Why Doesn't Ford Sell the Figo in the US?

"FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com" (alphaass) 05/28/2016 at 12:40 • Filed to: FORD, MEXICO, FIGO, ASPIRE

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Saw one parked at a restaurant yesterday and it got me thinking - this thing should eat the Mirage and Spark’s lunch. The 1.5L has more power than either of the competitors and is rated at up to 43 MPG with the MT. That’s the same as the Mirage, but with 35% more power. It was just redesigned in 2015, so is more up-to-date than the Mirage and about on-par with the Spark. The interior is like a mini-Fiesta and appears to be higher-quality than the Mirage, though not quite up to the level of the new Spark. The real kicker - with AC (which would probably be the base model in the USA), this thing starts at the equivalent of $9,100. The automatic is $10,000. A loaded Titanitum sedan is under $12,000. That’s where the Mirage starts in the US. Yes, I get that you can’t just translate peso and get what the MSRP would be in the US, but it seems they could match the Mirage pricing with a superior vehicle. What gives? I’ll take mine in Sunrise Yellow.

Styling reminds me of the Aston Martin Cygnet, which I never actually minded. The base model definitely looks basic, but so does a base Mirage.

Interior isn’t anything special, but looks like a nice enough place to be for a $10,000 car - it really isn’t much different than a base model Fiesta.

Did I mention yellow?

Higher trims get some nice piano black plastic inside and a basic Sync system...

And the Titatnium (Indian market RHD shown here) gets leather and contrasting color. Nothing too fancy, but pretty good for something that would go out the door under $15k. Yes it is small, but with the Mirage (and to a lesser extent Spark) selling well, I think they should give it a go. I’d much rather have one of these for my lowest-price-available Avis rental than a Mirage.

FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem > FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com 05/28/2016 at 12:41

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Because people would still bitch and moan about it being ‘not enough car’.

BvdV - The Dutch Engineer > FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com 05/28/2016 at 12:45

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Probably safety and quality issues, since it was designed with South America and India in mind.

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > BvdV - The Dutch Engineer 05/28/2016 at 12:47

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Probably. Not that the current Mirage is exactly a safety all-star though...

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem 05/28/2016 at 12:49

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Fair enough, but seem I remember the same reaction to the Fiesta back in 2008 when the Focus was their smallest model and it has seemed to do OK.

Xyl0c41n3 > FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com 05/28/2016 at 12:51

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I think you’ve answered your own question by mentioning it so many times: because of the Fiesta.

The Fiesta is the direct competitor for the Spark and the Mirage around here.

That yellow is very nice, though. :)

FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem > FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com 05/28/2016 at 12:53

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It could do well in Europe but I don’t think thar the US is ready for it. Imo it’s got that “development country” touch to it, as dumb as that may sound.

BvdV - The Dutch Engineer > FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com 05/28/2016 at 12:58

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Ouch, that looks bad, though I must say the small overlap test is hard on a lot of cars, since they were not designed with this in mind. I expect the cars in say 5 years to do way better in this test, since the focus is now being drawn to this kind of crash more than ever.

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > BvdV - The Dutch Engineer 05/28/2016 at 12:59

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Yep. And as long as this type of test represents a type crash that is common, designing for it is a win for all of us.

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem 05/28/2016 at 13:01

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I wish I had more stars. Mitsubishi can get away with it because they need to try anything to stay alive in the US. For Ford the image is more important long term even if it did sell Ok.

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > Xyl0c41n3 05/28/2016 at 13:02

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Good point. Dear Ford, give me a yellow FiST in the US and I won’t being this up again!

duurtlang > FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com 05/28/2016 at 13:04

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Make no mistake, compared to a third world market car it’s like a bank vault.

0pihl > FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com 05/28/2016 at 13:07

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The best thing Ford Styling has ever done is adopt the Aston Martin face for their cars.

Brilliant.

Svend > FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com 05/28/2016 at 13:17

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The Figo and Ikon are old Ford Fiestas with a facelift.

The early Ikon was a saloon Ford Fiesta Mk5.

The follow on was the Figo/Ikon which was a restyled and bodied Fiesta Mk6.

Fiesta Mk6

Ford Figo 2005

The current Ford Figo is also called the Ka in some markets where a different Ford Ka exists in Britain and Europe.

Ford Ka (Brazil)

Ford Ka Britain

The Ford story is very convoluted with facelifts in some markets so as not to change too much tooling in factories where safety requirements haven’t changed much compared to markets like Europe where the goal posts are always moving and newer, safer, low emissioned vehicles are needed to comply with new regulations.

FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem > FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com 05/28/2016 at 13:38

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Maybe you’re lucky and you will get the next generation that will hopefully be more refined. Think of a Spark competitor from Ford.

Probenja > FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com 05/28/2016 at 13:55

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This is a low cost option to the Fiesta, The Spark is a class below that is why it can live with the Sonic. Low cost works in countries like Mexico, Brazil and India because people have lower income and cars are more expensive. It doesn’t really make sense when people can already buy the much better Fiesta.

Probenja > Probenja 05/28/2016 at 14:06

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This is also why you get the Yaris and not the Etios.

The Sonic and not the Onix.

The Accent and not the HB20

And I can go on and on for low cost variants of sub compact cars.

Cé hé sin > FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem 05/28/2016 at 14:47

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I suspect it wouldn’t meet our safety regs. Remember the “no star” Renault Kwid? This is a cheap developing market car. Anyway Ford already have the Ka and that doesn’t exactly leap from the showrooms.

FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem > Cé hé sin 05/28/2016 at 14:58

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The current Ka was marketed as an upscale supermini like its platform mate, the Fiat 500, and failed. There have been rumors about the Figo coming to Europe as the new Ka. But you’re right, the Figo probably was developed without Europe in mind. Making it meet NCAP standards would be costly.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > Xyl0c41n3 05/28/2016 at 15:29

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The Fiesta competes with the Sonic, not the Spark...