So the Fiesta is the best-selling car in the UK in 2011. No real surprise, other than the fact do you know anyone that actually has one?! Makes you wonder just how much these sales figures are distorted by fleet sales, rental car deals, etc?
Astra outsold the New Focus in December - surely a worry for Ford? Golf sales only a handful of units behind the Focus too...
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From what I've seen the Focus has become so expensive that the Golf looks like a bargain along with its perception of quality - the current advert they have sum it up for the punters.
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Also Ford have only one brand, whilst the A3, Ibiza, Octavia are basically Golfs so VW have the economies of scale
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But he new Focus is sold, basically unchanged now, as a the focus in the US by Ford.
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...From what I've seen the Focus has become so expensive that the Golf looks like a bargain...
Tend to agree about the Focus being expensive, although direct price comparisons are difficult.
Arnold Clark want £15,405 for a Focus Zetec.
The web retailer is asking £14,620 for a Golf TSI S, although it's an extra £1,500 if you don't take the VW finance.
Many buyers will view the VW as the superior product, so a Golf for the price of a Focus will look attractive.
And the Clark deal might be dependent on taking the finance, so the Focus could also be extra for cash.
www.arnoldclark.com/used-cars/ford/focus/1.6-zetec-5-dr-105-ps/brand-new-61-plate/ref/blk_ku8jld55hji7xbr6/
www.orangewheels.co.uk/buy/volkswagen-golf-1-4-tsi-s-5dr.html
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You can get the Ford Zetec for £13,277 on DTD. The Golf TSI S will set you back £15,539 so there is still a substantial price difference.
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>> So the Fiesta is the best-selling car in the UK in 2011.
Full list here (and probably elsewhere):
www.which.co.uk/news/2012/01/top-10-bestselling-cars-of-2011-276079/
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other than the fact do you know anyone that actually has one?
Yep, both my neighbours! - second cars
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I don't know anyone who's spent there own money on a Focus. Fiesta, yes; but only in two age groups - young(ish!) girls and the retired! Thinking about it, there are no recent Focuses in our carpark at work all, though plenty of Golfs and, perhaps surprisingly, Astras. A few early Focuses (S/T/W reg) which look to be in fair condition. Mind you, IMO each generation of Focus has got uglier, whereas the Golf / Astra seem to evolve more succesfully
Peter
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...I don't know anyone who's spent their own money on a Focus...
Good morning Peter, I'm Iffy, nice to meet you.
You do now. :)
Last edited by: Iffy on Sun 8 Jan 12 at 10:11
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>> Good morning Peter, I'm Iffy, nice to meet you.
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>> You do now. :)
Morning!!
I think another factor in the success or otherwise of a brand at a local level is the quality of the dealer network. Fords are definitely not as visible round our way as their market share would suggest they should be; that can't just be because people prefer Vauxhalls / Hondas / Renaults / Citroens etc - the dealers must play a part?
Peter
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Only two new Fiestas i can think of here, one of which is a motobility car, the other privately owned by early retirees, it replaced a quite nice Focus.
edit...come to think of it the motobilty replaced a privately owned Focus before Bob got his illness.
Last edited by: gordonbennet on Sun 8 Jan 12 at 10:14
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I've seen young and old people in Fiestas, which will please Ford because the car has wide appeal.
I've not seen many Fiesta owners in middle-age, but that's probably because the car is too small for family transport.
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The Astra sales figure is being distorted by sales to hire companies. As I have mentioned before my employer has a corporate contact to use Europcar, and its pretty difficult now to not get a VX product. I was chatting to the manager in our on site office a few weeks back and he told me that they are getting a lot of "feedback" over the number of VX's they have.
Difficult to say if that has skewed the figure much though because Ford also do the same.
I guess that Ford probably have a life of product pricing policy where being a new model the discounts are smaller for the first year, and will then increase as it becomes older - may also account for some distortion.
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I wonder if Astras are cheaper because of the weak pound.
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>> I've seen young and old people in Fiestas, which will please Ford because the car
>> has wide appeal.
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>> I've not seen many Fiesta owners in middle-age, but that's probably because the car is
>> too small for family transport.
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>>
Wife has one and is (hope she isn't listening) middle aged!
It is the second having run one for three years and changed it like for like.
A few people where she works also have them, we see lots around but haven't considered the age of drivers.
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>> Wife has one and is (hope she isn't listening) middle aged!
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>> It is the second having run one for three years and changed it like for
>> like.
So presumably you like it?
