Ford Considering 'Youth Market' Vehicle

[Ming]

Jan. 13, 2004

Ford ponders developing vehicle aimed at youth market

By RICK KRANZ | Automotive News

Ford Motor Co. will decide this year whether to develop a small, low-priced vehicle aimed at the youth market in North America, says the company's product-development chief.

If approved, the vehicle likely would be developed off a new subcompact platform that Mazda is developing.

Ford already is developing 10 Ford, Mercury and Lincoln models from the mid-sized Mazda6 platform.

Phil Martens, vice president of North American product creation, said of the proposed small Ford: "I feel a sense of urgency to do it." A decision will be made this year.

Among the issues to be decided is whether the vehicle would be assembled in North America or imported, he said. Martens was interviewed at the Detroit auto show.

While not describing the Ford model that is under consideration, Martens said small sport wagons continue to grow in popularity.

"We want to make sure that if we do a product (for North America) it has true appeal for the youth market, and that is a difficult thing to do," Martens said. "Not every car under $15,000 appeals to the youth market."

Commenting on the success of Toyota's Scion xB, Martens said: "I think the market is ready for that. It is nice to let others lead the way because it is a tough market to crack. We can be very effective as a fast follower."

Over the past decades, Ford tried unsuccessfully to woo low-price buyers with two car imports, the Fiesta and Aspire.

Ford had considered importing the current-generation Fusion sport wagon from Brazil and displayed the car at the 2002 Los Angeles auto show. But that plan was dropped.

"There is an opportunity now to rethink our approach with the whole international automotive group that David Thursfield leads and the recently announced role that Mazda will play as the lead for our small cars," Martens said.

Full Article Here

Mazda subcompacts in Japan market:
AZ-Wagon


Laputa


Mazda Japan subcompact lineup

[thehemi]

The $13,000 Focus ZX3 is not youth oriented enough?
Maybe the ZX3 is not ugly enough to entertain youths?

[tgagneguam]

Martens said: "I think the market is ready for that. It is nice to let others lead the way because it is a tough market to crack. We can be very effective as a fast follower."

That's an interesting strategy...

[LegendNH]

it seems that Ford needs something small and ugly with a 2 liter engine because for some unknown reason, young people in their teens seem to like a car more, the uglier it is.

Look at the Element, and the whole Scions lineup. The uglier the car the better it will sell because retards these days need to be different so as long as they are different, it doesn't matter how slow, ugly or unreliable it is. People WILL buy them.

[mgescuro]

<_<
How does one pronounce "Scion" anyways? I've heard it pronounced so many different way.
1) See-on?
2) Sky-on?
3) Sy-on?
4) Sh-on?

Focus is ugly. I'm driving a rental one now (car's in for it's 70K checkup) and I'm not all that enthused about it. It's creaky and the doors slam shut with this "low quality" thud. OK.. It's a rental and was probably abused by some renegade college student on the way to Tiajuana or something. But still. I would have been happier if Enterprise had given me the SL1 on the lot.

I don't see why "youths" can't get a nicely trimmed Cobalt or even a G6 or a Sunfire. They're all within reach of 1st time car buyers or parents buying for their kid. At 28, I'm obviously too old to find the See-on/Sky-on/Sy-on/Sh-on attractive. And even the Focus.

My first was was a 91 Saturn SL2, so I've got a soft spot for Saturns, and they're a wonderful 1st car -- amazingly reliable and cheap to maintain.

[Dizzer]

MEMO TO FORD: An AWD, high performance, WRC street version of the Focus.

[LegendNH]

Originally posted by Dizzer@Jan 13 2004, 03:51 PM
MEMO TO FORD: An AWD, high performance, WRC street version of the Focus.

yes because a $30k to $35k car is exactly the kind of money the youth market has when buying their first car

[Smilingoat]

alright it looks like a scoin and an ugly fat impreza wrx. why is it every time a company comes out with a youth car, other than most of gm (aveo is boring but not ugly) o and the cobalt looks great, i mean im 20 and none of these cars have opealed to me at all, actualy i think most of them are uglier than the aztec..

[LegendNH]

Originally posted by Smilingoat@Jan 13 2004, 05:41 PM
alright it looks like a scoin and an ugly fat impreza wrx. why is it every time a company comes out with a youth car, other than most of gm (aveo is boring but not ugly) o and the cobalt looks great, i mean im 20 and none of these cars have opealed to me at all, actualy i think most of them are uglier than the aztec..

what cars under $25k appeal to you?

[simmonsmb]

I see no appeal whatsoever in the Scion line up and those subcompacts from Mazda are equally as ugly!!! It's a shame that people 5+ years younger than me think these cars look cool. Oh well, these are the kids who think old is something from the mid to late 80's.

[Smilingoat]

Originally posted by LegendNH+Jan 13 2004, 11:00 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (LegendNH @ Jan 13 2004, 11:00 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-Smilingoat@Jan 13 2004, 05:41 PM
alright it looks like a scoin and an ugly fat impreza wrx. why is it every time a company comes out with a youth car, other than most of gm (aveo is boring but not ugly) o and the cobalt looks great, i mean im 20 and none of these cars have opealed to me at all, actualy i think most of them are uglier than the aztec..

what cars under $25k appeal to you? [/b][/quote]
i like the cobalt, the solctice, curve, malibu, stratus rt, lower end subarus, and a lot of others. i cant really think of all of them off the top of my head.

[c400mark]

i would have to say that i am almost 20 and i know of not one person who finds scions and the like attractive at all. hell most of em hate the focus hehe

[Hudson]

It's pronounced "Sigh-On"

[awalbert88]

Ford could do this easily with the Focus ZX3. Give it a turbocharged 2.3L I4 putting 240hp to the wheels. Update the suspension a hair and give it the 6-speed gearbox from the SVT Focus, but don't do anything else. The SVT Focus was too up-scale of a product with not enough power. You could easily turn a $13K ZX3 into an SRT-4/WRX slaying machine for under $20k. Of course, if the rumours of a $20K LX V8 Mustang are true, Ford could just as easily slay the sport compacts with a traditional RWD muscle car .

I'd like to see Ford and GM both take this market a bit more seriously. Dodge is really earning a lot of lifetime customers by drawing in young crowds to look at the Neon SRT-4, just as Subaru is getting lifetime buyers from the WRX (Scoobies used to be considered safe, but rather boring cars not long ago).

[BigAls87Z28]

Originally posted by mgescuro@Jan 13 2004, 08:32 PM
<_<
How does one pronounce "Scion" anyways?&nbsp; I've heard it pronounced so many different way.
1)&nbsp; See-on?
2)&nbsp; Sky-on?
3)&nbsp; Sy-on?
4)&nbsp; Sh-on?
5)&nbsp; Cr-ap?&nbsp;

#5..... :laughbounce:


as for the subcomact world... I am 20 and what appeals to me for under 25k is.... a used fbody, vette, or older muscle car.