[jkarolyi]

Yep...so crazy how Ford and GM work. They have amazing cars in Europe that win awards and are best sellers, yet they've never tried making the exact same cars in the USA. And I mean the same cars...not "americanized" versions. Most Americans don't want "American" type vehicles anymore...why do you think VWs and BMWs are so popular? Do you ever see these in rental fleets?

Glad to hear that GM is bringing in the Euro-cars as Saturns, but they are still built in Europe so they'll have a hard time making money on them with the exchange rate.

Let's look at Ford's previous attempts to bring their Euro-cars here:

1978-80 Ford Fiesta-actually sold well, but they lost money on each one because they were imported from Germany.

1981 Ford Escort - supposed to be a world car, but shared almost nothing with the Euro model of the same name. Sold well, but was soft riding with a cheap-o interior.

Ford Sierra as the '86 Merkur XR4ti : made in Germany so it was too expensive, had an unpronouncable name. Ditto the Scorpio.

Ford Mondeo as the Contour/Mystique: Again they "Americanized" the car with styling to mimic the hideous '96 Taurus and was a sales flop.

Memo to Ford...thanks for the Fiesta (three years late), but please build us an unmolested test-winning Ford Mondeo made in the USA (so it can be priced competitively) and drop that overweight chrome-grilled rental car Fusion off a cliff.