Is there a Ford in your future?

This week, much of the attention of the automotive press is centered on Traverse City, Michigan and the Center for Automotive Research Management Briefing Seminars that are being held at that city’s Grand Traverse Resort.

This is not the Cherry Festival

Aside from sampling the area’s famous cherry pie, attendees at the conference, including Ford executive vice president and president, The Americas Mark Fields, are laying out their plans for realigning the auto industry in the face of high gasoline prices and consumer demand for more fuel-efficient vehicles.

Smaller Cars, better performance and content

Ford Ka 

Anyone who has spent time in Europe can tell you that the Ford vehicle lineup over there – especially when it comes to cars – is broader, more sophisticated and more stylish than the current model range available here in the U.S. The smallest passenger car Americans can buy is the Focus. Across the pond, this is known as a C-Segment vehicle and, yes, Ford also sells smaller B-Segment (Fiesta) and A-Segment (Ka) over there as well.

Ford Fiesta

And even though we get the Focus, our model is still based on the first-generation platform that hasn’t been in production overseas since 2004. Not only that, but the European version is available in 3 and 5-door hatchback form, a 4-door sedan, a station wagon and even a cabriolet (convertible). Lately, when it comes to small Fords, the Americas is looked upon as the unwanted stepchild.

European Ford Focus RS

That was then, this is now

This year has certainly been an in-your-face lesson in changing market conditions for the inhabitants of the glass house in Dearborn. Even with its outdated underpinnings and so-so styling, the North American Focus has experienced a 26% increase in sales, largely due to its fuel economy and the almost prescient moment in 2006 when Ford decided to team up with Microsoft to offer an in-vehicle technology called SYNC.

2009 North American Focus Coupe 

So what’s next? According to Mark Fields, “We at Ford see this year’s consumer shift to smaller vehicles as an opportunity and one that Ford is uniquely positioned to answer using the strength of our European small car lineup and our fast-moving global product plan. We plan to answer the call with dynamic, fun-to-drive small cars – and we intend to make them profitably.”

Ford announced last month that it plans to bring six small vehicles from the company’s acclaimed European lineup to North America by 2012 as part of a strategy to leverage its leadership in B- and C-car sized vehicles in Europe in North America and around the world.  As part of this product plan, Ford will introduce the new Fiesta small car in North America in early 2010 and the new Ford Focus small car later in 2010.

Not only will the Focus be new, but as part of the “One Ford” global product plan, the company promises “to increase parts commonality between the European and North American Focus from approximately 20 percent today to 90 percent in the coming years.”

For Ford, the future looks bright, indeed.

Tags: center for automotive research, Ford, ford fiesta, ford focus, ford ka