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Focus and C-Max Production Ends


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Killing Focus allows them to bring in Ranger and Bronco - both with much higher ATPs and higher profit potential. Same factory. You can't look at these product cancellations as stand alone things - they're ending some products while putting those resources into new products.

 

E.g. there is at least one new utility between Escape and Ecosport, maybe 2 including baby bronco. And don't forget - hybrids for everybody.

 

True the plant hopefully will one day be generating more profits. But the next year or two will be tough and they will also continue to lose volume coming out of Mexico (Fusion). I hope they have a low priced option for the kids who are buying their first car... uh .... vehicle.

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13K? Geez maybe i need to look. Seeing how i like manual transmissions - Getting a Focus for under 17K seems like a steal. But I don't really want another car in the Driveway and I don't want to give up my 2007 Mustang as I've grown attached to it.

You can get base trims under 13k, and base ST's for under 20K.

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True the plant hopefully will one day be generating more profits. But the next year or two will be tough and they will also continue to lose volume coming out of Mexico (Fusion). I hope they have a low priced option for the kids who are buying their first car... uh .... vehicle.

 

Ecosport and maybe Focus Active is as low as they want to go. There is no point in trying to outcheap some of the other brands who already sell cheap vehicles like the Versa. You can't make any money and it's not worth the investment.

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But the next year or two will be tough and they will also continue to lose volume coming out of Mexico (Fusion).

 

Again - if you're losing volume on vehicles that aren't making any profit to begin with then that won't affect profits at all assuming other vehicles stay the same.

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I hope Ford uses special incentives to get current focus customers into a new suv or the new focus when it comes out. I have two friends that like the car but hate the transmission. She would trade it for sure if ford gave her enough money to help with the trade in beating she will take on the 16 she has. Maybe could get these folks into a eco sport or escape.

 

Disclaimer: they bought those cars without consulting me. I would have forewarned them before hand.

Edited by fordtech1
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Question of the hour is how long will they last before they run out of them to sell?

 

I read somewhere a while ago that Ford was planning to have 7 to 9 months of stock on hand before production ends.

 

2019 Focus should start production in China in a few months and be in the US by next summer (I think?) so it looks like Ford will run of Focus to sell for about 4 to 6 months. Maybe they can stretch that out longer by cutting rental delivery.

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I hope Ford uses special incentives to get current focus customers into a new suv or the new focus when it comes out. I have two friends that like the car but hate the transmission. She would trade it for sure if ford gave her enough money to help with the trade in beating she will take on the 16 she has. Maybe could get these folks into a eco sport or escape.

Disclaimer: they bought those cars without consulting me. I would have forewarned them before hand.

You think they will come back to ford????....notta chance in hell they come back

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You think they will come back to ford????....notta chance in hell they come back

Actually some yes. If handled right they will. A lot of folks in focus price point are price driven. If ford offers incentives to owners as a way to get you in a new car for similar money, I think they would. Some of course will not, but most definitely some will. One friend of mine really likes her focus and gets amazing fuel mileage. She just hates the shudder at take off. We had this discussion and she would definitely trade into another Ford if they helped with the beating on trade in.

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Actually some yes. If handled right they will. A lot of folks in focus price point are price driven. If ford offers incentives to owners as a way to get you in a new car for similar money, I think they would. Some of course will not, but most definitely some will. One friend of mine really likes her focus and gets amazing fuel mileage. She just hates the shudder at take off. We had this discussion and she would definitely trade into another Ford if they helped with the beating on trade in.

I fully expect steep incentives on escape to lure some back..now in 6 months here the argument will be escape is a profit loser and they should be built in china..

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Ecosport and maybe Focus Active is as low as they want to go. There is no point in trying to outcheap some of the other brands who already sell cheap vehicles like the Versa. You can't make any money and it's not worth the investment.

The Ecosport is basically a Fiesta. I mean I don't want to call them cheap, but they are small. I'm not talking about trying to get Ford to out versa a versa. The Focus was considered a higher end entry car and it road better than many more expensive cars. Unfortunately the transmission killed it for many owners. I don't see the Ecosport doing high volumes, nor do I see the Focus Activa doing Focus volumes - it has to be shipped from China after all. So will the Baby Bronco or other car between Ecosport and Escape be affordable to entry level buyers? Escape is too expensive. And if you want to say it can't be done, even at break even, that they should just focus on higher margin vehicles . . . then how does Ford attract the next generation or the new generation of Car Buyers? Let them buy Kia's or Cruz's and hope you can switch them over from KIA or GM when they have more income? I question that.

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then how does Ford attract the next generation or the new generation of Car Buyers? Let them buy Kia's or Cruz's and hope you can switch them over from KIA or GM when they have more income? I question that.

 

Last time I checked, the average cost of new car is $33,560-Not cheap at all.

 

If you really need a cheap car, you need to go used.

 

As for people sticking to the same brand-I question that metric at times-people are all too easy to drop a brand if they have a bad experience with them, or have no problem buying that same brand on a "good" deal or price if they have a speckled history-but what matter does it make if you can't make money on entry level products?

 

Ford has obliviously done some sort of calculus to figure out they really don't need to cater to entry level buyers or they are confident that a 20K EcoSport will bring in entry level buyers they want.

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You think they will come back to ford????....notta chance in hell they come back

 

 

I drive a Focus with a DCT and I'll be back. I may be in the minority, but I genuinely like the car and the transmission has yet to give me any issues. 3.5 years / 52k miles and counting.

 

It has been to the dealer once for a fuel tank replacement that the dealership messed up pretty badly (amongst some other norma maintenance stuff they could not seem to get right), but that was the dealer and I found a much better one. Normally a major repair such as that would sour me on a car, but it didn't because I really like the car that much. It has been rock solid. No creaks, rattles or issues beyond the above. It literally drives like the day I drove it off the lot.

Edited by Anthony
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You can get base trims under 13k, and base ST's for under 20K.

It seems the only Focus hatches in Metro Atlanta with Manual transmissions are ST or RS. I don't want the automatic. ST base does come up at 20K but the screen in the dash is small and looks cheap so you have to dish out another 3k for the 401 package to get SYNC, and you get better seats and headlights......Oh and I have to go outside Metro Atlanta

Edited by Fordowner
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It seems the only Focus hatches in Metro Atlanta with Manual transmissions are ST or RS. I don't want the automatic.

thats becase thats literally the only way you can get a Focus hatch with a manual since MY2017. If you dont want an ST/RS, gotta go sedan and even then its tough to find.
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This notion that you need to cater to cheap entry level buyers to build brand loyalty and keep them in higher priced Fords later seems to no longer be true. So if you’re not building loyalty and you’re not making money it doesn’t make much sense to stay in that market.

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thats becase thats literally the only way you can get a Focus hatch with a manual since MY2017. If you dont want an ST/RS, gotta go sedan and even then its tough to find.

Interesting, I did not know that. I had a 2000 Focus Hatch manual. I would think a hatch buyer would be more likely to want a stick than a sedan buyer. The ST pricing is tempting, though its price is similar to Ecoboost Mustangs, they also appear to be heavily discounted. Now I'm thinking I should trade in my 2014 Mustang. Though then I want to see what the 2020's will be.

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