you started!!