Okay, it was not because the Focus was built in Mexico that it had "quality issues." Do some research! The car is also built in the U.S., and the issues were with parts sourced from who knows where. The attack on Mexican assembly plants is at best jingoistic, and worst xenophobic. Some 99 percent of TCC is good, but if I see a red flag, I say something!
Tom Moran
Conor Twomey responds: Please read the piece again. At no point did I imply that the quality issues with the Focus were the fault of the plant in Mexico . Mexican plants are vital to the survival of numerous companies based all over the world, many of whom have shifted essential production facilities to Mexico not only because of its proximity to the U.S. but also because of high productivity and exceptional standards of what the local workforce produces.
The problem lies with Ford, who de-contented the car for the U.S. market in order to make it more profitable. The engines and transmissions were all different, the plastics were not as good, and the construction processes were changed to make it faster and cheaper to build. Unfortunately, because the article isn't about the Focus, there wasn't much room to expand the point. I assumed much of this was common knowledge at this stage.
I sometimes think people are just sitting around looking for something to be offended by.Incidentally, Focus production was moved to the States with the facelifted model in 2004.
Wrong intersection
I saw your article about funny road signs. In Bronson, Michigan, there is a Colon/Butz road. I thought that one was funny and should be included in your list.
Marissa
Car names
In a recent story about car names you make a passing reference to the story about the name Nova being a bad choice because it translates as "doesn't go" in Spanish. While the translation of no va is correct, the assumption that this makes Nova a poor name is an old urban legend about the ignorance of Americans doing business in other countries, that is totally baseless. For a detailed explanation, please see this site. I would encourage you not to perpetuate this urban legend in the future, no matter how "good" a story it is to tell.
Brian Tipton
How could you exclude the Daihatsu Scat? No, I'm not making it up!
Anonymous
Paris Hilton dissed
Thanks for bringing us the latest in automotive news from all over the planet. Your format and timing are refreshing on a daily basis. In order for us readers to more fully enjoy your content you might consider skipping the worthless bits regarding Paris Hilton (or any other "celebrity") as we really don't give a damn what they do. We like cars, not necessarily the goofballs that drive them.
Chris
B-J hype
Is it cabin fever or winter blues that cause the snowbirds to fly west and pay way over market value for cars with dubious backgrounds?
Finally someone has stood up and spoken the truth about the hype that surrounds the annual Barrett-Jackson Auction in Arizona. Poor Keith Martin gets ejected for trying to advise people to be prudent - don't pay big bucks for a restored "muscle car" that rolled off the assembly line as a grocery-getter with an in-line six and a vinyl top. Not getting silly with your home equity line of credit for the chance to be on television paying twenty large for a tired '67 Mustang with new paint seems like pretty sound advice.
For those of us with more sense than money who still want our dream car, just wait. That creaking you hear is the bottom getting ready to fall out of the classic-car market. There will be deals to be had. I'm making garage space for that MGA Twin Cam I've always wanted - for $25,000 instead of $50,000.
Michael Lott
Los Angeles, Calif.
AWD slammed
Eric Peters' article on 4WD or AWD is extremely misleading and biased. Yes there is a difference between 4WD and AWD. He made AWD sound vastly inferior to 4WD system. He failed to mention the reason to choose one system over another.
If you are a serious off-roader, you would want to choose 4WD for the low-range capability. If you are just driving on the road and looking for better traction in bad weather and might drive on a dirt road once in a while, AWD would be more than sufficient.
Given that vast majority of SUV buyers buy for fashion and promise of a lifestyle, and would never take their expensive SUV off-road, AWD would be more than sufficient for them. Car-based crossovers also have an advantage of being more efficient than the truck-based traditional SUV.
I've been a car enthusiast all my life and an avid reader of TCC for a long time and have always found your articles to be insightful and useful, until I saw this article. I hope this is does not represent the new trend of your Web site.
Dan Yang
Very insightful article indeed! It clearly explains why all the wannabe nannies are wrong when they keep harping on people buying vehicles more versatile than what's needed 90 percent of the time. If people are willing to settle for a car that starts 90 percent of the time, there is no need for replacing an old car with a new car, ever. Car is the "lifepod" in life, and why people are willing to shell out the big money for new ones. Very well written. Very insightful indeed.
Jim Sun
Yesterday I tried sending a rational e-mail response to your shallow, technically incompetent analysis of the subject, but your system would not send the message. Accusing car manufacturers of fraud because of the way they sell AWD is ridiculous. I have had both (Audi quattro and several Subarus and several heavy trucks, currently a Dodge/Cummins Ram) and both have distinct advantages. Saying that AWD should not be taken off a paved road is absurd.
Anonymous
Green complaints
I've been driving my ten-year-old Honda Civic to work every day and I'm still wondering why I can't buy an electric car. Those electric cars that are available it seems are treated by governments like golf carts and aren't allowed to go faster than 25 mph. I believe that it is organizations such as yours that could be pushing automotive manufacturers to produce zero tailpipe emission vehicles and produce them within two years not 12 years and pushing governments to change their archaic laws to let us go electric. We need these cars now. Yes I know the argument that we are pushing emissions back to the power station, but honestly, isn't one place to focus on pollution control better than millions of tailpipes?
Philip Ridge
Jaguar bait and switch
Thanks for your coverage of the Detroit auto show. Thorough as always. But once again, Ford's Premier Auto Group showed something as a world premiere during NIAS Press week and then wisked it away before the public show started: The Jaguar C-XF concept. It was a disappointment to many who expected to see the car that made its "world debut" in Detroit. It was in fact just a "press debut." Ford did this a couple of years ago with the new XK coupe as I recall. A lot of pre-show build-up, but the public never got to actually see it. And, of course, the effect was magnified by local press coverage - obviously prepared in advance during press days - that ran Friday, Saturday, and Sunday touting the C-XF. In an effort at transparency, maybe reporters need to start asking "Will the public see this during the show?"
;)
