Poor sales is what makes me a bit worried. I mean it's sales aren't even not even close to other Ford models aside from the C-Max. It could be that the current Fiesta design is a old one and a bit long in the tooth for some people by now, or people just don't want small cars. I really hate this whole mini crossover phase the industry seems to be in right now. What do people see in these things? There slow, boring to drive, not good off road, most have horrible cargo space for a SUV and the MPGs aren't even that good either. Ugh....I miss wagons. They could be fast, fun to drive and had more cargo space than most of these garbage CUVs. Props to Volvo for keeping them here in the US. Sorry, kinda went on a tangent there lol.
To piggyback off this and add that automakers are also very keen about what the 'the voice of the customer' is these days. Feedback the OEMs and other independent groups collect from customer clinics all channels back into product planning and eventually the showroom floor. Yes the CAFE and safety standards are the rules of the game and play a large role in what products can be sold in any particular market, but ultimately, from a business standpoint, they are just the barriers to entry, that can be achieved with relatively low cost IF the technology is mature enough and the content is planned for well in advance...
Also if you recall it was the Obama Administration that helped shape and push through the CAFE standards as we know them today. And although I will admit that the CAFE initiative predates Obama being sworn into office, there's no denying that his team took the baton and ran with it. Which brings us to today and the following question: are the CAFE standards set in stone or can they be reversed? Would the Trump administration have any interest in doing so? I
hear there are some people *ahem* big Oil who are advocating to repeal some of the legislature in favor of reducing the targets so they can sell more oil and as a way to inflict short term demise to electric vehicle technology that threaten their market share, in particular Tesla, but others as well. Its amazing how much the government / big oil influences consumer behavior and the auto industry, which sells one of the most expensive consumer products, is no exception to this. I know these are all gross generalizations about a very much loaded topic, but think they are relevant to OPs question.
But to come back to the original point.
Lets say its 2018 and you are a budget minded consumer in the market for a brand new car that you plan on using for mixed highway/city driving and have in your hand a 15k loan pre-approval. Maybe you have kids too. What would you buy? Amidst all the SUVs and full size pickup trucks that blast down the highway what would make you feel more secure - all else held pretty much equal - a new Fiesta or an EcoSport? Would the benefits of the taller ride height and improved visibility outweigh what you would give up in the handling department? I think for many IN THE US MARKET that is well worth the price. Nobody who buys a CUV buys it for its off-road capability. And if you live where there's occasional snowfall then the CUV may arguably fare better due to slightly improved ground clearance.
Cars are a mass commodity these days and are at the pinnacle of our capitalist economy. 4 bangers are built to last roughly 150k miles, anything above that is an exception. And once autonomous vehicles hit the mass market those designed specifically as people shuttles will be swapped out every couple of years.
I think automakers know very well the direction we are heading towards in the future. Ford is now in a large part a 'mobility' company structured around the premise of mass market transit. It will help us all get around and will make the company tons of money but it will also cause the car, in the traditional sense, to die out.
I'm personally going to hold onto my Fiesta ST for as long as I can because the more I think about it the more I realize it is a dying breed.
I would of course love to be proven wrong