Hot Rod rants and raves, link to new forum

Is this what you think of when someone says "Hot Rod?" This is a 1932 Ford 5 window coupe, a replica of the car from American Grafiti. I would guess that the vast majority of "Hot Rods" are Ford bodied ( or fiberglass replicas of Ford bodies) from 1922-1937. Hot Rods came into being in the 30's and 40's, but really took off in the 1950's and have been an American staple, that's been exported around the globe like Rock music and the Hoola Hoop. And even though the hey day may have passed, Hot Rod culture never really went away, it's evolved and survived.
And it's got different stratta like the Rat Rod movement which seems to be attracting a younger following back to these classic tire burners.
I've always loved Hot Rods, would dream of building one, like the ones I saw in Street Rodder magazine. But of course, mine would have been FORD powered, unlike some that had bowtie transplants. In my humble opinion, if the car has a blue oval on the hood it should have one under it too.
And thanks to Jonathan, I can now clue my readers into a new site for and by Hot Rod guys, www.hotrodders.com which has forums. And in those forums recently Jonathan has been taking issue with a blatant marketing error, but click the link for the entire story and more pics.
What I will say, is that these two poor bastards need to put on some real pants, and cover up their short comings quickly. This is not the way to market anything to the "Hot Rod" culture. I think they missed the mark with this one in a big way.

I mean , THIS is a Hot Rod, and Milner was the guy that personified the movement, not some "Bad Boy" posers with eye patches over their willies. And if you really want a laugh, click the link and read some of the thought baloons that Jon has posted for the two punks. I was rolling on the floor.

My dream Hot Rod, just for the record, a 1934 Ford Vicky with a 289 and 4 Weber carbs, full fenders riding low with Pinto IFS and Jag IRS and of course it has to have the finned Cobra valve covers. A nice gray primer Suede finish with red Kelsey Hayes wires. What about you? And if you don't know what a Vicky is, look it up, that's half the fun of the internet.

LPG is on the rise for Ford of Australia, could it work here?

Linked in the title is an article about Ford Australia's increased sales of LPG powered Falcons. And it got me thinking, why can't LPG work here in the US? I'm sure that it's got to do with customer resistance and the American addiction to litigation.
But I recall in New York City, pilot projects with LPG Taxis.

And fleets of utility trucks and busses being powered by LPG.

With most alternative fuels there are issues of infrastructure and availability, but LPG is Propane and I can guy that for my outdoor grill at my local gas station. So why can't it be an option for my vehicle?

Dave Thomas formerly of MPH Online, drives the new CX7 for Kicking Tires Blog

Dave Thomas formerly the nerve center for MPH Online, takes Mazda's SUV with the spirit of a sports car for a spin. I've always enjoyed Dave's reviews of vehicles, especially his video Q&A at MPH. So while I'm fairly inactive, go on over and check Dave's new site Kicking Tires

Gas caps for morons, are not "Bold Moves"

You know, if Ford thinks this is revolutionary, or "Innovating" they're really in for a hard lesson.

This is the biggest piece of "non-news" that nobody should care about.

Hey Bill, if you want to sell some cars, don't worry about the gas caps, worry about the crap that sits on dealers' lots.

Bring us some real "Bold Moves" like the Reflex, Faction, EcoSport, Fiesta, C1 Focus, Fairlane and Bronco!

Why aren't I excited about this? Everyone else is. Maybe it's the 325 hp

I like it, I really do, the new Ford Shelby GT is nice, and I get it, a lower priced-higher production Shelby for the masses. But even though prices haven't been released, If ind it hard to really get excited about. Oh, I know I sound like a spoiled sport, I should be rallying behind the Blue Oval at the mearest hint of something good. Shouldn't I? I mean I'm a Ford Fan and self professed lover of the Mustang. But the fact that the "entry level" Shelby will only have 325 hp and the mods are all Ford Racing Products pieces, that anyone could buy from their catalog, leaves me disapointed. Sure in the 60's Shelby Mustangs were similarily just a shade better than "lesser" Mustangs, and Shelby American sold many of the parts over the counter so you could "Shelbyize" your stang. But 325 hp just doesn't seem enough, no not even close.

For the premium price that dealers will charge, and we all know they will, I'd want at least 375 hp and some further differentiation between the Shelby GT and the more pedestrian Mustang GT.

