New European Focus ST debut


vs



http://www.autoblog.com/2007/11/08/n...s-st-unveiled/

Why not bring that here?!

 

Saw my 1st Focus one night a couple of weeks ago over at Tempe AZ. Until I saw the fake side extractor, I thought it was a new Honda.

The new Focus looks alot better than the old one, which is well and good. But Ford really screwed up IMO by not utilizing the design from the European version.

Ford is still suffering from decisions made back in 2004-2005. Alan Mullany is as hot to bring cars Ford makes overseas here as Bob Lutz was hot to make better interiors and exteriors. Took Bob over 5 years to make an impact. Mullany doesn't have that long before Ford starts looking like a goner, so I'll still give him a few more years to make an impact there.

 

The european one is a REALLY cool looking car.

The NA vs looks like a boxed turd.

 

This is beyond me. I can't understand how Ford and GM could be making these really awesome cars for other markets, yet seemingly ignore their biggest market and not bring them (or cars of that level) here.

The GTO is a great example of what GM was capable of elsewhere, but not in NA. There really wasn't anything like it elsewhere in GM's lineup in 2003 ~ 2004 that was able to compete with it in interior, power train, etc for the price. Sadly, the car was 5 years old when it made it to NA. Which scares me to think that just a few years ago the export market was 5 + years ahead of the NA market for GM.

 

Nice looking Ford

 

That pretty much sums it up.

 

Some more fuel for the fire the Euro wagon pics have been released.