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- Ford Verve Concept
With the North American debut of Ford’s Verve Concept, Ford announces a new vision for its future: small cars and sustainability. It shouldn’t come as a surprise to people who love Ford’s European small cars like the Ford Focus, Fiesta and Ka. “Ford’s small cars are loved in Europe and Americans love our European small cars,” says Jim Farley, Ford’s Group Vice President, Marketing and Communications. “Our global scale helps us develop and test products that we can bring to—and change—the North American market.”
Both four- and three-door Verve body styles were unveiled at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, as an introduction to a family of small cars set to debut in Europe and Asia beginning later this year and in North America in 2010. The four-door is the basis for the production vehicle that will be sold in North America. The European three- door is being shown to test market reaction to the body style. If it’s well received, it could be an added to the Verve product line.
Ford is building on decades of small car leadership in Europe as it develops new small cars for North America to appeal to customers who value technology, design and fuel efficiency. “The Ford global design team remembered, not so fondly, the econo-boxes of the 1970s and created the Verve concept as a vision of just how good a small car can be,” said J Mays, Ford’s group vice president of Design and chief creative officer. “Verve aims to ‘right’ North American buyers’ earlier small-car experiences by offering a product that changes customers’ views of small cars from ‘cheap’ to chic — and from affordable to desirable.”
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Some keys to success:
1) Update your models within 4 years; don't stretch it out as long as you do (ie Ford Ranger has the same styling since 1993; the Focus went 7 years (2000 - 2007; don't even get me started with the Taurus) without serious updates.
2) Fuel economy...don't brag about 30 MPG; 30 MPG is not good enough. When you put hybrids in the Fusions, Focus', Verves, etc., then brag.
3) Bring new cars to market sooner. How can you increase market share when your competitors already have the concepts you speak of on the road now?
4) Have a line up which will appeal to younger drivers (affordable and stylish). You have too many cars outside the reach of people of limited means. Give these people a reason to join the Ford family, especially at a young age, and get them to want to stay within the family regardless of age or status.
5) Lose the conservative styling. Get the designers who created the Edge and Verve to lead and approve the design for other cars. Retire the designers of the Taurus and Lincolns.
6) Make more of your options standard equipment. People like a lot of standard equipment but do not want to be gouged.
7) Improve quality. I do think it has improved. Use quality parts from suppliers. When you see a specific part failing repeatedly from a supplier which increase customer repair bills; hold these suppliers accountable; make them pay or find a better supplier.
8) Lincoln should be the flagship and should have a look of their own instead of a rebadged Ford. Not sure what the marketing strategy is for this line up. I am sure the Fords are built on the same line as the Lincolns, but feel Ford should adjust their marketing by saying Fords are built on the Lincoln assembly line instead of saying Lincolns are built on the Ford assembly line.
I wish you would bring out the Verve now to the USA.
I am open to comments.
I do not think it is fair not to have a 65 mpg diesel powered car available to consumers and then public transpertation and Commercial tractor trailers all run on diesel .. I would go to europe and purchase if available to do so .. nice car..
thanks
I loved it. Great handling, great brakes and frugal. Returned to the US and went to my local Ford dealer to buy one. It was a totally different car.
The US version was a cruel joke compared to the Euro model. I sure hope this new car will be the Euro spec model.
Twenty six years later they might make a sale with me. WOW, twenty six years. How many other sales has Ford lost in 26 years?
Why wait 'til Toyota takes even more of your north
American market share?
we want to inport this car to viet nam.
I've repaired them.
I've sold them.
My company runs 4 cars:-
A Ka
A Mondeo Zetec S TDCi
A Honda Civic (Fiesta replacement)
and a BMW (Mondeo replacement)
Why the change?
In a nutshell, poor dealer service!
(waiting for a return phone call (3 days) because they are too busy)
Mondeo Alloy rims coroding away.
Mondeo injector fault ( off the road for 3 months)
For 1 month I was haveing to use my wifes car.
For 2 months A Fiesta basic loan car.
I might add that even small company directors do not like useing Fiestas when they have paid for a top of the range Mondeo.
I don't want or expect you to post this. I don't even expect a reply, but I would'nt want to loose even one customer .
L.M.Leese