[blueflame]

Moderator note: This thread stems from the "First Ford" thread. Feel free to talk about whether Ford is making the right move in their product mix here in this thread.

This will be my 3rd Ford car, however I'm debating whether I should wait for the 2012 3-door fiesta. The 3-door is just so much better looking, and I'm single with no children so why would I get a 5-door lol.

 

[LMTech]

This will be my 3rd Ford car, however I'm debating whether I should wait for the 2012 3-door fiesta. The 3-door is just so much better looking, and I'm single with no children so why would I get a 5-door lol.

Where did you see that Ford was going to have the 3 door in 2012 everything I have seen says there is no plans for the 3 door in the USA.

 

[FiestaFan]

This will be my 3rd Ford car, however I'm debating whether I should wait for the 2012 3-door fiesta. The 3-door is just so much better looking, and I'm single with no children so why would I get a 5-door lol.

I don't think Ford's intending on bringing the 3-door here at all. At any rate I haven't heard anything about it coming for 2012...

 

[blueflame]

If Ford doesn't bring the 3 door over for 2012, they just lost me as a customer.

 

[golf strom]

Blue...

I really don't understand WHY all the mfrs are refusing to bring over ANY 3dr version of their hatchbacks....only the Yaris is available in this catagory.

Honestly the car makers simply put too too much faith in marketing consultants and usually lose out to boot..

Lack of variation in models = lost profit potential.

 

[Jazzdog]

Lack of variation in models = lost profit potential.

To a point, then investment to make model = loss due to limited take rate.

Blue - you are going to be disappointed in 12.

 

[blueflame]

Honestly, why did Ford make a sedan instead of the 3 door? I guess I'll have to look elsewhere for my subcompact fix. It just really pains me to find a vehicle that's perfect in every way except for not having a 3 door.

 

[iamz]

Honestly, why did Ford make a sedan instead of the 3 door? I guess I'll have to look elsewhere for my subcompact fix. It just really pains me to find a vehicle that's perfect in every way except for not having a 3 door.

I'm single and almost never take passengers but I prefer 5 doors over 3. If you haul a lot of stuff around, like I do, having access to the cargo area through the back doors is invaluable.

 

[cat]

Honestly, why did Ford make a sedan instead of the 3 door? I guess I'll have to look elsewhere for my subcompact fix. It just really pains me to find a vehicle that's perfect in every way except for not having a 3 door.

Although I don't have any experience in the automotive industry, I work in market research to determine how consumers show within a given category and identify new product opportunities for clients. The truth is, when they are already offering a 5-door hatch, a 4-door sedan is sure to be much more incremental to their sales than a 3-door hatch. The consumers who would prefer a 3-door hatch are the ones that would likely settle for a 5-door hatch if the 3-door isn't available. The consumers who are seeking a sedan are not likely to settle for a 5-door if the sedan is not available. So by offering a 4-door sedan, they are reaching a new consumer base, while offering a 3-door hatch would be cannibalizing from their existing customer base.

 

[blueflame]

I'm single and almost never take passengers but I prefer 5 doors over 3. If you haul a lot of stuff around, like I do, having access to the cargo area through the back doors is invaluable.

I owned a 2004 civic si as well as a 2003 matrix xrs. I can tell you that the back doors didn't really help, but having a hatch was a huge help over having a trunk.

 

[iamz]

I owned a 2004 civic si as well as a 2003 matrix xrs. I can tell you that the back doors didn't really help, but having a hatch was a huge help over having a trunk.

I agree with you on the trunk vs hatch.

 

[blueflame]

Hatches can fit almost everything my truck fits in the bed, that is why I will always take a hatch over a sedan.

 

[Jazzdog]

Although I don't have any experience in the automotive industry, I work in market research to determine how consumers show within a given category and identify new product opportunities for clients. The truth is, when they are already offering a 5-door hatch, a 4-door sedan is sure to be much more incremental to their sales than a 3-door hatch. The consumers who would prefer a 3-door hatch are the ones that would likely settle for a 5-door hatch if the 3-door isn't available. The consumers who are seeking a sedan are not likely to settle for a 5-door if the sedan is not available. So by offering a 4-door sedan, they are reaching a new consumer base, while offering a 3-door hatch would be cannibalizing from their existing customer base.

Very astute, must have studied hard in college. U of M? Laredo Texas now by the way.

 

[cat]

Very astute, must have studied hard in college. U of M? Laredo Texas now by the way.

Thanks! I'm 100% a wolverine. So happy to hear that my car is in the US!

 

[golf strom]

Although I don't have any experience in the automotive industry, I work in market research to determine how consumers show within a given category and identify new product opportunities for clients. The truth is, when they are already offering a 5-door hatch, a 4-door sedan is sure to be much more incremental to their sales than a 3-door hatch. The consumers who would prefer a 3-door hatch are the ones that would likely settle for a 5-door hatch if the 3-door isn't available. The consumers who are seeking a sedan are not likely to settle for a 5-door if the sedan is not available. So by offering a 4-door sedan, they are reaching a new consumer base, while offering a 3-door hatch would be cannibalizing from their existing customer base.

