So, boys and girls, all this means is that the US will finally get a "decent" Ford that actually sells in other parts of the world.

All the current Fords in the US are such piles of crap that they wouldn't dream of "attempting" to sell them anywhere outside the US.

We've had the Europe model here is South Africa for a few YEARS now. Unbelievable that the US Focus is still based on the previous version! Especially if you consider how popular the Euro Focus is.

"Ford is also working on a compact B-segment car that will be sold in the US and Europe based off the new Mazda2."

Thats the dumbest thing to say in the article because Ford Europe and Ford Australia(well not since early 90's) have been making small cars for years. Examples include Fiesta, Laser, Sierra etc,etc, etc.

I guess this means you will miss out on the new mondeo which is heaps better then that POS camry.

I can't believe youse get so excited about these cars just like youse did over the Saturn Astra or what ever you badged it as. To other contries they are just another rental car.

"So, boys and girls, all this means is that the US will finally get a "decent" Ford that actually sells in other parts of the world."

That's one possibility. The other possibility is that Ford will just make the crappy version of the Focus and sell it world-wide. Sure, you'll laugh and think I'm joking -- but I've learned never to underestimate the stupidity of American car companies.

"...but I've learned never to underestimate the stupidity of American car companies."

right you are, sir.

Pleeease, Allan Mulally - regardless of whatever else you ever do - get Ford to abandon the "fat plastic bug with predator-like headlights, angry-wasp-eyes-backed-with-tinsel tail lights, and dumpy grille" look and return to a sleek body style similar to the Probe's! I'm sick to *death* of all the mindlessly imitative styling of that ilk, that all have trunk/boot lids resembling an envelope flap!!! What twerpy dorks ever cooked up such a hideous, unaesthetic design as that, anyway?!? (And that goes for every other manufacturer putting out those appallingly ugly things they call cars!!!)

"I guess this means you will miss out on the new mondeo which is heaps better then that POS camry"

Uh-oh, jap-hating, ford enthusiast alert!!!

"return to a sleek body style similar to the Probe's"

That's the best joke I've heard in a while. "Ford Probe" and "sleek" in one sentence ... LOL

I guess they finally realized that US doesn't want oversized cars and that it is cheaper to develop and produce just one model. and let's face it, US fords have been trailing EU models for a while. at least to me.

I have a 2007 Ford Focus and really like. I guess beauty is not the only thing in the eye of the beholder; it would include quality(?).

I guess sales of Fords is more on the poor quality so many associate with Ford than the fact there are those who oppose Fords support of certain groups.

What is an American car company? With 'American' car companies making vehicles over seas and 'foreign' car companies making cars in the USA, it would not be easy to determine what is truly an American car company.

Just because it's a "world car" doesn't mean it will be good or competitive.

The original 1981 Ford Escort was a "World Car" and while it was commerially successfull, it wasn't anything special.

The Ford Contour/Mercury Mystique/Ford Mondeo were "world cars", successful in Europe, a flop in North America. The 4cyl Contour was almost as expensive as the base V6 Taurus, yet the interiour wasn't any bigger than the Ford Escort, which was thousands cheaper.

The fundamental problem is that what is considered to be the "small and cheap" segment in the US, is considered to be the "family size" segment in Europe, Japan and other places.

If you build a Focus (for example) to what the USA wants, you end up with a car that in Europe/Japan, doesn't measure up to their rivals.

If you build a Focus to what Europe wants, you end up with a car that is too expensive for its size in North America.

The only successfull way to build a world car is to have a 'World Chassis' that has many common bits that you don't see or feel... stuff like HVAC and basic suspension design... as long as it works well, it should be common to all models for a given chassis. But when you get to details like engine capacity, trim quality, transmissions and chassis tuning, there is no way that what is sold in Europe and Japan will automatically work in North America.

Just look at the difference between the North American Honda Accord and the "rest of the world" Honda Accord (aka Acura TSX in North America). If you had the "rest of the world" Accord sold as an Accord in North America, it would not be a top seller. Who would pay over $30,000 for a FOUR CYLINDER mid size car from a non-luxury mass-market brand?

Yeah, there are exceptions... but those exceptions usually apply to niche players (Subaru) or premium brands (BMW).

To back up what Peter is getting at here, please read the last part of the article.

"The cars will not be identical, but will share common platforms."

They may still have the same shitty drivetrain. We have to wait and see what they do with it.

Funny how everyone moans about how the US needs to be eco-responsible, then when we have to make due with crappier less efficient cars than the rest of the world because they have to run on crappy regulated diluted swill full of additives that we call 'fuel' while everyone else in the world (ie: like Japan) is running pure 100 octane.

Has anyone ever stopped to think that hey, maybe it's not American cars that suck, but maybe all the government intervention, green regulations, nerfed fuel, etc?

Maybe instead of whining about American cars sucking, it's time we start rolling back all this eco-friendly regulation considering that the US auto industry is FAR more regulated than anyone else in the world.

>

Uh-oh idiot alert.....I saw way more import fanboys bashing american stuff on here than american fanboys bashing imports. Moron! haha yeah lets call out the one guy who said something back...freakin idiot

Hope they keep the us cars like they are rather keep my US cars than the UK shit.

o yes dont be hatting American cars they are better than others japs fen plastic and the only reason why uro cars are better is because they are supercharged and well we dont really care as much as others they are paying some 5-7 a gallon in the UK im content with my big steal ford brick

Rob, you've obviously never read / seen a review of a Euro-spec Ford Focus. It's a pretty bitchin car that many actually prefer over all other cars in it's class (again, in Europe). Is the US Focus trash? No, but it's nothing special either.

Well said, Peter. While most Americans know small != cheap, the makes have segmented so much there is little in common. The North American Focus is an entry level small car. How much of the Euro platform makes its way into NA version will be interesting.

a 123horse 2L my taurus has more power so go and shove it

Your Taurus needs more power because it's heavier. That 2L engine makes my Focus faster than your Taurus. You wouldn't want to be against an SVT, euro RS or Cosworth. Bigger is not always better.

"Bigger is not always better"

Exactly Abel - case in point, the Lotus Elise or Exige. 1.8 liter four cylinder engines....even the supercharged one on the Exige S only puts out 220 hp and something like 160 lb/ft of torque, but it'll hit 60 in 4.8 seconds -- faster than many performance cars on the road.

as said before, when US government start charging income tax on basis of a persons (over-)weight, then small will
be beautifull in USA.
If you are are big, you need big cars. When you have big cars, you need big fuel. When you need big fuel, you go to a distant country and steal their oil.

Remember, boys and girls, if you're old enough to remember, there have been several Ford of Europe cars sold here in the past; Remember the Sierra(Merkur),which was actually faster than its Atlantic sister, the Fiesta, the various Cortinas(including Lotus-Cortinas), Anglias and such, including the curent model Focus, until the reworked Euro version made that car too expensive to sell as a low priced car in the U.S. Additionally, for every gear head who makes noises about whatever Euro car isn't sold here, you could probably count on one hand the number who'd pay, in many cases, the premium prices to gain entry. GM just recently stopped selling the Corvette-engined, Aussie enginerred Holden sold here as the latest GTO. Here we had a 400 hp slickly styled coupe with no takers. If you can still find one, better late than never, I guess!!