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Next Gen Ford Fiesta ST Is Not Coming to America

BoostBumps

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Road&Track - Sept 15, 2017

Ford Fiesta ST Is Not Coming to America

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"When Ford finally revealed the new-generation Fiesta ST back in February, we were ecstatic. Well, I was ecstatic, because I owned a Fiesta ST and loved it to death. According to this latest report, it seems the new generation Fiesta ST—and any other version of the new Fiesta, for that matter—will not be coming to America. It's a dark day for the hot hatch enthusiast world.

Carbuzz spoke to European Director of Ford Performance Leo Roeks at the Frankfurt Auto Show recently and asked him about U.S. availably of the newest-generation Fiesta ST. He was pretty blunt in his response.

“It’s simply a matter of a lack of interest in the B-segment in America," Roeks told Carbuzz. "It doesn’t make sense, nor is it possible financially speaking, to import a single trim level, and a niche one at that."

So, according to the boss of Ford Performance in Europe, we here in America will not see any trim of the new Fiesta on our shores. I'm going to cry in a corner now.

In case you haven't thrown your computer out the window already, here's some quick facts on the new ST. The car's 197-horsepower 1.6-liter turbo four has been replaced with an all-new 200-horsepower 1.5-liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine, and now features three drive modes; normal, sport, and track. It will also feature an electronic sound enhancer, as well as cylinder deactivation.

But it's not like any of that matters now. Guess we'll have to wait 25 years to have one of our own. "
 


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“It’s simply a matter of a lack of interest in the B-segment in America," Roeks told Carbuzz. "It doesn’t make sense, nor is it possible financially speaking, to import a single trim level, and a niche one at that."

Yeah, until gas hits $4 a gallon again. Then the B-segment will make a lot of sense all of the sudden.
 


BRGT350

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When everyone was crying about the 1.5L EcoBoost, I thought it was silly since the car wasn't coming anyway.

Joker is 100% right, this is exactly what happens when gas is cheap or reaches a new normal of cheap and American ditch the small cars and go straight to large SUVs and trucks. When I was in the Fiesta Movement, targeting millenials was the primary focus since they were expected to stay in the cities and have fun hip jobs that could afford them a small car with a lot of features. Well, that age group grew up, got married, had kids, moved to the suburbs, and bought giant SUVs and trucks. When gas spikes again, everyone will be mad at the US automakers for only offering large SUVS and trucks and demand small cars. It takes years to tool up a car and by the time the product arrives, the crisis is coming to an end. Growing up in the car industry and being involved in it for decades, it was clear this was going to happen. Back in the 1990's, the only reason for small cars was for CAFE requirements. Now with better engine technology and relaxed standards, automakers don't need small cars to get the CAFE standards. Nobody buys them and they make little profit, so they get axed. Another thing that didn't help the Fiesta was Mark Fields, who had very little interest in keeping the One Ford strategy that allowed the NA market to get the Fiesta, European Focus, and C-Max. He was a big truck and SUV guy and made sure that is where the attention was placed.
 


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[MENTION=1313]BRGT350[/MENTION] its a vicious 20-30 year cycle. oil will bounce back in price. Americans will cry again. then we'll get some other crappy hatchback. e.g.: chevy spark, mitsu mirage
 


M-Sport fan

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When everyone was crying about the 1.5L EcoBoost, I thought it was silly since the car wasn't coming anyway.

Joker is 100% right, this is exactly what happens when gas is cheap or reaches a new normal of cheap and American ditch the small cars and go straight to large SUVs and trucks. When I was in the Fiesta Movement, targeting millenials was the primary focus since they were expected to stay in the cities and have fun hip jobs that could afford them a small car with a lot of features. Well, that age group grew up, got married, had kids, moved to the suburbs, and bought giant SUVs and trucks. When gas spikes again, everyone will be mad at the US automakers for only offering large SUVS and trucks and demand small cars. It takes years to tool up a car and by the time the product arrives, the crisis is coming to an end. Growing up in the car industry and being involved in it for decades, it was clear this was going to happen. Back in the 1990's, the only reason for small cars was for CAFE requirements. Now with better engine technology and relaxed standards, automakers don't need small cars to get the CAFE standards. Nobody buys them and they make little profit, so they get axed. Another thing that didn't help the Fiesta was Mark Fields, who had very little interest in keeping the One Ford strategy that allowed the NA market to get the Fiesta, European Focus, and C-Max. He was a big truck and SUV guy and made sure that is where the attention was placed.
Did Fields also have a hand in US not getting the 3 door FiST like the R.O.W., or was that exclusively an independent marketing decision made due to the fact that corporate did not think a 2 door hatch would sell AT ALL, and did not want the extra added expense of crash testing (even on CAD/simulation programs) that version??

