el topo posted:

There's a simple rule of thumb for North America -- if it's interesting and made in Europe by an American company, we don't have it.

The Fiesta is apparently about to break that rule, but by and large it's practically a law.

Freep posted:

The Ford Fiesta subcompact car began arriving at dealerships across the country earlier this week after a marketing campaign that began more than a year ago.

Tara Balogh-Niedermeier, 26, who picked up her black Fiesta on Friday at Gene Butman Ford in Ypsilanti, said she ordered her car in March before she even drove the vehicle or saw one in person.

• PHOTOS: Ford Fiesta Arrives at Dealers

"I liked the idea of getting something that would support an American car company as well as a car that would do well with gas," said Balogh-Niedermeier, who describes herself as an environmentalist.

The car is rated for 40 m.p.g. on the highway and 29 m.p.g. in the city with a six-speed automatic transmission.

She also said buying a car with a hatchback was a priority. As an art student, she said she needs to be able to easily fit her art portfolio as well as large art materials for her sculptures into her car.

The Fiesta is Ford's first subcompact car to be sold in the U.S. since 1997, and it's the first time Ford has sold a car bearing the Fiesta name since 1980 in the U.S.

Ford is building the car for North America at its plant in Cuautitlan, Mexico.

To raise awareness, Ford began a marketing campaign called Fiesta Movement in the spring of 2009, opened a Web site to begin taking orders in December and started a national advertising campaign several weeks ago.

So far, Ken Butman, owner of Gene Butman Ford, said only two Fiestas have arrived at his dealership but he is expecting about 20 more over the next 30 days.

The base model of the Fiesta sedan starts at $13,320 while the hatchback starts at $15,120, excluding destination charges.

Jessica Caldwell, automotive analyst for automotive Web site Edmunds.com, said the Fiesta helps complete Ford's lineup.

"It's definitely a great small car and it helps bring more variety" to Ford dealerships, Caldwell said. "They are not just going to be a truck-SUV company, and it lets them target a broader range of customers."

Through May, Ford sales are up 30.3%, with the gains fairly evenly split between cars and light trucks.

kimbo305 posted:

^^^ one thing that bugs me a little is that the NA Fiesta is 200lbs heavier than
the Euro one, somehow. How?!

Blacknose posted:

Pretty sure A/C is standard in every non shitbox car in Europe. The rest probably explains it though.

Wankie posted:

Air conditioning unit, longer and heavier bumpers for US Crash standards, bigger standard engine 1.6l vs 1.25l and bigger standard wheels 15" vs 14".

Blacknose posted:

Pretty sure A/C is standard in every non shitbox car in Europe. The rest probably explains it though.

kimbo305 posted:

^^^ one thing that bugs me a little is that the NA Fiesta is 200lbs heavier than the Euro one, somehow. How?!

The new Grand Cherokee is good, which is good for Chrysler:
http://www.speedsportlife.com/2010/06/26/2011-grand-cherokee-a-dream-come-true/

Frank Dillinger posted:

yeah, everything in the golf class and up, basically. however, the option lists are still a mile long and you get raped for everything.

anonumos posted:

This thing looks good! I might consider buying a newer Jeep if they keep this up. I'm sticking with the XJ for another year or two though (15 years strong!).

sanchez posted:

They look nice, I'd forgotten how expensive SUV's can be though. No wonder the automakers ended up relying on them.

quote:

It foreshadows a new era of tiny, great-to-drive economy cars as well as a highly original manufacturing process called iStream that slashes the investment, factory space and energy required for manufacturing.
The T25, which it has been confirmed weighs around 575kg, has a much smaller road footprint than today’s smallest production cars, the Smart Fortwo and Toyota iQ.
It is 240cm long, 130cm wide and 140cm high - meaning it can be forward parked in spaces, and that three T25s would fit in the space traditionally occupied by one parrallel parked car. It has a turning circle of six metres

It has independent suspension front and rear and is designed to be powered by a rear-mounted 51bhp 660cc, three-cylinder engine with 42lb ft of torque, linked to a five-speed clutchless transmission.
That translates to a restricted top speed of 90mph, 0-62mph time of 16.2sec . Co2 emissions are rated at 86g/km, while economy is 74mpg.