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Comments on here make me think manufacturers would be better off sticking to how the car looks rather than what goes in under the skin.
VW Golf is old tech compared with the new Ford. Wait until VW puts new technology on the Golf then make the comparison.
Does a VW Golf come with:
Active shuttering, Lane departure warning, self parking, Adaptive cruise control, BLIS (from Volvo), Torque vectoring control (last gen Focus RS), regenerative charging etc... ?
All this has to be paid for, Ford have put most of this equipment on all models in the range and economy of scale will come with the Focus being a global car.
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The Astra only outsold the Focus in December.
As per Focus's link above, the Focus sold about 20,000 more than the Astra and Golf during the year.
December might have been a supply problem.
Ford will have a fit if the Astra outsells the Focus month after month.
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My dad should be another owner of the Fiesta too, in 1.25 82bhp Edge trim. List is £13,500 but there are dealers on the web advertising them for £10,500.
Its not certain yet though, if there is a cracking deal on something else we will consider it, but at the moment I think my dad is prepared to pay a premium for a Fiesta.
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Iffy,
Your privately funded Focus is a niche car - In fairness to Ford they could have sold that as a separate model. Nice car.
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...Your privately funded Focus is a niche car...
True, although my previous one was a bog standard Zetec hatchback.
Not that I'm entirely disagreeing with Peter.
On the other side of the coin, there are not many company Kia Cee'ds, Hyundai i30s, Toyota Aurises and other mid-sized hatchbacks from the Far East.
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For the UK and European markets the Hyundai i30 is built in the Czech Republic, the Kia Ceed in Slovakia, the Toyota Auris 3dr in Turkey and the Toyota Auris 5dr in the UK (near Derby).
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Toyota Auris 3dr in Turkey and the Toyota Auris 5dr in the UK (near Derby).
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Never knew that Auristocrat, carried hundreds of Aurii? out of Burnaston but didn't take too much notice if they were 3 or 5 door.
I've seen the Turkey labels on Versos before but never noticed them on Auris.
You learn something every day.
hmm...Turkey labels on Versos...that could be misconstrued..:-)
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Interestingly, Toyota have recently announced further investment at Burnaston - making the UK plant the European centre for C-segment hatchbacks (the next generation Auris), and the Turkey plant the European centre for C segment saloons. The Corolla/Auris four door hasn't been sold in the UK since the Auris was introduced. Saloons are more popular on the continent/the Far East than the UK.
Last edited by: Auristocrat on Sun 8 Jan 12 at 14:55
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>> Saloons are more popular on the continent/the Far East than the UK.
Do the Scots still prefer saloons? Used to be stories of English VW dealers swapping their allocation of Jetta/Derby models with surplus Polos and Golfs notionally intended for north of the border.
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Actually 'niche' applies to many here, lots of uncommon cars driven by uncommon people, even the loony lefties, poor deluded things..;), drive machines that are different to the default hatchback choice of the majority of car owners.
Even the apparently boring choices of some are often wisely chosen, having certain merits whether it be ride quality or likely unrivalled reliability, or simple competent and good value.
Last edited by: gordonbennet on Sun 8 Jan 12 at 13:50
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Toyota engines made in Deeside - both for the UK and other assembly plants.
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I bought a second car in September last year for SWMBO. A 2010 Fiesta Titanium. I liked it so much, I drive it. It's economical, nippy has handsfree bluetooth and looks fine. A very nice car.
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Astra doing remarkably well might be something to do with the lifetime warranty, it would tip the balance should i be deciding on a choice between Focus and Astra, but then i'd likely be keeping the car long term.
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Its probably got more to do with the fact the Astra looks so good.
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>> Its probably got more to do with the fact the Astra looks so good.
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To be fair it does look good from all angles, they didn't let the office junior loose when they designed the lights either, which is more than can be said for the ludicrous Ford fittings.
Looks wise the Astra is the winner by far, the estate is particularly pleasing whilst retaining a reasonably decent space.
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I prefer the Astra looks-wise compared to the Focus as well, probably to the Golf as well.
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Me too; I think it's a nice looking car, especially in estate (or whatever Vauxhall call it) form
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>> or whatever Vauxhall call it
Sports tourer.
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I clean a year old Corsa SRi quite often and it is a rather attractive little car with the bodykit and shiny bits.
Vauxhall seem to have a good styling team atm.
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Thanks - difficult to keep up with all these categories! Though IIRC wasn't the previous shape Megane estate a Sport Tourer too?
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2011's best sellers - R.P.
