heck this IS supposed to be a sporty euro car they are marketing here.
Actually, no, the car is being marketed as a premium subcompact... nowhere in my literature is it being marketed as "sporty." Now, granted, if they offer a true SPORT (R/S/ST/RS) model, then yes, it would make sense to have sport style seats. But as-is, the car is being marketed as a cheap, fun, high quality driver.
Actually in many European markets this isn't true, they are actually taller than the avg American.
The average European IS smaller (height and weight) than the average American. That's a fact. not sure what the point of trying to mention individual markets is? I'm sure I could find an individual market in the US that didn't fit the overall trend... but that would be just as meaningless.
So Dearborn thinks that that it's OK for almost half the potential customers that aren't fat to roll around in that wide seat?
What the heck?
Am I fat at 165 pounds?
My F150 had REALLY flat seats compared to the Focus/Fiesta seats, and yet I didn't "roll around" in my seats. I had that truck lowered with a street sport suspension, 22s, and engine upgrades- I drove the snot out of it and never had problems sliding around my seats. They were leather, too.
Actually it would be what maybe less than half the US population is fat so that actually seems like a bad business decision as well.
Sigh.... again, I'll even keep this simple and use fat/not fat since you think it is that simple...
A fat person can fit in a less sport tuned seat. A fat person CAN NOT fit in sport tuned seat. A not fat person can fit in a less sport tuned seat, and a not fat person can fit in a sport tuned seat.
Thus, common sense tells me that a non-sport tuned seat will accommodate more people.
Then WHY decontent and downgrade something as CRITICAL as the seating?!!!?!? Ford is building this car in Mexico (low production costs) and many of the parts vendors are in low production cost countries so it shouldn't be too difficult for Ford to keep the most critical items as they already are.
You have your mind clearly made up that the new seats will be a downgrade and just plain abysmal, and you literally have never even touched them, or sat in them. Maybe you should hold off passing such a harsh judgment until you actually sit in the seat and see if it is truly such a "downgrade."
I'm not budging at all on the seating. Period. The one way they could solve this to my and others satisfaction is to simply offer up the euro spec seat as an option, at a slight additional cost. That would suit me fine. I'l gladly do without the silly center armrest, sync, and the like.
Again, you are approaching this as if YOU represent the entire market. You don't, not even close. Your size, first of all, does not represent Americans. Then, your taste does not either... you say you could care less about Sync, get rid of it, and yet Americans prefer Sync so much that cars on the lots with Sync vs no Sync move off the lot TWICE as fast!
My point is I think you need to step back and realize there is a BIG picture here, and that sadly when you are talking about selling a product to a massive market with a wide range of customers sometimes certain things can't be exactly how you want them.
Heck, I think the cheesy chrome accents around the fog lights and on the rear hatch should come painted, but a lot of people prefer chrome...and I get that. So I'm not starting mailing campaigns to try and change something that I know makes business sense...just like Ford probably "gets it" better than either of us.
Remember on FJ when the 2008 Focus came out how everyone said it was terrible and Ford was doomed? The sales since the release have been far better than the Focus had seen in years...
So you have ONE single person that has an issue with the Euro Fiesta seating...ONE, that we know of. From all the agents, to the general public that have driven the car, ONE complaint.
LOL. So when and where did you poll the agents? I must have missed that.
There isn't an outlet for "the general public" to make mention of it, nor have many been in the car, and especially not for extended periods of time.
Again, you only see things how you want to see them from your perspective.
Do you think Ford is doing this because they don't want to sell cars? Or do you think Ford is trying to sell cars? Just a thought.
If you're really fat or obese you probably aren't going to be interested in a smaller car anyway, you'd probably drive a crown vic, minvan or truck.
The word "ignorant" comes to mind. Especially considering the fact that I am athletic, fit, and even smaller than the average American. Your theory holds water about as well as a strainer.
Ford needs to offer up the euro spec seat as an option at a slight additional cost.
It will almost CERTAINLY cost Ford MORE to delete items like the rear fog, leveling headlamps, and sspl, because they have to produce a different control module AND headlamp switch assy JUST for one or two markets.
..and using exactly your argument it will almost certainly cost Ford more to offer Euro seats (even with a premium, and judging from your intentional use of the word SLIGHT you wouldn't be willing to pay for the true difference in cost) for just two small markets than to offer a single seat that would be accommodating to a larger audience. Remember, it isn't as simple as just bringing over the Euro seats that are already the way they are. Ford is going to manufacture locally, and they would have to make both sets of seats locally, or pay the high cost to import them. Neither makes sense, ESPECIALLY when you consider that the small car segment that the Fiesta belongs in as-is in sum total is LESS than 6% of the US market!! Then you figure that Ford will have a small piece of that, and you have a very small segment to justify so many options. It just doesn't make business sense.
There are NO legal restrictions on these features as far as I know, as many cars today have leveling headlamps ( eg. VW GTI) and rr fogs (audi, volvo, ect) and sspl (mercedes, ect)
..and what do ALL of those vehicles have in common? A price tag to justify the features. The Fiesta has more content than ANY car in its class even with the whopping 2 items that are being removed, and yet that still isn't enough. that's my point really... it will never be enough. There will always be someone to complain about what *they* want or don't want.
I can do without sync and the center armrest for sure.
...and that is a prime example. YOU may want Euro seats so bad you can feel it, but the majority of Americans would take sync over seats they won't even know they are missing any day.