I always see that the marketing folks are always a step behind reality of the market and it usually hurts mfrs sales in the long run to strictly adhere to their recommendations..Car makers need to start adding THEIR own judgement into the mix MORE these days.

This WAS true maybe a decade ago before the newer, younger generations of entry level car buyers arrived on the scene..Today it is clear that there are many younger folks out there who simply do not need and do not WANT the extra doors (which of course often times cost the customer MORE money.

Take that with the fact that many small HBs look much sportier in 3dr configuration and a slightly lower price and you get many more buyers in the end.

All Ford needed to do was implement the changes made on the 5dr to the three door...it is very easy. Since the cars are identical in most every way except for the extra doors.

Certainly Ford can afford the crash test vehicle.

 

[Tink75]

You do realize they did make a 3 door 05 Focus ZX3. My parents had one my mom drove it to work and back. They got rid of it and got a big truck to haul around their camper when they retired this year. So them not having a 3 door has nothing to do with crash ratings!

 

[cat]

I always see that the marketing folks are always a step behind reality of the market and it usually hurts mfrs sales in the long run to strictly adhere to their recommendations..Car makers need to start adding THEIR own judgement into the mix MORE these days.

This WAS true maybe a decade ago before the newer, younger generations of entry level car buyers arrived on the scene..Today it is clear that there are many younger folks out there who simply do not need and do not WANT the extra doors (which of course often times cost the customer MORE money.

Take that with the fact that many small HBs look much sportier in 3dr configuration and a slightly lower price and you get many more buyers in the end.

All Ford needed to do was implement the changes made on the 5dr to the three door...it is very easy. Since the cars are identical in most every way except for the extra doors.

Certainly Ford can afford the crash test vehicle.

I respectfully disagree with you on this.

When a consumer chooses a car, they are making a series of decisions (whether they are conscious of them or not) - price, size, body style, # of doors, mpg, seats, stereo, color, mfr, import/domestic, moonroof, bluetooth, etc. OVERALL, some of these attributes are more important than others. If price is the most important attribute when buying a car, offering additional price ranges will bring in incremental sales. Ford already does this. When looking at just sub-compacts, I suspect (though regression analysis would have to be done to confirm) that body style is most important. Within people who have already selected to buy a a hatch, then yes, the number of doors is probably important. But offering a sedan will bring in much more incremental sales because OVERALL it is likely higher in importance than # of doors.

Sorry to rant, but this is the exact type of analysis that I do on a daily basis at work.

 

[Jazzdog]

All Ford needed to do was implement the changes made on the 5dr to the three door...it is very easy. Since the cars are identical in most every way except for the extra doors.

You clearly have no understanding of unibody construction. A different body style is big money for the metal alone. Add in trim and it would never give a return on the investment.

 

[blueflame]

I respectfully disagree with you on this.

When a consumer chooses a car, they are making a series of decisions (whether they are conscious of them or not) - price, size, body style, # of doors, mpg, seats, stereo, color, mfr, import/domestic, moonroof, bluetooth, etc. OVERALL, some of these attributes are more important than others. If price is the most important attribute when buying a car, offering additional price ranges will bring in incremental sales. Ford already does this. When looking at just sub-compacts, I suspect (though regression analysis would have to be done to confirm) that body style is most important. Within people who have already selected to buy a a hatch, then yes, the number of doors is probably important. But offering a sedan will bring in much more incremental sales because OVERALL it is likely higher in importance than # of doors.

Sorry to rant, but this is the exact type of analysis that I do on a daily basis at work.

Let me just say that you are 100% correct on the numbers and analysis, however, taking risks is what Ford is supposed to be doing. They supposedly were bringing the Eu spec Fiesta without changing anything. In my opinion, the 3 door sells better in Eu than any other Fiesta, I have no proof of this claim other than the fact that the 3 door is a very practical and sporty model.

 

[cat]

Let me just say that you are 100% correct on the numbers and analysis, however, taking risks is what Ford is supposed to be doing. They supposedly were bringing the Eu spec Fiesta without changing anything. In my opinion, the 3 door sells better in Eu than any other Fiesta, I have no proof of this claim other than the fact that the 3 door is a very practical and sporty model.

I'm sure that there are many people, who when given the choice between 3 and 5 doors, would choose 3 doors for the reasons you stated. The only problem is that in order to be worth the money to produce and market the 3-door, it would have to bring in at least that much in incremental sales (customers who would not purchase the 5-door or sedan) and I don't believe that's the case. Ford knows that most people who would prefer to have a 3-door fiesta would still choose the 5-door fiesta over a 3-door yaris. Therefore, offering the 3-door option for those people would not result in incremental sales.

I apologize that this thread has gotten so off-topic... any chance the moderators could move it to it's own thread?