Oh crap, TTAC has started a Ford Deathwatch! I'm hoping it's premature

I have been catching up on news and views from the net after my absense and was not thrilled to see that The Truth About Cars has a Ford "Deathwatch" posted. I personally think it's a little premature, but let's see where it goes.

I'm not naieve enough to think that all is rosey over in Dearborn, but I don't think it's time to jump ship either. Ford Motor Company is a survivor, unfortunately they've been at this point several times in their history, but they've come back stronger each time.

Should Ford sell Jaguar? Reports all over the net say it may happen

Well it's been quite a bad week for Ford, and I'm just getting caught up here. Now there are reports all over that Ford may sell Jaguar and possibly Range Rover may be thrown in to sweeten the deal.
Here's a fact, without Ford there would be no Jaguar. But without Jaguar, would Ford be financially more sound? When Ford bought the British icon, they were in serious trouble, and without the cash Ford has poured in, they would be like so many historic marques that just faded away.

Who would buy Jaguar? In the Reuters piece, they say that no European marque would be interested, but I had read last month that Renault/Nissan would. So which is it? More recent reports say that investors may buy Jaguar, even further speculation involves Korean or Chinese buyers.

Should Ford sell Jaguar? Maybe they should, but if they do, what about Aston Martin? It's obviuos the design and engineering for both companies is closely linked.

Would Renault/Nissan be the perfect buyer?There were reports that Renault wanted an upscale brand for Europe, besides Infiti which hasn't been as well recieved.

In my humble opinion, Ford should not sell off all of their Premiere Auto Group brands, as some say, to stockpile cash to buy back shares of stock. Maybe it's time that Jaguar and Aston Martin went, but Range Rover is a good brand to hold onto. And Volvo despite a drop in sales recently has been a good investment.

It's going to be an interesting year for Ford Watchers.

Missing presumed dead? No I'm still here

So you may be wondering, where have I been, why MIA? No blog entries for a week? Is MyFordDreams dead?
No, as much as I may feel like it, it's not. As much of the US was going through a record breaking heat wave last week, so was Metro NY. And that's where MFD is based.
And with steamy heat comes........Power Failures !!! Thanks to our local utility and the infrastructure that dates back to the 20's and 30's.
Add to that, I work in a boiler plant, around high pressure steam. So if the temp is 100 outside, it's much worse inside. And my home office has no A/C and is on the second floor of the house. So there was no way after working in a sweat box, that I was going anywhere near that room, even when we were lucky enough to have lights.
But like Lazarus or the Terminator....
I'll be back, slowly at first as I have not been near a computer in a week, so I have a lot of news to catch up on.

Mazdaspeed3 base price under $23K !

Prices for the MazdaSpeed3 have been anounced and the news is good, base prices well below $25k ! With 250 hp, LSD and 6 speed manual that's impressive.
Check the comments over at AutoBlog, where all the Subaru fans snipe at the Speed3. Thing is, it would make more sense to compare to something more like...
This GTI, which is priced similar and has less power.

Em Kay Crap! Read Cars Cars Cars Piece on Lincoln's naming games

This is the only Lincoln Mark ! Read Bob's latest piece on the Lincoln Follies of model names over at Cars Cars Cars ! This is getting embarassing, really. Lincoln wanted to recall the glory of earlier days by changing the names of new models to Mark Z, Mark X and Mark S. How lame was that? Is that I should say. But now instead of Mark what ever, they want it to be M K whatever. I don't know about you, but they sound like Mary Kay specials to me. I like real names for cars, not this stupid crap!
So let's see, the MKZ that's supposed to mean Mark Zephyr? Why not keep the Zephyr name, it's a classic Lincoln/Mercury name. This is a fine car, not a great car, so why the pretention of the MK? Hell they should have just gone with Versailles. Cause that's what this is a modern Versailles/Granada/Monarch.



The MKX, now as if they hadn't learned from the lawsuit, it's just too close to MDX for comfort. And what does it mean? Mark Xtera ? Mark Xtreme? Mark X ? I know it's supose to invoke some sort of offroad conotation, but it doesn't and they will never be off road anyway, so why bother? Let's call it the Mark Mom, or Mark Maid, even better let's call it Aviator! That's what the name was supposed to be anyway. Aviator was a catchy name. I liked the old Aviator, and the name fits this better than MKX.

