TMCnet News

U.S. to try Ford cars of Europe: Fuel-efficiency to be tested
[March 28, 2009]

U.S. to try Ford cars of Europe: Fuel-efficiency to be tested


(Ventura County Star (CA) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Mar. 28--The Ford Motor Co. is listening to the Millennial Generation, said a company official who was in Oxnard on Friday to unveil the European Fiesta.

As part of an online marketing blitz, the American automaker is loaning the Fiestas to 100 "young trendsetters chosen from more than 3,300 applicants," who will drive them for six months. In return, the targeted segment of Millennials -- people born between 1979 and 1985 -- must share their driving experiences each month on Facebook, Flickr and YouTube.



The economy car, expected to be priced in the $12,000 to $15,000 range, will hit the American market in mid-2010.

The Fiesta plan comes in the wake of the tongue-lashing American automakers got last fall when they sought a $25 billion aid package in Washington, D.C. Frustrated by the companies' failure to provide Americans with more fuel-efficient vehicles, legislators gave Detroit's Big Three auto executives an earful.


"That's why we're listening," said Ford's small-car marketing manager, Sam De La Garza.

He stressed that by having young people capture their experiences digitally, Ford will be positioned to take the information in, document it and carry out new ideas.

Ford is going after young adults because they make up 28 percent of the driving population, and the company has been consistently losing that share of the market during the past four years, De La Garza said.

"This is an effort to bring them back," he said.

While the vehicles are being test driven by the young "agents," Ford will be tracking them and providing the Environmental Protection Agency with vehicle emissions information to show the car is in compliance with the Clean Air Act.

To bring the European vehicles to the U.S., special permission was granted by the EPA, and the vehicles were modified for American drivers.

The Fiestas used in the marketing campaign are from Cologne, Germany.

Twenty-six arrived at the Port of Hueneme on Wednesday and an additional 74 went through a port in Baltimore.

They'll be distributed after the 100 winners are announced during the New York International Auto Show in April.

"This is a very historic time for the Ford Motor Co., and it's authentic for us to start the movement straight from the port," De La Garza told about two dozen reporters from newspapers, online sites and trade publications who were at the Port of Hueneme to see the vehicles Friday.

Several reporters who test drove the car described it as "sporty" and were impressed with the design because it broke from the traditional Ford mold.

The European Fiesta was offered in the United States from 1978 to 1980, before being replaced by the Escort, according to Automotive News. After that, the car remained in production in Europe.

In August 2008, Ford launched a redesigned seventh generation vehicle in Europe.

Since that launch, 118,000 of those vehicles have been sold across Europe, De La Garza said.

The North American version will be assembled in Mexico and will be similar to the models that the Millennials will be test driving.

Those cars are hatchbacks featuring a push-button start, keyless entry, USB jacks, and are Bluetooth-enabled. De La Garza said the car's lights were deliberately designed to resemble eyes with brows because people are personifying their cars.

De La Garza said Ford will not be editing the work submitted by the 100 Millennials.

To see more of the Ventura County Star, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.venturacountystar.com.

Copyright (c) 2009, Ventura County Star, Calif.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]