Location: Deep in the seedy underworld of Koonerville
Posts: 21,140
GM should build something like that....and I don't mean some freakin prototype for everyone to drool over either. Uh oh, I feel a rant mode coming on....I better stop typing.
Quick final note: That is a neat little car above.
I dont get it, how come they won't bring it to the US? Is it because emissions reasons? Because udging by how the srt-4's have sold, I'm sure that car would sell pretty easily over here.
I dont get it, how come they won't bring it to the US? Is it because emissions reasons? Because udging by how the srt-4's have sold, I'm sure that car would sell pretty easily over here.
Probably because it would cost $30K+ over here and there is little to no demand in the "Hot Hatch" segment this car sells in. Case in point the R32 VW is a pretty bad-ass little car. AWD, VR6, can be tuned to 600+hp Here is one with 550hp killing a Supra.
Click here to see Video
But at ~$33K it costs as much as a C-Class Mercedes or BMW, so it isn't exactly "flying off the shelf".
Not to mention if Ford did bring a 350hp Turbo AWD Focus over, even at $30K+ it would probably do more to kill Mustang Sales than create new market share.
At least, that's my thinking on why they wouldn't bring it over here. I could be wrong. Ford Europe could just hate us
And you're right Shink. Im sure that it would pull some market away from the Mustang, but I dont see this exactly going "big time" and selling like the Mustang or F-series does.
Its not a bad lookin car, but I wouldnt spend ~30k on it.
You're 4 days late, get with the program. Man that wife's doing a number on you.
No kidding we spent the weekend remodeling the closet of all things. FWIW I typically post stuff over on StreetFire first, mull it over for a little while and say..."hmm I wonder if the Ls1Tech guys would find this interesting...." I tell you, between the new wife, and the new company I can't stay on top of anything these days
They just don't meet the US specs and if they do, weighs heavier and emission requirement usually kills the performance advantage.
FWIW The EU is moving to an even stricter emissions standard than California and their crash standards a bit stricter including metrics for pedestrian safety.
It's not so much that they have to pump up safety/emissions for Us sale, as it is that US regulation has different metrics, and so the car has to be designed to meet those metrics. Case in point, American cars fail EU standards for headlights becuase they don't throw enough light high enough. EU headlights fail US standards because the beams are pointed too high and are too bright.
GM should build something like that....and I don't mean some freakin prototype for everyone to drool over either. Uh oh, I feel a rant mode coming on....I better stop typing.
Quick final note: That is a neat little car above.
I love the Straight 6 turbo concerpt. Low end TQ, good HP under load, yet the ability to open the WG and get good fuel mileage. The interesting thing is though, I do believe that WRC rules limit engine displacement to 2.0L and Turbo 4 bangers, so I'm not quite sure that putting the straight six into a focus gets them anything as far as rules. As far as a sport compact, it's bad ass, and I'd think about it if it the US shores, even if it was wearing a Blue Oval instead of an Arrow Head or Bow Tie.
Ford figured out how to sell the previous Focus here at reasonable US prices and still does, I'm sure they could do the same with the new Focus they sell in Europe if they wished. It's really a damn shame.
350hp AWD Ford Focus RS Inline-6 Turbo! 
Uh oh, I feel a rant mode coming on....I better stop typing. 
