Ford Focus Coupe
Follow me here…Ford has some good vehicles that have debuted in the last 2 or 3 years. They have been a bit more inspired, and even attractive to a point, than the old Taurus, Contour and Escort. However, Ford made a huge mistake with their new release of the 2009 Focus Coupe. Aside from the fact that they debuted it on American Idol (which I have no problem with and yes I watch Idol) it is a sadly styled vehicle.
I think this new coupe takes them a step backwards closer to the 1986 Ford Escort 2 door hatch that my mother owned. This new coupe is far from on par with the more attractive Edge and Fusion models as of late. Main issue lies around the fact that Ford is still using the original Focus platform from the launch of the Focus in 1999. This may not bother you if you already realize that many platforms that automakers use can last for years. The cost to develop a new platform is hefty so they keep the same design and make subtle changes through its life.
Now the bad news - Ford has had a newer and better platform for the Focus since 2005. Where is it? On nearly every continent other than North America. The international version of the Focus has been very popular since its inception; it’s arguably even more popular than here in the U.S. Unfortunately we are stuck with the U.S. platform for at least the next 3 – 4 years.
What does this means to you? Ford can’t even offer its best vehicles to the U.S. market where it began over a century ago, 1903. Come on Ford, treat us right and give us the Ford Kuga too!
