I think it's more a problem of gas is 3.69 and diesel is 4.55 and the EcoBoost 4-banger is much cheaper to produce and makes up most of that cost spread. Also diesel has a highly fixed production base and more demand will just drive the price out of sight. Prior to diesel pick-ups and some cars in the US diesel was considerably cheaper than gas and it was predicted then that deman would drive price up (which it did).
On the other hand I think there is a market for small diesels that didn't exist when folks changed cars ever couple of years, but realize that Mark Fields doesn't pull the stats out of his @$$ -- you can bet there's a
lot of market analysis behind that decision ...it could also be a way to delay expectations until it's more financially worthwhile to respond.
I don't think it's plant space that's the problem -- space is cheap right now. It's all the build-specific fit-up that goes into the plant that's really expensive. Would the US market embrace a $30K Fiesta (or a $35K Focus as they do in Europe)? Dunno, but I'd rather see an alloy EcoBoost I-4 Verve or Focus than a diesel -- not because there's anything wrong with the diesel (besides maybe weight) since they offer good mileage, are [fnally] clean, and make great trorque, but because I think the economics simply aren't there at the bottom of the model food-chain in the US market given price points, fuel costs and competing technologies at this point in time.
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68fastback® ;-)
"We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office." --Aesop
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"Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice doggie' until you can find a rock." --Will Rogers
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"The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money." --Margaret Thatcher
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"A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have." --Thomas Jefferson
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"Government exists to protect us from each other. Where government has gone beyond its limits is in deciding to protect us from ourselves." ... "Man is not free unless government is limited." ... "Republicans believe every day is the Fourth of July and the democrats believe every day is April 15." ... "The problem is not that people are taxed too little, the problem is that government spends too much." --Ronald Regan
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"You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. You cannot help the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer. You cannot further brotherhood of man by encouraging class hatred. You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich. You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than you earn. You cannot build character and courage by taking away mans initiative and independence. You cannot help man permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves." --Abrahan Lincoln
Of course we still want a DOHC alloy big block!