MKS, now don't even get me started, this is just too easy to make fun of. I guess it's supposed to be Mark Sedan, but SH*T is more like it. How about Mark Subaru? The wrong car for the wrong market and a stupid name to boot. It's not that I don't think it's nice. I just don't think it's the car Lincoln needs. Hell, take this body and give it to Mercury to replace the Montego. If you needed a name for a sedan, why not Taj Mahal or Buckingham Palace? Some other royal residence, since Versailles would already be taken by the MKZ.

I'm just fed up with this crap, someone at Ford should be fired for the whole naming scheme. It's just not funny anymore, it's sad.

Alex from Brazil reminds us of AutoLatina a Ford/VW joint venture in the 90's

Alex Silva from Brazil wrote me an e-mail telling me about a unique point in Ford history. Recent history that is, in South America. I had mentioned on MyFordDreams that Brazil and Argentina had unique automotive markets and that in fact the Ford Falcon from the early 60's had been built until 1991 with really just minor comsetic upgrades considering 30 years of production. Well did you know that Ford and Volkswagen formed a joint venture in the early 90's ? Does the car above look familiar? It should take the Ford blue oval out of the grill and it's a VW Passat/Quantum from the late 80's.
Same with this 3 door wagon version of the Ford Versailles. In my last post I was just talking about Ford Focus overtaking the VW Golf as the top dog in Europe and here they are rebadging each other's cars in Brazil. Each company also sold these cars in other parts of Latin America and even exported to China.
And what is that VW? It's a Ford Verona, or a 2 door version of the Ford Orion from Europe. If I've got it right and you can check the Wiki article linked in the title to check, the Ford Orion was a 4 door sedan version of the Ford Escort but in Latin America a 2 door sedan was needed hence the Verona, also badged as the VW Apollo. It get's better, the Ford Escort hatch was sold as the VW Pointer ( later changed to a Nissan platform in other markets) And the VW Passat/Quantum became the Ford Versailles and in wagon form the Versailles Royale.
This is a UK Ford Orion 4 door. As when VW stretched the Golf to become the Jetta, Ford added a trunk to the Escort to create Orion.

It's funny with all of the recent talk of "alliances", mergers and joint ventures recently, to realize what an incestuous industry it already is. It's a spider web of shared platforms and powertrains and just outright rebadging around the globe already.

Quick list of companies that Ford has worked with over the years around the globe; VW, Nissan (Maverick, Quest), Fiat, Mitsubishi(supplied Diesels to Ford Ranger and Joint venture in South Africa), PSA ( Citreon and Peugeot) Yamaha(SHO engines and now Volvo V8), Kia (Festiva/Aspire) , Mazda, Volvo, SAAB ( Ford sold them V4's) GM (new 6 & 7 speed auto transmissions) BMW ( Range Rover purchase and engine supply until Ford had powertrain) and of course Jaguar and Aston Martin. This doesn't even count the many "Specialty" manufacturers such as Shelby, DeTomaso or Koenigseg . Can you add to this list?

My what a tangled web we weave?

David over at Auto-Future has a summary of his "New Compact" series on the Euro Focus

I was just telling you about David's blog and his series on the "New Compact" well he's summarized the series in a new post where he discusses the Focus Mk II (you know the one we don't get) beating the perenial favorite to become the best selling compact in Europe.
The Golf (now Rabbit again in the US) was "The Compact." The car that set the benchmark for others to follow. No more, now the benchmark is the Focus II with it's sophisticated suspension, excelent handling and ride characteristics and boring (?) styling. There's an interesting point in David's piece where he discusses that because Ford is an American brand it will never be the top seller in Germany and France ( each country's sense of automotive patriotism prevents that) and therefore must make up for that fact by outperforming the Renault and VW models throughout the rest of Europe. And how does it do it? Because it's so well designed and built that people want them!
Now I don't agree that the Focus II has boring or bland styling, but my tastes run toward the subtle. But just wait until you see the CGI of the next Focus that David has ! More of the Kinetic styling we're not getting!

