Fixing Ford: Mercury to Get Euro-Designed Product(s)?

  • Thread starter Thread starter YSSMAN
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Well lets see GM figured out that they make good cars in the rest of the world and therefore should sell them in America. Ford has finally realized the same thing. So who does that leave...oh Chrysler...wait a minute...they don't have world brands.
 
They have "global" brands, problem is, they sell the same crap-cars they sell here already...

I think they need to warm-up to Mitsubishi and get in on the Peugeot/Citroen relationship... That way we may actually get some interesting cars in the US again...
 
Joey D
A Chrysler Peugeot 206? Hmmmm maybe.
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That not only beats the **** out of anything Chrysler has currently *cough*Calibur*cough* but I would AUTOMATICALLY like Chrysler again if they somehow got some European influence--even if it is from the French. I'm not saying French cars are bad per se...I'm mainly saying I'd prefer OTHER European influences more. But Peugeot would CERTAINLY make Chrysler more interesting and should actually improve build quality. Yes thats right you fellow Europeans, you may thing French cars are terrible build quaity--but Chrysler is much much worse.

*edit*
And on the topic at hand, if we do get the current Euro Mondeo dear god I hope it doesn't have that damned 3-bar chrome grille. Ford really needs to ditch that hideous thing. I'm slowly growing to hate it...if I bought a Fusion the first thing I'd probably do is stick on some billet grille or at least paint the current grills the body color.
 
I'm just glad that Ford is starting to head into the right direction. But I'd be real surprised, if they actually get everything right. Looking at the Ford's current state/line up, can't help thinking that they are going to screw(censored) it up again.
 
I agree with JCE 100% about the Ford Grille. It's gotta go. Look at Toyota: Boring and uninspiring is always better than ugly. Look at the current Camry, then look at what came before it. You'll get the picture.

The Mondeo is exactly what Ford needs to bring to the US. But the Fusion creates a problem, as it is the designated Camry fighter. How is the Fusion doing in sales? Is it doing poorly enough to warrant a replacement by the current Mondeo?
Also: BUILD THE INTERCEPTOR! Seriously. If they do it right, it could save them. What do they have that can compete with the Chrysler 300/Impala/G8/Europe? While I am one of those people who believes the Blue Oval circles the problem, I still think they should exist as a manufacturer of quality automobiles.

Also, What in the hell are they thinking with Lincoln? While the tri-bar is bad, this neo eggcrate is incomprehensible.

Let's just have a Michigan area GTP member jump-start Henry's coffin. Problem solved.
 
YSSMAN
In what may possibly be Ford's biggest "DUH" moment, I'm actually quite happy that reason won-out this time around. There isn't any reason why their products shouldn't be globally shared, even if it has slightly different sheet metal and different names. Personally I'd rather see them give us the next Fusion and call it the Mondeo (like it should be), and I would assume that the Focus would come un-altered. Sweet.
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Good god, it took them how long to figure this out? Twelve years?? It's not even as though they didn't have any examples to follow, either. VAG slowly steamrolled right past them with profits and no bells rang? Mullaly will probably be hailed as ingenious and inventive, of course....
 
Ford execs have said that these cars will wear different styling and be tuned differently, but we've heard from inside the Blue Oval that a conflict between U.S. and Euro designers is growing, with the former group upset that its delicate balance of three-bar grilles will be upset by the Fiesta, and possibly other models, arriving with FoE's "Kinetic Design" theme.
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Uh... put it to a vote? I bet "Kinetic" wins over "Gillette" any day... :lol:

Yeah... biggest "DUH" moment of the month. But probably timed to help boost investor confidence at Ford while they have nothing on the cards at the moment.
 
JCE3000GT
That not only beats the **** out of anything Chrysler has currently *cough*Calibur*cough* but I would AUTOMATICALLY like Chrysler again if they somehow got some European influence--even if it is from the French. I'm not saying French cars are bad per se...I'm mainly saying I'd prefer OTHER European influences more. But Peugeot would CERTAINLY make Chrysler more interesting and should actually improve build quality. Yes thats right you fellow Europeans, you may thing French cars are terrible build quaity--but Chrysler is much much worse.
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I see your point but Chrysler isn't that smart.
 
One thing I hope Ford does is bring the Australian Ranger to the States. The current Ranger is in desperate need of a redesign. Since the Australian Ranger looks so cool, it would be a wise move to bring it over. Maybe even keep the diesel, too.
 
