Fiesta Faction banner

GM to build Fiesta-fighter?

16K views 45 replies 23 participants last post by  FiestaFan 
#1 ·
#3 ·
Ehh....too late.

That interior is very reminiscent of the Fiesta though. The steering wheel and those "wings" on each side of the radio especially.
 
#4 ·
Actually the original plan was to use the Opel Corsa (which would have been sold as the Saturn Corsa) as the Fiesta competitor in the USA.

The Opel Corsa name (and b segment car) has been around for a few decades now. The current Corsa is a very nice car and is now a couple of years old or so. It's too bad GM imploded.

It IS possible that the Corsa could end up being sold through Saturn dealers if Magna International, the company that bought Opel makes an agreement with Saturn's future owner. The Opel Astra had been sold through Saturn dealers as the Focus competitor.
 
#7 ·
Unfortunately the Viva is really a Daewoo design made for GM. I wouldn't expect it to be a really entertaining drive. It'll more likely be something like the Kia Soul or Scion xD ....more about style than actual fun to drive or performance factor.
 
#10 ·
What the most interesting thing that I saw in the photos is that it appears that Chevy/GM think that a small 2 door hatch will sell and help bring them out of trouble. Ford ,I am sure, has heard people wanting the 2 door hatch on message boards such as this but they insist that we don't really want that. So too protect us from what we think we want they just are going too make that decision for us ?
 
#14 ·
We have a winnar!!!!!!!!


Yes the so called consultants that these auto mfrs hire surely know what the customer wants better than the customer himself. Isn't that right?!!!!
The best thing Ford and GM could do is actually LISTEN DIRECTLY to the potential customers ..Ford claims they are with the Fiesta.....except that even though the Fiesta crowd in the US likes the car the way it is Ford insists it needs to be "improved" for the US market. Ahhh Yeahhhhh..

Actually the consulting companies tell the mfrs (at least in the USA) what they want to hear. Which is that a larger or more expensive product is what the "people" want...Which of course leads to bigger profits.....:rolleyes::mad:
 
#11 ·
Something to consider is that the forum community (ie hardcore small car fans) do NOT represent an equal share of the pie.

In other words, although likely half or more users on FJ or here might want a 2 door hatch, that doesn't mean anywhere close to that of the public wants it.

Ford knows what a focus group is... trust me, they make decisions based on what they can make the strongest business case for.
 
#13 ·
Hadcare small car fan ? ME?

(Something to consider is that the forum community (ie hardcore small car fans) do NOT represent an equal share of the pie.)


I currnetly own and drive full time a 92 Ford Ranger Supercab and am looking to add a small,high MPG,fun to drive car and if that makes me a hardcore small car fan then I guess I am.
All I know is a Focus ZX3 looks better to me and suits me taste better than a ZX5. Does that make me that much of an oddball ?
And before you say if I like the ZX3 I should buy one,I did buy one for my son to drive and at the time I was looking to buy it for myself to drive until the Fiesta comes out next year for just the reasons I mentioned before. I guess that is part of being a parent. SACRIFICE for the better of others.
 
#12 ·
It appears GM has no clue what to call their new B-segment car as several sources are reporting the Agile, designed for South America, may be the vehicle also produced in Orion (link). Styling appears to be an improvement on the Aveo, not that that says anything very positive. I'll stick with the Fiesta.
 
#16 ·
Viva

I actually think the thing looks rather nice, and with the probable addition of a newborn in the next 2 years, I don't have any interest in anything that doesn't have 5 doors.

The exterior of the car seems not bad, but the interior is busy, with a aftermarket looking gauge pod, and a very fiesta-looking hvac stack. And I know we're talking b-segment here, but I think that shifter knob ends up looking really cheap. Still, we'll see when that is released in the US and Canada what sort of competition that it actually represents.

Damning the thing prior to it's release is a bit premature, I think.
 
#21 ·
I can give you the SVT Focus production numbers for '03 and '04 (there was no 5-door in '02):

2003:
3-door Total - 3,985
5-door Total - 2,173

2004:
3-door Total - 1,978
5-door Total - 1,079

While the raw numbers support the 3-door argument, in actuality the SVT was marketed as a performance compact where the majority of buyers want 3-doors. The fact that more than 1/3 of the total production numbers were 5-doors shows how popular the 5-door option is even in the performance market.

Placing myself in the consumer stats, I've owned three 3-door Focuses and would prefer having a 5-door hatch as a daily driver.
 
#24 ·
Actually it adds into the equation quite a bit which is why Ford is being hesitant about bringing the hatch Fiesta over. At first all we were getting was the Sedan but there has been enough of a voice and a lack of a Sedan model to present to the people so they're bringing the hatch over now in the 5-door. Rumor has it we may get a 3-Door on it but understand and keep in mind the general attitude towards most Hatches is that Ricers snatch them then uglify them, and the common person prefers a sedan. Because we don't get the luxury of a full sized hatch like the Mondeo.
 
#25 ·
If they're bringing a hatch over, the equation isn't that big anymore. Ford converted the Focus 3-door hatch to a 5-door just by moving the B pillar and adding two more doors. I don't know why they wouldn't consider it for the Fiesta if the hatch is already on its way.

As for the general attitude about hatches, that could not be further from the truth. Look at the Yaris, Prius, xA, xD, Mazda3, VWs, WRX... there are so many hatchbacks on the road these days already. Nobody is associating them with "ricers." And when you put a "common person" behind the seat of a hatchback, they quickly realize what they're missing out on. That's been happening for years already, and people are starting to understand that hatches make more sense. What else can transport a 42" TV and the entertainment center it sits in, outhandle bigger cars worth twice as much, seat 5, get 30 miles to the gallon and can haul ass down the track with a few mods?
 
#26 ·
Thats because people no longer want to own a vehicle that gets seven gallons to the mile and are slowly waking up due to gas prices going up and never coming back down. Assured and understand this, if gas were to go to $1.00 nation wide and remain there permenantly we'd see the exact same thing starting that happened a decade ago. North Americans running to SUV's and Trucks. It has been a general attitude for a very long time that North Americans don't like Hatch Backs, I find that the Toyota Yaris Sedan sells more than the Hatch, I see more Mazda 3 Sedans, I haven't actually ever seen a new Golf/Rabbit Hatch on the road here ever. I hardly ever see any Scions except for the XB which people associate as a station wagon/XUV. Its been discussed before on other forums I belong to, Americans are not fond of Hatchbacks and generaly their sales are always weak compared to the Sedan Model. If the Focus Hatch was so popular tell me this why did Ford drop it? Why did Ford originally plan to just have a Fiesta Sedan?
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top