….and they almost brought those 2 here to the US. Even Mark Fields figured out that was a bad idea.

The new Ka in Brazil is “unique” ’cause it’s cheap. It’s based on the platform of the Fiesta circa 1990, at least in the front part, but the back part is more like the Ka which is from about 95. They use the suspension from that old Fiesta, the transmission from the SUV thingy you mentioned (called an EcoSport and in reality just a simple Fiesta hatch with a more robust design on stilts).

It’s a FranKAstein of cheap bin parts. It’s also selling relatively well. Though I bet someone at Ford lost his job. This is because its increased sales have come mostly out of its bigger (and more expensive and profitable) brother’s share (LOL and shaking head). The old Ka sold about 3000 units a month and the Fiesta 9000. Now the Ka is up to 7000 units a month (and maybe they are increasing production to keep up with demand) but big brother Fiesta is down to the old Ka’s 3000 a month. Don’t see any conquest sales for them then!

BTW, it sure would be nice if auto stylists would concede that box-shaped cars are more accommodating to occupants and cargo than are egg-shaped vehicles.

http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080530/ford_fiesta.html?.v=3

“Ford Motor Co. plans to build its new Fiesta subcompact at a factory near Mexico City for sale in the U.S., the company said Friday. Ford plans to retool its Cuautitlan Assembly Plant from large-truck to small-car production as it moves to shift its factories from trucks toward more fuel-efficient vehicles, the company said.”

It is a red letter day in modern Ford history when one of the F150 factories is retooled to make Fiestas.

Also gas is way cheaper (2.60 gallon regular and about 2.30 gallon deisel)here in Mexico than in the U.S. Maybe the shipping trucks should just fuel up before crossing the border.

There is talk of setting up overflow capacity in the U.S. Hermosillo, Wayne, Kansas City and Oakville are bursting at the seems. If tooling can be placed in underutilized facilities like Louisville or AAI, there will be opportunities for the UAW to get more work. However, Ford has to be sure that their gains in those vehicles are permanent and not passing.

Of note, Ford has retooled several engine, stamping and transmission plants in the U.S. recently, and that trend is continuing. It’s not all about assembly. Ford has more than a dozen factories in the U.S. where there is no final assembly at all that are run by UAW labor.

Like it or not having the car assembled in Mexico is one way of solving that problem. At least Mexico is part of North America and isn’t China (where a whole ton of our goods comes from American companies and otherwise) not to mention the millions of Mexicans in the US doing work for us and building other things for us like houses and communities.

Parts production has been moving to Mexico as well. American Axle, for example, is closing several US factories and expanding in Mexico. Monterey, Mexico based Nemak is now one of the world’s largest suppliers of aluminum heads and engine blocks. Dana, Delphi, Champion Labs and many other major automotive component makers also have large Mexican factories. Don’t expect fuel costs to push auto factories back north of the border.

This is the European Fiesta, which is an excellent car. If Ford can keep that goodness intact when it begins producing the car in Mexico, it will be a BIG winner for Ford. Producing it in Mexico lowers cost, which means that Ford can sell a better car at a competitive price. The Fusion/Milan/MKZ trio show that Ford can produce a quality product in Mexico.

No doubt Ford dealers are eagerly waiting for this car.

As for the original Fiesta – it was an excellent car, but it wasn’t available with an automatic transmission. That, and with the debut of the Escort for 1981, are what killed it in the U.S.

And as exciting as Fiesta sounds and even that it’s not UAW built, it will probably still be a cheap car that can’t compete against a Civic. Good luck Ford!

Ford should build the Fiesta in Mexico, but bring the Fusion clan back to the US.

Verdad. Text amended.