High-Test
Look at Toyota: Boring and uninspiring is always better than ugly. Look at the current Camry, then look at what came before it.
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Not the best example. At all. Most of Toyota's recently redesigned cars (lets say, post tC) are nasty looking pieces. Tundra. Tacoma. Camry. Yaris (especially the sedan). xD. xB. Etc.

High-Test
The Mondeo is exactly what Ford needs to bring to the US. But the Fusion creates a problem, as it is the designated Camry fighter. How is the Fusion doing in sales? Is it doing poorly enough to warrant a replacement by the current Mondeo?
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No. And the other main problem is that the Fusion is a very competent Camry competitor, so bringing over the Mondeo wouldn't accomplish much.
 
IF the Mondeo was available here as a Mercury, and you were looking for a family sedan, would you purchase it?
 
If I knew it was a Mondeo and the looks came over un-altered, I'd buy one without even considering what GM would give me at a discount... The car is just incredible! The looks, the overall performance, the presumed reliability, etc. Its what Ford needs in the lineup right now, but we really don't have to worry...

Knowing that the Mazda6 is riding on the same chassis as the Mondeo, it isn't much of a stretch to realize that the Fusion will make the same jump soon, or altogether be replaced by the Mondeo... Probably still having a Fusion badge.
 
No. And the other main problem is that the Fusion is a very competent Camry competitor, so bringing over the Mondeo wouldn't accomplish much.
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Good point as always Toronado. I wasn't quite sure of how the Fusion was doing in sales.

Bringing over the foreign Ranger and Focus makes good sense. The Mondeo, not so much.

IF the Mondeo was available here as a Mercury, and you were looking for a family sedan, would you purchase it?
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Not when I could get the Fusion with a V6 and all wheel drive. Having too many cars from one company in a particular segment brings profit down. The Fusion does fine against the Accord and Camry, and its sales will be brought down if people switch to the Mondeo. (assuming both cars are sold at the same time) I think that's part of the reason why Honda and Toyota have done so well financially in the "Sedan War", because they've only got one car and its trim levels for a particular job as opposed to three or four. Look at GM, they've got the G6, Aura, and Malibu all in the same segment. If one doesn't discern between luxury and non luxury as that definition becomes more blurred, the Saab 9-3, Buick LaCrosse, and CTS get thrown in the mix as well.
 
Yeah, but I'm guessing YSSMAN is referring to the new Mazda 6 being on the Mondeo platform. The Fusion is on the old Mazda 6 platform.
 
Okay, so...

New Mazda6=Mondeo, Or, 6=M
Fusion=Mazda6, or, F=6

By this logic, and using mathematics...

New Fusion=Mondeo, or, F=6=M
 
Wait, I swear I read a news article somewhere where Mazda clearly said that the new 6 will not be on the Mondeo chassis, but simply on their own with the primary focus on driving dynamics of the car.
 
Also keep in mind that the Fusion is stretched 4" longer than the Mazda6. Just thought I'd put that out there.
 
Toronado
Not the best example. At all. Most of Toyota's recently redesigned cars (lets say, post tC) are nasty looking pieces. Tundra. Tacoma. Camry. Yaris (especially the sedan). xD. xB. Etc.
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I'm not trying to turn this into another Toyota thread, so I hope we can just leave it at this: That is your opinion.

Most people I know in real life, (again)outside the gtplanet crowd, loves the looks of new Toyotas, myself included. Classifying new Toyotas "ugly", that one is highly debatable.
 
I'm going to have to agree with Toronado that 90% of what comes out of Toyota's design department needs some serious work (I put in the 90% number myself). The IS and Tacoma are the only actual good looking Toyotas in my eyes.
 
JCE3000GT
I'm going to have to agree with Toronado that 90% of what comes out of Toyota's design department needs some serious work (I put in the 90% number myself). The IS and Tacoma are the only actual good looking Toyotas in my eyes.
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And by my observation, something like 90% of gtplanet agrees with you. In real life, it's not even close is the point I'm making, JCE.
 
a6m5
Most people I know in real life, (again)outside the gtplanet crowd, loves the looks of new Toyotas, myself included. Classifying new Toyotas "ugly", that one is highly debatable.
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I understand that. But even if one does like the looks of them, they are hardly the generic and boring pieces they were just 3 years ago (with which Honda is a better example). Which was the original point.
 
I think that Toyota only has issues with the Camry and the interior in it, the other ones are neither extraordinarily ugly, or exciting.

Also most of the Lexus line-up is drop-dead gorgeous IMO.
 

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