It also has anti-lock brakes, stability control, traction control and an airbag, plus front and rear crush structures. Murray says the Formula One inspired tubular steel and composite floor chassis frame design creates a safety cell that is “immensely strong”.

Murray is aiming to have the T25 ready for production in two years’ time, and there are strong indications that the first iStream factory will be in the UK.

Eventually they could appear across the globe, close to the biggest population centres. Murray said the car’s unusual design and progressive values have powerful appeal both to leading automotive and non-automotive brands.

The car is also noteworthy for its revolutionary single door, which swings up to allow easy access even when the car is tightly parked.

The driver sits centrally with a passenger on either side and slightly to the rear.
Despite the T25’s compactness, there is still space for several large suitcases. The rear seats also fold, meaning it has an official capacity of between 160 litres and 720 litres.

quote:

but look at that door and then imagine what happens when you want to get out and it's raining. Or you want to go to work but there's a foot of snow on the roof, because it still rains and snows in cities.

rscott posted:

how the gently caress are you supposed to sit in that thing if you're over 5'6"

Dr JonboyG posted:

Leperflesh posted:

So, Tesla Motors had their IPO today, and it was Wildly Successful, raising $226 Million with shares starting at $17. The market immediately bid them up to over $22, on a day when the overall US market was down hard.

This matters because it indicates that a lot of investors still think Tesla has a good shot, despite GM and Nissan both releasing all-electric cars this year which will have vastly higher production numbers (and might actually be profitable to sell for those companies).

With $226M, Tesla should have enough cash to operate at their current rates of loss for at least a couple more years, too, which is critical since they need to get the Model S out in 2012 to meet the terms of its government loan.

Toyota is among those investing, and it seems that NUMMI is going to re-open as a Tesla/Toyota partnership factory (which will be a very nice shot in the arm to Fremont, CA, although financially it's not the smartest place to build cars).

kimbo305 posted:

The new Grand Cherokee is good, which is good for Chrysler:
http://www.speedsportlife.com/2010/06/26/2011-grand-cherokee-a-dream-come-true/

quote:

The new Pentastar V-6 develops 290 horsepower at 6,400 rpm and 260 lb-ft. of torque at 4,800...it returns 23 mpg on the freeway.

frozenphil posted:

Is Chrysler trying to go under? I mean, shouldn't your new engine be competitive with the competition?

angryhampster posted:

Do you mean like the Explorer with its 210HP v6, or the 4runner with its standard 170HP I4?

frozenphil posted:

The Explorer's engine is being replaced with the new 305hp v6 that gets 31mpg highway. I'm not sure what Toyota is doing, but do people cross shop the 4runner and the Grand Cherokee?

A5H posted:

I think it's stupid. Completely unoriginal and pointless.
My graduating class this year was full of this sort of crap.

frozenphil posted:

The Explorer's engine is being replaced with the new 305hp v6 that gets 31mpg highway. I'm not sure what Toyota is doing, but do people cross shop the 4runner and the Grand Cherokee?

sanchez posted:

The new explorer is going to get 31mpg highway with a gas engine? Have they turned it into a crossover? I think you've posted the mustang figure. Do people really care about 10-15hp and ft/lb between engines, assuming it's not detuned to 280hp or so for the explorer.

They've always had nicer interiors than anything from Ford or especially GM as well.

frozenphil posted:

What I'm saying is that it seems weird to me that you would build a brand new engine and not make it better than existing engines in your category.

sanchez posted:

It is better than the existing engines though? Compare it to the current Ford 4.0 or the Chrysler 3.7

frozenphil posted:

Yeah, it's better than those, but Ford and Chevy have both released new engines.

kill me now posted:

So you're upset that the new base engine in the 2011 GC is on par with other new v6 engines from Ford and Chevy?

frozenphil posted:

...

More like Chrysler's new engine is the worst of the Big 3's new engines. Which goes back to my comment about Chrysler not really trying to stay afloat.

Leftlane news posted:

The 2.0-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder offering will offer around 230 horsepower and 240 lb-ft of torque, while maintaining excellent fuel economy compared to the outgoing model’s slightly less powerful 4.0-liter V6. The premium engine, the 3.5-liter V6, will share new Ti-VCT technology for increased output and efficiency, with horsepower rated at 285.