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2019 Focus

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North Branford
#21
I would still love my ST if it came without any infotainment system. I doubt any company has mastered infotainment systems. Just about every journalist I know complains about all the infotainment systems. Using a lot of rental cars over the years for vacations and company travel, I can say that all the infotainment systems I have used are bad. I find Sync3 to be one of the best. I have logged plenty of time playing with it in a number of cars and it is pretty decent. I would never buy or not buy a car based on the infotainment system. It ranks pretty much dead last on importance. My Mustang doesn't even have a radio.
The main issue I have with infotainment systems is the touch screen UI. Any controls within a car should have some sort of tactile property, so that you know what you're pressing without having to look away from the road. I do a lot of driving along the I95 corridor in NY/CT for work and I constantly see people all over the road, messing with whatever dumb screen they have in their vehicle.
 


M-Sport fan

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#23
Ford, just like everyone these days, is a global company. Parts come from all over the world and the products are sold in multiple markets. Am I thrilled about a China Focus? No, but I would rather drive an imported Focus from China than a SUV made in the US. The average consumer, actually closer to 99% of the consumers will never know the Focus was imported from China and most won't care. The EcoSport is from India and the original Transit was imported from Turkey. Nobody cares.

A quick history lesson, Ford has been in Europe since the early 1900's. It mostly operated separately from the US version. During WWII, bombers made by Ford at Willow Run were bombing Ford factories in Germany and France that were making equipment for the Nazi's. To protect Ford on both sides of the pond, there could be no communication or involvement between them during the war. After the war, the companies went back to making products for their markets. The legendary GT40 was built by Ford of Europe and didn't become competitive until Shelby, Moody, and the "whiz kids" figured out the engine and aerodynamics. Ford of Europe collaborated with DeTomaso with the Pantera that was sold in the US by Lincoln. The Fiesta may have been the first attempt to bring a product from Europe to the US in the late 1970's. The next world car was the Escort and was very similar between the markets for the first few years. The European model became a monster and the US one became something barely suitable for a rental car. Ford shared cars under the Merkur name in the 1980's with limited success. Ford tried the world car again in 1995 with the Contour and Mondeo. It was too small of a sedan for the US market and died. Sad since it was probably the best sedan that wasn't German. Horribly complex and expensive to repair, but a winner in terms of a proper driver's sedan. Next up with the Focus in 2000 and Cougar. Ford once again turned the US Focus into a rental car and the European version became a hot hatch. Under Mulally, Ford once again tried to combine products under the "One Ford" program. The US got the Transit, C-Max, Fiesta, Escape, and Focus. The Mondeo and Fusion were eventually merged as well. Europe got the Mustang, Edge, and shared the Escape/Kuga, Focus, Fiesta, Mondeo/Fusion, and probably some other stuff. Over the course of all of this, Ford has had JV's and owned all sorts of car companies. Jaguar, Land Rover, Aston Martin, Mazda, Volvo, Daewoo (nobody remembers that the Korean's built the Aspire and I think the Festiva), and countless other companies around the world. This created a vast manufacturing and supply network that can supply both regional and global markets. Ford's standardized assembly line and quality systems mean a car built in China should have the same quality as one built in Mexico, Germany, or the US. The processes are such that it doesn't matter who puts it together. With this being a global marketplace, a worker in China making a Ford that I buy can probably buy a Buick that somebody in the US made. Assuming of course that tariffs and other trade games aren't messing up the system that should work great for everyone. Would I buy a Chinese Focus ST? Yeah, I don't have a problem with it. I would prefer mine to be made in Mexico, but that is because all the cars I have owned in the last 18 years have all come from Mexico and have all been flawless.
THANK YOU for this informed insight! [twothumb]

You hinted at it above, but, the problem is that China will NOT ALLOW too many of OUR country's nameplate vehicles, which were built HERE, into their country for sale (at least not without MAJOR tariffs), but WE must take their products due to our 'free trade' policies with little to no tariffs (OUR current regime's BS notwithstanding).

Most people blame GM for opening plants in CHINA, and accuse them of doing it EXCLUSIVELY FOR increased profit margins due to 1/20th the labor/'legacy' costs, and shareholder satiation, but what most do not understand is that the Chinese regime in power WILL NOT ALLOW GM to sell those Buicks there, (which their own people so desire), unless they are also built THERE, by those very same people buying them.

The cat's already out of the bag, and the evil is already out of Pandora's Box (closing the lid now is USELESS!) as far as globalism goes, WAY WAY too late to do anything about it now that will not hurt OUR U.S. economy even more, as THAT should have been thought of, and ACTED upon back in 'Saint Ronnie's time (when he bent this country over for his 'pals' in Japan to 'have their way' with our economy with his TOTALLY ONE WAY, FOR THEIR ADVANTAGE, open trade BS [mad]).

