This spanking new offering from GM appears to be the right car at the right time. This is the car that could put GM back in the minds and wallets of those looking for efficiency, fuel economy and some styling to go with a small car. There has been a lot of hype around the partially electric Volt but the Cruze is the car that can make or break GM with a new generation entering the market for vehicles.
Even though I’m not sold on the styling yet, at 40m.p.g. on the highway and more trunk space than it’s competitors the Cruze has a real chance to be a top seller for the new GM.
From the Detroit Free Press:
Chevrolet has built a better mousetrap. The 2011 Cruze sedan gets better fuel economy than most subcompacts and offers the passenger and luggage space of a midsize sedan.
Those achievements will mean nothing unless Chevrolet convinces customers to check out the Cruze before they buy a better-known model like the Honda Civic, Hyundai Elantra and Toyota Corolla. Years of reliability and fuel-efficiency give those models credibility with small-car buyers.
Chevy can’t match that history. The mousetrap needs cheese.
“Our job is to tell buyers why they have to look at the Cruze: fuel economy, safety, refinement and quality,” said Margaret Brooks, Chevrolet director of small-car marketing.
It’s Fiesta time for Ford and they hope it turns into a real “Fiesta” of sales and profits for the company. The roll out is now officially underway and if this small car sells anything like it has around the world Ford will have one big party on it’s hands. This is a very tough segment with established and new entries to compete with (Chevy Cruze) but Ford might have a chance to break back into the hearts of small car buyers this time around.
So far everything I’ve read checks out with the Fiesta and the only drawback might be the price point here. Will Ford hold the line on pricing or put money in the glove box to move the metal? Either way this is a great car and should add to market share gains for The Blue Oval!
Dearborn –Ford Motor Co.’s conventional media blitz for its new Ford Fiesta subcompact will begin today, with the first spot due to air tonight during “American Idol.”
But the company’s advertising campaign has been in full swing for a year online and already has paid big dividends. Ford marketing executives say 60 percent of the car-buying public already knows about the new Ford.
“It’s more than five times more efficient than anything we’ve done before,” said Matt Vandyke, director of U.S. marketing communications for the Dearborn automaker. “It’s something you’ll see us doing with other vehicles going forward.”
With the 2011 Ford Fiesta soon hitting the market here in the U.S. customers will take alot into consideration when deciding on this car. Motor Trend is asking it’s readers a question on price that will be asked all over the states in a few months. Would you pay $20,000 or more for a 2011 Ford Fiesta? Ford should take a hard look at the answers as well because they will be fielding these questions at their dealerships real soon. The Fiesta has been a homerun around the globe with the North American market finally getting their Fiesta so I see no reason why it won’t sell well here but pricing is always an issue. The stylish looks and 40mpg on the highway will get customers in the showroom and on board for a test drive but will the higher than normal price for a small car scare them off? Nobody knows the answer until the rubber hits the road!
If you haven’t seen it already, take a look at our First Test of the new 2011 Ford Fiesta. That’s right, we’ve already got a pair of Fiestas in our garage and we’ve got a complete set of numbers on them. The number everyone seems most interested in, though, is the hefty-looking price tag, so let’s take a closer look at that.
As noted, we have two Fiestas in our garage at the moment, a Lime Squeeze Green five-speed manual and a Yellow Blaze six-speed dual-clutch automatic. Both are five-door hatchbacks and decked-out in the top-shelf SES trim package. Both run zero to 60mph in 9.5 seconds and post the best handling, stopping and fuel economy numbers in their class despite being the heaviest and slowest in a straight line.
Chevrolet has built a better mousetrap. The 2011 Cruze sedan gets better fuel economy than most subcompacts and offers the passenger and luggage space of a midsize sedan.
