Ford Fiesta B299MCA Base 5-Door
Some cars are born to glory, and some cars are born to infamy.
Some cars are born out of the logical desire to provide transport to the common man and meet their basic needs.
The Ford Fiesta is such a car.
There are special Fiestas - I have personally had the daily use of the latest Fiesta ST hot hatch, and that car is awesome. But for most people, the entry level car pretty much does everything they actually *need* a car to do.
At work, we discuss this concept that nearly all people basically only need four seats and 100 horsepower (75 kW). If you have less people to move around, you could get away with even less. Somehow though, particularly in markets focused on 'status', everyone throws this needs-based view out the window, and buys themselves a lot more car than they actually need.
Interestingly, in Australia, the standard family car of the 1950s and 60s, defined as a 'large car' basically met this 4-5 seats and 100 hp definition, as did the rise in popularity of 'mid-size' cars in the 1970s and 80s (think Toyota Camrys, Nissan 200B / Stanza / Bluebirds and Honda Accords). Once again in the 1990s and 2000s with 'small cars', this time, Toyota Corollas, Ford Focus, GM Astra, Mazda3, Hyundai i30.
This set up the B-Segment 'sub-compact', again, meeting the basic specification, as the segment likely to become the focus of buyers. A strange thing happened though, As fuel prices receded (like the late 1990s in the US), the consumer decided that they didn't really want four seats and 100 hp. Instead, they wanted a taller vehicle, with big wheels, and lots of toys. Thusly, the CUV, or 'Crossover', has captivated the heart of the market, as buyers choose 'more' rather than what they need.
I was pretty sure Ford was ready for the Fiesta to take over the world, but now find themselves unable to build enough Kuga/Escape, Edge and Explorers.
The Fiesta still has four seats and 100 hp, just like a majority of car buyers actually need. It is a safe, economical, fantastic drivers car. And will be pretty much all the car you will ever need 95% of the time.
What a funny old world we live in.
Ford Fiesta B299MCA Base 5-Door
Some cars are born to glory, and some cars are born to infamy.
Some cars are born out of the logical desire to provide transport to the common man and meet their basic needs.
The Ford Fiesta is such a car.
There are special Fiestas - I have personally had the daily use of the latest Fiesta ST hot hatch, and that car is awesome. But for most people, the entry level car pretty much does everything they actually *need* a car to do.
At work, we discuss this concept that nearly all people basically only need four seats and 100 horsepower (75 kW). If you have less people to move around, you could get away with even less. Somehow though, particularly in markets focused on 'status', everyone throws this needs-based view out the window, and buys themselves a lot more car than they actually need.
Interestingly, in Australia, the standard family car of the 1950s and 60s, defined as a 'large car' basically met this 4-5 seats and 100 hp definition, as did the rise in popularity of 'mid-size' cars in the 1970s and 80s (think Toyota Camrys, Nissan 200B / Stanza / Bluebirds and Honda Accords). Once again in the 1990s and 2000s with 'small cars', this time, Toyota Corollas, Ford Focus, GM Astra, Mazda3, Hyundai i30.
This set up the B-Segment 'sub-compact', again, meeting the basic specification, as the segment likely to become the focus of buyers. A strange thing happened though, As fuel prices receded (like the late 1990s in the US), the consumer decided that they didn't really want four seats and 100 hp. Instead, they wanted a taller vehicle, with big wheels, and lots of toys. Thusly, the CUV, or 'Crossover', has captivated the heart of the market, as buyers choose 'more' rather than what they need.
I was pretty sure Ford was ready for the Fiesta to take over the world, but now find themselves unable to build enough Kuga/Escape, Edge and Explorers.
The Fiesta still has four seats and 100 hp, just like a majority of car buyers actually need. It is a safe, economical, fantastic drivers car. And will be pretty much all the car you will ever need 95% of the time.
What a funny old world we live in.