BTW; I agree with you on the Mondeo/Contour being exceptional cars, and I almost bought one used, but ended up in an even much more 'complicated/COMPLEX' (LOL), used '90 T-Bird SC instead.
It would have been cool IF Ford had the kindness in their hearts to send U.S. the RS500 Cossie Sierra ('bi-plane winged' coupe, but even the sedan would have been OK), instead of the 8 valve XR4Ti, but then the same could be said for the Escort Cossie RS/WRC, and any other RSes since then as well. [:(]
 


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M-Sport fan

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#24
It's got more to do with logistics than anything. Toyota sells a ton of Tacoma's in the US but not at many in Europe/Asia so it makes sense to invest in a plant and save on shipping from a Japan plant. Since these are new facilities and states will offer steep tax incentives to lure them this makes the news.
The Nippon Giant also gets to say to those buying these products, look, we make it right here in Tejas (or wherever they screw those together), you're buying a 200% 'MURRICAN truck, so if the peckerwood buying it even had a slight twinge of guilt left about the purchase, it is GONE after that.

A most definite WIN WIN WIN WIN for the Nippon Juggernaut, so PLEASE everyone, stop the "look they did this out of the beneficence of their kind hearts" BS sentiment. [nono]
 


M-Sport fan

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#25
I would still love my ST if it came without any infotainment system. I doubt any company has mastered infotainment systems. Just about every journalist I know complains about all the infotainment systems. Using a lot of rental cars over the years for vacations and company travel, I can say that all the infotainment systems I have used are bad. I find Sync3 to be one of the best. I have logged plenty of time playing with it in a number of cars and it is pretty decent. I would never buy or not buy a car based on the infotainment system. It ranks pretty much dead last on importance. My Mustang doesn't even have a radio.

^^^THIS, THANK YOU!!! [twothumb] [driving]
 


Messages
181
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69
Location
North Branford
#26
BTW; I agree with you on the Mondeo/Contour being exceptional cars, and I almost bought one used, but ended up in an even much more 'complicated/COMPLEX' (LOL), used '90 T-Bird SC instead.
It would have been cool IF Ford had the kindness in their hearts to send U.S. the RS500 Cossie Sierra ('bi-plane winged' coupe, but even the sedan would have been OK), instead of the 8 valve XR4Ti, but then the same could be said for the Escort Cossie RS/WRC, and any other RSes since then as well. [:(]
Oh man the t-bird SC. I haven't seen one of those in years. Back in the day one of my buddies had a supercharged XR7 cougar with a manual trans. Cool car, as long as you didn't need to work on anything under the hood.


The Nippon Giant also gets to say to those buying these products, look, we make it right here in Tejas (or wherever they screw those together), you're buying a 200% 'MURRICAN truck, so if the peckerwood buying it even had a slight twinge of guilt left about the purchase, it is GONE after that.

A most definite WIN WIN WIN WIN for the Nippon Juggernaut, so PLEASE everyone, stop the "look they did this out of the beneficence of their kind hearts" BS sentiment. [nono]
My other hobby vehicle is an older Toyota Pickup (Yes, Pickup, not Tacoma). Toyota basically screws all of us and by and large only sells the trucks we get here in the North American market. Maaan, The things I would do to get a new Hilux or 70 Series Landcruiser....[sad]
 


M-Sport fan

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#27
Oh man the t-bird SC. I haven't seen one of those in years. Back in the day one of my buddies had a supercharged XR7 cougar with a manual trans. Cool car, as long as you didn't need to work on anything under the hood.
Yup, mine had the Mazda truck 5 speed manual in it as well. [driving]

Besides the underhood clutter, it had THE MOST IMPOSSIBLY complicated (and prohibitively $$$$$$ to fix!) ABS/braking system, AND remote, electrically adjustable factory damper system, EVER DEVISED!! [:(]
 


BRGT350

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Grand Haven
#28
The first car I drove after driver's training was a Thunderbird Super Coupe. I scared the crap out of myself pulling out of the parking lot after being used to a Chevy Corsica driver's ed car. I mashed the skinny pedal and wasn't prepared for it.
 


M-Sport fan

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#29
The first car I drove after driver's training was a Thunderbird Super Coupe. I scared the crap out of myself pulling out of the parking lot after being used to a Chevy Corsica driver's ed car. I mashed the skinny pedal and wasn't prepared for it.
Contrary to what their massive heft would imply, they also were pretty decent handling rides as well, especially for how smooth they were over bad roads (probably due to the independent rear suspension for the most part).

Some took that to the next level by dumping the cockpit adjustable factory damper setup, and replacing it with Koni Sport dampers, and bigger sway bars, as well as plus size wheel/tire packages.

Mine handled GREAT with just a set of 16x8 Compomotive wheels, and 225/60-16 (old style) Firehawks on them. [driving]
 


Messages
287
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Location
Cotati
#30
Watched a video recently comparing high grade bolts made in us vs china. Im sorry guys.. china has really stepped up their game.

Its an AvE vid if you wanna see for yourself
Word has it that executives known to manufacture defective product are executed. That may be a reason.
 




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