[foolishfocus]

The Auto Show is in town and I was hoping to see a Fiesta in person. If it looks as good as I am expecting then I will be placing my order ASAP. I haven't decided between the sedan and hatchback, I'm usually a sedan fan, but the hatchback is growing on me. The St. Louis newspaper confirmed that lots of interested people have made their way past a Lime Squeeze colored Fiesta that is at the show. How many other folks have had a chance to see this in person? Anybody in the area that will be there this weekend?

 

[chrono111]

Let me know how it is. I am going Sunday. Do they have the sedan. I mostly interested in that. Could u sit in the hatch?

 

[foolishfocus]

I will have to let you know, I am going tomorrow morning.

 

[chrono111]

Awesome, thanks! I just joined the board. I've been so excited with Fords products that are coming out. I'll be in the market for a new car mid to late summer and leaning heavily toward the Fiesta sedan or remote chance a Focus ..

 

[foolishfocus]

So I just got back from the auto show. There were a fair amount of vehicles on hand but no Mercedes, BMW, Audi, or Infinitis to be seen. I finally got a chance to see the new Lexus hybrid which intrigued me since my girlfriend has a Prius. They had a lime squeeze hatchback on hand but no sedan or 2012 Focus. The Fiesta was up on a platform so you couldn't sit in it or really get a good view of the interior either, kind of dissapointing but the car was still neat. The size didn't scare me away so I guess I will be placing my order in April.

 

[chrono111]

Well that's OK. I'm still headed there tomorrow to see the Fiesta HB. Did you happen to see the 2011 Sonata? Curious to see if it's going to be there.

 

[foolishfocus]

I did check out the Hyundai section, I sat in the Genesis coupe. I did see the Sonota but didn't catch if it was 2010/2011, but it looked different then any I remember seeing before. They also had a new car coming out called the Equus that was gorgeous looking. Here are a couple pics from the event. They had the Mazda 2 on a platform as well so no real view of the interior. Have fun and make sure to take cash, no paying for tickets with a debit/credit card....oops!

The Equus

My personal favorite

Fiesta

Mazda 2

 

[chrono111]

Nice pics. Didn't know they had the Mazda2 there. I'll have to check it out too. Thanks for the tip on cash. I almost forgot. Who uses cash anymore???

 

[PowerShift]

@foolishfocus Love your pics, the colors actually look like they're supposed to. I'm still figuring out my camera.

@chrono111 Good to see another sedan fan here.

 

[iamz]

What was Mazda thinking when they designed the 2. It will be interesting to see sales figures between the 2 and the Fiesta.

 

[Mattdoommaster]

What was Mazda thinking when they designed the 2. It will be interesting to see sales figures between the 2 and the Fiesta.

I thought the same thing while I was at the Portland auto show. The Mazda 2 doesn't look bad, but it doesn't do anything to stand out from the sea of Versas, Accents, and Aveos. Seeing it in person it plainly looks like a cheaper, less exciting car than the Fiesta.

That seemed to be reflected in the crowds. The Fiesta always had people around it. The Mazda 2 was very, very lonely.

 

[FiestaFan]

What was Mazda thinking when they designed the 2. It will be interesting to see sales figures between the 2 and the Fiesta.

What were you thinking when you said that? The 2 is a perfectly good little car, it just got one-upped by Ford. In fact I remember a lot of European reviews saying the 2 was the best car in its class before the Fiesta came around. Plus the 2 at that show looks more like a low- or mid-level model, while the Fiesta is a top-line SES.

Don't get me wrong, I still prefer the Fiesta, but the 2 deserves a little love here.

 

[mrbirdman330]

The Mazda 2 is really going to help them get a jump on the B Seg sales in NA when people want a B Seg car but don't want to go premium like in the Fiesta. Not to mention just puts another nail in the Coffin for VW's big plans to sell nearly a million units a year by 2018. While everybody else is jumping on the bandwagon VW is still twittling its thumbs about actually deciding to compete in the B seg market.

 

[Marc]

What was Mazda thinking when they designed the 2. It will be interesting to see sales figures between the 2 and the Fiesta.