England/Europe/R.O.W. have consistently high fuel prices, with very high taxation (as well as very high large engine displacement taxes in some areas), so they are MUCH more prone to love/accept/DEMAND smaller cars with better fuel efficiency, and their enthusiasts will demand that AND performance, hence the 'hot hatch/B segment's' raging popularity in those places. ;)
 


Truth in Ruin

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“It’s simply a matter of a lack of interest in the B-segment in America," Roeks told Carbuzz. "It doesn’t make sense, nor is it possible financially speaking, to import a single trim level, and a niche one at that."

Yeah, until gas hits $4 a gallon again. Then the B-segment will make a lot of sense all of the sudden.
^^^ This!!!
 


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So what does this mean for the future valuation of our cars? Limited run collector car?
I hope so. We now have the last of the last of a very special car. I just hope the market realizes this. If you can find a kid today who actually wants a car, and is into them. They seem to want outwardly flashy and noisy over internally fun to drive. *shakes fist at millennials*
 


jmrtsus

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24K in the US would not make this a limited edition. A 2016 with the Mountune MP215 Ford installed would be the newest with the most HP so maybe a few extra bucks. I don't think Mountune will try to get the '17 and 18 if we see it certified. Many will be modded and run into the ground....worthless 10 years from now. Nice stock ones may have a small premium used but it will always be a niche market. I will pass my '16 Mountune to my kids/grandkids for their fun, years from now!
 


BRGT350

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Did Fields also have a hand in US not getting the 3 door FiST like the R.O.W., or was that exclusively an independent marketing decision made due to the fact that corporate did not think a 2 door hatch would sell AT ALL, and did not want the extra added expense of crash testing (even on CAD/simulation programs) that version??

England/Europe/R.O.W. have consistently high fuel prices, with very high taxation (as well as very high large engine displacement taxes in some areas), so they are MUCH more prone to love/accept/DEMAND smaller cars with better fuel efficiency, and their enthusiasts will demand that AND performance, hence the 'hot hatch/B segment's' raging popularity in those places. ;)
No, the 3-door vs 5-door thing was a plant capacity issue, plus the market made more sense for a 5-door. I actually prefer the 5-door since it gives me smaller doors to open and I don't need to keep moving the front seats back and forth to get access to the back. From a style standpoint, the 3-door is far better looking.
 


BRGT350

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So what does this mean for the future valuation of our cars? Limited run collector car?
I only see a pristine MP215 car holding more value in the long run. Really nice and next to perfect ST2's will have some value in about 20 years when people like us think about how much they miss the ST they used to own. I have seen SVT Focus and Contour prices come up, but only for pristine versions and typically for rare colors or trim packages. The Fiesta ST isn't going to be like the Integra Type R in which perfect examples can bring in some coin. There are going to be too many Fiesta ST's in the market to really drive up the value.

I am still shocked Ford responded how they did. A normal response is something about how they don't comment on future product plans or they are looking at the market or some other vague response. Very rarely does something this closed ended comes out.
 


CanadianGuy

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Also note Ford has stated they are holding the line and keeping the same trims for the 2018 Fiesta's except everyone gets reverse camera. So there is one more year. Depending on the acceptance of the ECOSPORT. Likely it will be accepted because it is view as a LARGE vehicle. Meh.
 


BRGT350

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An article about a month ago mentioned the new Ford CEO was in the process of reviewing all product plans for Ford NA, including the small car platform. I took that to mean nothing has been decided. I can read the statement by the head of Ford Performance in Europe to also mean that Ford wouldn't export the new ST to the US. I would completely agree that exporting the ST makes no sense, however, that doesn't close the door the next generation Fiesta being made in North America and getting their own ST. That is what we have today. The NAFTA thing is probably really throwing a wrench into product planning. If NAFTA goes out the window, then it makes no sense to keep the Fiesta for NA. If NAFTA stays as is, you could throttle back volume for the US, adjust for Canada, Mexico, Latin America, and South America accordingly. That would keep the Fiesta for the US market, but at much lower volumes to meet demand. Any type of tariff added to the Fiesta coming out of Mexico would surely kill the car and it doesn't make sense to make it in the US. Mexico has better trade relations with Latin and South America, so you can export the Fiesta into those markets with far less tariffs. That is why the plant was there to begin with. Put the plant in the middle of the market and where the trade agreements make the most sense.
 


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