A123 – And the Fiesta opens a new car segment to Ford?
DM – We have every expectations that it will be an extremely strong entry and that it will come out of the shoot fast!
We are going to have an entry level price of the $12,999 and we will have more standard equipment at that price point than anyone else in the industry.
A123 – Will its buyers be new to Ford?
DM – Right now approximately 60% of the retail buyers at Ford are new to the brand: 6 out of 10! It’s the highest it has ever been.
I think that in that vehicle line (the Fiesta’s), for Ford it will be much higher because those are customers that we haven’t really been able to appeal to before.
Because of the unique size and accommodations this B-Car offers, now we will be able to offer that. And when they see the appointments and the value in our vehicle, a lot of them will migrate to the Ford brand.
Now some might be able to save a few thousand dollars and buy a « beer can » from a competitor. But when they want a well-equipped, safety-leading vehicle with best-in-class fuel economy, they will probably be willing to pay a few thousand dollars more and buy a Ford that will last them a lot longer, have a better resale value and better overall experience!
A123 – As for the European Ford C-Max, is there a place for it in North America now?
DM – We already announced that the 7-passenger Grand C-Max is coming to North America.
A123 – Not the 5-passenger C-Max?
DM – That’s more of the evolution of the C-Car platform that we are starting to develop. Short term, we will have two great offerings with the (new) 4 and 5-doors Focus with 5-seat capacity. Those vehicles will meet the needs of the consumers in the short term.
A123 – As for hybrids, is there a smaller one, below the Fusion, in Ford’s future?
DM – We are planning to bring to market a battery electric vehicle in 2011. That’s gonna be off the Focus platform and partnered with Magna. It’s straight battery electric vehicle. We are also going to bring to market in 2012 the next generation hybrids – with new additions to the hybrid family. Yes we are looking at additions!
We are looking at infrastructure as well to insure that when we do bring them to market, there will be demand by consumers and there will be infrastructure to support those types of vehicles.
DM – We have every expectations that it will be an extremely strong entry and that it will come out of the shoot fast!
We are going to have an entry level price of the $12,999 and we will have more standard equipment at that price point than anyone else in the industry.
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| « The Fiesta will be an extremely strong entry and it will come out of the shoot fast! » - David Mondragon |
A123 – Will its buyers be new to Ford?
DM – Right now approximately 60% of the retail buyers at Ford are new to the brand: 6 out of 10! It’s the highest it has ever been.
I think that in that vehicle line (the Fiesta’s), for Ford it will be much higher because those are customers that we haven’t really been able to appeal to before.
Because of the unique size and accommodations this B-Car offers, now we will be able to offer that. And when they see the appointments and the value in our vehicle, a lot of them will migrate to the Ford brand.
Now some might be able to save a few thousand dollars and buy a « beer can » from a competitor. But when they want a well-equipped, safety-leading vehicle with best-in-class fuel economy, they will probably be willing to pay a few thousand dollars more and buy a Ford that will last them a lot longer, have a better resale value and better overall experience!
A123 – As for the European Ford C-Max, is there a place for it in North America now?
DM – We already announced that the 7-passenger Grand C-Max is coming to North America.
A123 – Not the 5-passenger C-Max?
DM – That’s more of the evolution of the C-Car platform that we are starting to develop. Short term, we will have two great offerings with the (new) 4 and 5-doors Focus with 5-seat capacity. Those vehicles will meet the needs of the consumers in the short term.
A123 – As for hybrids, is there a smaller one, below the Fusion, in Ford’s future?
DM – We are planning to bring to market a battery electric vehicle in 2011. That’s gonna be off the Focus platform and partnered with Magna. It’s straight battery electric vehicle. We are also going to bring to market in 2012 the next generation hybrids – with new additions to the hybrid family. Yes we are looking at additions!
We are looking at infrastructure as well to insure that when we do bring them to market, there will be demand by consumers and there will be infrastructure to support those types of vehicles.
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| The 7-passagers Ford C-Max is coming to North America. |