I have no idea where the sales figures for other countries are, but here are the Dutch sales figures for the Fiesta and the Mazda 121 / Mazda 2:

Year  Fiesta  121
1989   7663  1115
1990   7550   655
1991   8038  3614
1992   6994  2117
1993   6203  1565
1994   7076  1335
1995   6222   681

Year  Fiesta  121
1996  13565  3012
1997   5583  2063
1998   6111  1278
1999   5484   578
2000   5589   357
2001   7262    41
2002  10547     5

Year  Fiesta    2
2003   7822  1814
2004   6304  2569
2005   6880  1709
2006   6126  1273
2007   5005  1190
2008   4535  2140

Year  Fiesta    2
2009  10995  1083

 

[iamz]

FiestaFan,

This is just my opinion, and opinions aren't facts, but I think the 2 looks "cute" and has awkward proportions and lines. And by "cute" I mean that it will mostly appeal to women and most men won't go near it. That's what I'm thinking.

Interesting numbers Marc. Thanks for posting them.

 

[PowerShift]

I don't know know what Mazda was thinking when they designed the 2 but Ford must have liked it because they used it as the basis for the Fiesta. I know that Mazda2 and Fiesta share some chassis components. Ford added their own engines and transmissions. I think of the Mazda2 as sort of warm-up for the Fiesta.

Fiesta, Mazda2: they share the same platform and nothing else, says Ford

 

[iamz]

"I think of the Mazda2 as sort of warm-up for the Fiesta."

I've seen a lot of bad warm-up acts over the years. Some things never change.

 

[golf strom]

While I don't "LOVE" the styling of the 2 it certainly isn't offensive..and it may have slightly more appeal to women as well BUT if the car performs well and is priced a bit cheaper it could surprise...

I actually don't see the two competing head to head because I too see that the Fiesta is aimed to a higher price point while the 2 is aimed at being a "tweener" being better dynamically and in overall quality than the Accent, Rio, Yaris, Scion xX...while beneath the Fiesta....so maybe it will grab folks that are looking at the Fit..my guess is this new 2 will be a better package than the current Fit at a lower price to boot....

If the performance and price are right I would consider it seriously..

As for the VW Polo.... the actual EU Polo has been at a few recent MAJOR auto shows VW spokesmen have been claiming that indeed the EU style Polo WILL be going on sale in the USA late this year....
If this is true I will have to take a serious look at it as it is said to have a 1.6L TDI engine available as well as a 5dr HB version....

The new Polo (as it is in Europe) is a very, very good product and the diesel option availability in the USA would probably hook me.

 

[FiestaFan]

I just noticed something; the 2 at the St. Louis show (and the one at the Houston Show I went to yesterday, which was identical) appears to be a Euro-spec Mazda2. I say this because they lack the orange reflectors on the headlights that were in the press shots of the US 2 (and are required by US regs), and the taillights are also different from the US Mazda2's...I also noticed that the rear bumper on the 2 I saw yesterday looked awfully scrawny, and wondered how it could've passed US regs; looking at pictures of the actual US-spec Mazda2, not only are the taillamps different, but the bumper appears slightly larger.

 

[PowerShift]

the actual EU Polo has been at a few recent MAJOR auto shows

Yup, it was at Washington, but not Detroit. At Washington it was sitting away from the main VW display in the "Green Car" zone. When I got there it was completely unattended. But a friend who went there the next day said an Irish VW rep was letting people into the car.
Here's my pics of it from Washington: http://www.michaeldwhite.info/photogal_was.php?picnum=155

I just noticed something; the 2 at the St. Louis show (and the one at the Houston Show I went to yesterday, which was identical) appears to be a Euro-spec Mazda2.

Yeah, there seem to be orange Mazda2s circulating this week in addition to the green ones we have seen. I wonder if the orange ones aren't as spec'd out as the green ones. They have to cover 8 auto shows this weekend so maybe this was a makeshift solution.
My photos of Washington's Mazda2: http://www.michaeldwhite.info/photogal_was.php?picnum=197