[golf strom]

WHOM did Ford clinic to arrive at various consumer driven "changes" to US car ???

If anybody could provide details on the "clinic" details that Ford in the USA used to determine various consumer driven changes to the EU car I'd appreciate it...For example the "lever" adjusted seat back...say vs the EU knob control...

I'd love to know just whom these people at the clincs were and how the testing was done...of course no propriatery information can be disclosed so any details that are general info would be appreciated.

 

[eRic]

of course they got feedback from the 100 Fiesta movement agents over six months. and the folks at ride and drive events during those six months.

 

[golf strom]

Thanks man..I was hoping for a few more details.....

 

[FiestaFan]

Oh dear I hope you don't intend on starting this up again...

And, by the way, one question mark per sentence will suffice.

 

[mrbirdman330]

I am quite certain in my understanding that most of the people who were at the ride and drive since they only went to the same cities for six months and avoided others like the plague all pretty much said don't change the car. I am quite certain the Fiesta Movement will be nowhere near my city yet again. Unless they decided to listen to the ''sarcastic'' comments rather than the real comments.

 

[LMTech]

For example the "lever" adjusted seat back...say vs the EU knob control.

The lever adjustment is a more reliable setup because it uses a piece of plate steel with teeth in it and a lever and catch system where the knob uses a cable drive and gear assembly that is not as sturdy and more likely to have a failure if used on a constant basis. Also the lever can be mounted low and towards the back on the side of the seat where it is less likely to be damaged by drivers getting in and out of the car or by seatbelts that can get caught up by it. It might also have something to do with the seat mounted side air bags having to be a little bigger or a different deployment position to meet safety standards. There are just to many things that can make such a small change be made that unless you are involved never cross the average consumers mind.

 

[PowerShift]

I think the Fiesta US-spec design was pretty much locked-in well before the Fiesta Movement began. In fact, I remember Ford talking about Fiesta marketing clinics as far back as 2008. One where they said customers preferred a smaller lower front intake and another where customers thought the car cost $23,000.

As for who they clinic, only a Ford marketing VP could tell you for sure, but I can relate to you the story of someone I know who recently attended a clinic for c-level cars. He's a 65-year old family friend who bought an Elantra in 2008. Almost immediately after buying the car he started getting surveys from an independent marketing firm. He filled out every one and in March they sent him an invitation to a local convention center. Once there he found himself in a room with 12 mock-ups of un-badged Elantra-sized cars. He thinks there were 100 other people there. He was asked numerous questions about the cars he saw, many pertaining to interior design and comfort. Of course, he doesn't remember many specifics of the cars or the questions they asked. At the end he says the participants were told they had seen cars from Ford, Toyota, Kia and possibly a few other manufacturers. He dosen't remember. However, I did send him a photo of a 2012 Focus and says he thinks he saw it there. He is definitely not a "car guy" and has every conservative taste.

So that tells you a little bit about how the clinic process works, but I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for answers as to why any particular change was made to the Fiesta. But why worry, we now have umpteen billion reviews saying the US car drives as good as the Euro.

 

[mrbirdman330]

One reason, look at the NA Verve Concept, more than likely Ford wanted it no matter what.

 

[golf strom]

So that tells you a little bit about how the clinic process works, but I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for answers as to why any particular change was made to the Fiesta. But why worry, we now have umpteen billion reviews saying the US car drives as good as the Euro.

Thanks PowerShift...a great run down on the basics of how they might have cliniced....It's nice to have someone reply with consideration and legit information to a question here rather that have the "peanut gallery" lash out and attack me simply because I am not falling over backwards to accept everything about a product at face value.


I do agree bird that the folks in Michigan were totally in love with the Verve concept because in my view it had that extra flair (flashiness) that "typical " Americans might prefer over the FoE interpratation of it. I personally much prefer what the Germans decided on. The car still had dynamic style and class, but it wasn't too flashy..I guess "bauhaus" is the correct description I'm looking for.