Ford Fiesta Production & Crash Test Kudos

The Ford Fiesta is making it to the United States and it is being sold to customers. I can vouch for that because I saw my first 2011 Fiesta that wasn’t on a test track or sitting in a dealer showroom earlier this week.  Decked out in Lime Squeeze Metallic, that sedan zipped past me as we were both making left turns opposite each other at a busy intersection.

Production Delays

So far, Ford has managed to contain what could be an embarrassing PR problem with its Fiesta. Built in Mexico, the Ford Fiesta has slowly been making its way to the United States, but delays due to weather problems at the beginning of the summer followed by having to halt shipment this past week to fix a defective part has made Fiesta sightings almost as uncommon as finding Big Foot.

But the Fiesta isn’t your local Yeti with 4,400 models sold through the end of July. That number is likely to pick up; I’m fully expecting that by this time next year the Ford Fiesta will be one of the top ten selling cars in America.

IIHS Honors

One of the biggest tests for the Ford Fiesta (or for any model for that matter) is putting it through the crash test wringer. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety or IIHS is funded by the major insurance companies and conducts crash tests on new models. The higher the score, the lower your insurance premium. Consumers can save hundreds of dollars annually on auto insurance costs if their vehicle scores high.

This week, the IIHS announced that the Ford Fiesta sedan and hatchback garnered the Top Safety Pick laurels, the first mini car (subcompact or smaller) to do so.  The Fiesta received good ratings for front, side, rollover, and rear crash protection, and for having electronic stability control as standard equipment.

Moreover, the Fiesta represents the eighth Ford Motor Company product to win a Top Safety Pick award giving Ford one more model than Toyota, now in second place. Yes, that feat is great news for consumers and a marketing coup for Ford who most certainly will promote that advantage.

Tough Materials

So, how did Ford make such a small car so tough? Ford says that more than half of the Fiesta’s body structure uses high-strength or ultra-high-strength steels in the floor structure, front rails, beams and in the ultra-rigid, integrated body reinforcement ring designed to help better protect occupants in side impacts.

Further, Ford uses ultra-high-strength aluminized boron steel in its Fiesta A- and B-pillars, pillars that hold up the windshield section and the middle of the roof at the door posts.

Source: Ford Motor Company

Vehicle Segmentation…What Does It Mean?

2011 Chevrolet Cruze...C Segment!

The automotive industry continues to adjust to fluctuating market conditions and changing consumer demand.  Whereas in times past fickle consumers scotched the best laid plans of the automakers, namely building quality small cars, it appears that this time around consumer sentiment is embracing the trend toward more fuel efficient cars.

The Ford Fiesta has hit the market and soon the Chevrolet Cruze will be released; both cars are inexpensive and offer excellent fuel economy, but they occupy different segments of the industry and will, therefore appeal to slightly different buyers.

Have you heard of C-segment cars? If so, they’re compact models which include the Chevy Cruze. But there are other segments of cars on the market, so please read on for a primer for what each segment and their corresponding letters mean:

A Segment — The smallest models on the market, A-segment cars are city cars or called kei cars in places like Japan. The only model in this category sold in the United States is the Smart ForTwo. If you have a picture in your mind what the Smart car looks like, then you understand the segment.

B Segment – Until the Smart ForTwo showed up, B-segment models were the smallest car lines available. Most major foreign manufacturers sell cars in this segment which includes the Nissan Versa, Honda Fit, Toyota Yaris, MINI Cooper and soon the Ford Fiesta. American manufacturers cannot afford to build these models in the US or Canada, needing cheaper labor to keep costs down. The Fiesta is built in Mexico while the imported Chevy Aveo comes from Korea.

C Segment - C as in compact. That’s easy to remember. Popular models include the Dodge Caliber, Chevrolet Cruze, Ford Focus, Toyota Corolla, Kia Elantra, Honda Civic and Volkswagen Rabbit.

D Segment — What manufacturer doesn’t sell a D-segment as in midsize model? Ford Fusion, Chevrolet Malibu, Buick Regal, Mercury Milan, Chrysler Sebring, Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, Suzuki Kizashi, Hyundai Sonata, Kia Optima, Volkswagen Jetta, Mercedes C-Class, Nissan Maxima, Subara Legacy…the list goes on and includes a number of crossover models.

E Segment and F Segment — The differences between E-segment and F-segment cars is not always clear. In fact, both are for full size models. E segment generally covers standard cars such as the Buick Lucerne and Ford Crown Victoria or a smaller luxury model such as the BMW 5 Series, while F segment appears to be for large luxury cars such as the BMW 7 Series.

Additional segmentation includes S-segment for sports cars, M-segment for minivans and J-segment for large SUVs. No letter designation is given for pickup up trucks, however.

So, when you hear B- or C-segment discussed over the coming months, then you’ll understand what all of the talk is about.

Resources

EPA.gov: Highest Fuel Economy by Vehicle Class: 2010 Model Year

MSN Autos: What the Heck is the B-Segment?

Photo courtesy of GM Corp.

Ford Enjoys September European Sales Surge

The Ford Motor Company has been enjoying some success lately, with its hybrid models well received, the Taurus getting rave reviews, while several Lincoln models are performing quite well. On the home front, Ford is doing its best to separate itself from its chief competitors – General Motors and Chrysler.

Ford Improves Internationally

Internationally, Ford is beginning to see some strong improvements too with Asian and Latin American sales advancing. Importantly, sales in Europe are also on the rise, climbing by 12.3% for September 2009 as 152,600 vehicles were sold. That effort also means that Ford’s market share in Europe is up, hitting 10.1%.

Ford credits its success in Europe with the introduction of a pair of new models – its tiny Ka and subcompact Fiesta. In addition, aggressive car scrappage programs conducted in several companies helped to bolster sales, the first time since September 2001 that Ford’s share of the market was in double-digits.

“Traditionally we expect Ford to have a good month in September given the surge of new car sales in the UK due to the registration plate change, but September 2009 has surpassed expectations,” said Ingvar Sviggum, Ford of Europe’s Vice-President for Marketing, Sales and Service. This really was an outstanding performance. I’d like to thank Ford employees, our dealers and, most of all, our customers, for helping to achieve such a strong performance in September.

Three Biggest Sellers

Ford remains the market leader in the United Kingdom and was also top in sales in Ireland, Turkey, Denmark and Hungary for the month. Ford of Europe’s three top-selling vehicles (19 main markets) were the Fiesta (51,400), Focus (32,100), and Mondeo (13,300). 11,700 units of the Ford Ka were also sold last month.

“Our continuing success in gaining market share despite the difficult economic situation shows that customers are willing to place their faith in Ford because we are providing them with the exciting and innovative new vehicles that they want to buy. This is particularly true of the new Ford Fiesta, which achieved its highest September sales volume since 1994.”

Fiesta, Focus For America

The Fiesta along with the European Focus will go on sale in the United States next year. Right now, one hundred Fiestas are being tested across the country, in a bid to gain customer feedback and to promote the model. Following the Fiesta’s debut next Spring, the Focus is expected to arrive by the fall. The Fiesta and Focus are part of a “One Ford” strategy where the automaker will share models across all of its markets.

See Also — Ford C-Max North American Bound?