I've been reading reviews from around the world and the Focus in any trim level seems to be getting rave reviews. Hell, I read over at Jalopnik about a "Special Edition" Focus ST for Japan, where the only special feature is that it's white! And they are only going to sell 10 of them, so there will be a bidding war and waiting list!

The Focus Mk II's C1 platform which sits under my Mazda Axela (3) and the Volvo C30/S40/V50 is a fantastic set up and we need to have this Ford Focus in the US pronto!!!! Hell, it's sold in Russia and China but not in the US???

New Ka at Auto-Future? Well a CGI anyway

David M over at Auto-Future (link finally added on sidebar) has a piece on the new 2008 Ford Ka. We won't see the Ka in the US, but this follows up a piece I did a while back about Ford and Fiat sharing platforms. The Ka, which had been Fiesta based, now will share suspension and other parts with the Fiat 500, and according to David possibly engines.

David is from the UK and does a nice blog on future European models. He's collected quite a few CGI Photoshop images of the Focus, Mondeo, Ka and other European Fords and others. He's had an interesting series of recent posts on "The New Compact" that's worth looking at.

Oh Billy Boy, Hyundai has a wake up call for you!

Bill Ford you DUMBASS!!! You've let the Panther platform waste away, and now Town Car production is going to end just as Chrysler is set to introduce a long wheelbase version of their 300! Rear wheel drive is what the market is calling for and you're going to replace the Town Car with an all wheel drive version of the 500? With Chrysler's sucess with 300/Magnum/Charger and GM's rumored return to rear wheel drive, Ford is not going to bring a new rear wheel drive platform to the US market? What about the 2 good rear wheel drive platforms you have? The Lincoln LS and Ford Australia Falcon!

What about the fact that even Hyundai is set to bring a rear wheel drive V8 sedan to the US market? Click the link in title to read AutoBlog story on the Hyundai Equs. The gloves have to come off, time to call a DUMBASS a DUMBASS! Get with the times. It's time to start kicking some butt in Dearborn Bill. You've had since 1979 to come up with a replacement for the Panther, do it! At this point I don't care if you stretch the Mustang chassis as every pundit and enthusiast has been saying, do what ever you have to in order to get the job done. The LS Chassis is better and the Falcon chassis is great, nobody wants FoMoCo to be the new Subaru!

Ford had better hurry with those Diesels or DCX will get there first!

It seems that Cummins is going to start building light duty Diesels for one of Ford's competitors, most likely Chrysler, for their pickups and SUVs. So Ford needs to get off the stick and bring the new V8 Diesel from Europe over here, not just in Range Rovers and Jaguars, but Explorers, Expeditions and F150s, and they better be quick about it!

Zoom Zoom Glub Glub Glub.. Mazda vehicles on listing cargo ship off Aleutian Islands!

When I read about this yesterday, I was amused. Hell, amused doesn't cover it, I was laughing my ass off! Of course I had visions of 5,000 Toyotas or Nissans gently floating down to the bottom of the sea.
Well, I guess I can wipe that silly smile off my face, it seems that the 4,700 vehicles in the Norwegian owned, Singapore flagged cargo ship Cougar Ace off the Aleutian Islands were all Mazdas.
The Cougar Ace was heading for Vancouver British Columbia and then ultimately Ventura California full of 3's and CX7's. So I'm sure some customers will be getting an unhappy phone call telling them their order has been delayed.
You know, I've always been wary of these cargo ships with their ownership in Europe and all being flagged from various Asian countries and crewed by an mish mash of international sailors. Who oversees inspections and certifications? Is it just luck that this doesn't happen more often?
Now Mazda was fully insured so they'll write off the loss and pump out more units from their Hiroshima factory. Customers will have a bit of a delay in recieving their new cars. But luckily it doesn't seem that anybody was seriously hurt, other than one crew member with a broken leg. And so far there has been no news of leaked fuel or any ecological disaster as a result.
But if they can get the ship righted what's going to happen to those cars? Many of them probably have water damage and paint and body damage. I mean look at the pictures, that's a serious list. Those vehicles definitely shifted, and by shifted I mean slammed into one another. So do you think these cars will be destroyed or quietly sold to unsuspecting buyers around the globe?

Note; I want to make clear that I did not steal the headline from Joe Sherlock's View Through The Windshield, it really was a coincidence.
Click his link on the sidebar to see what I'm talking about.

Hey here's an idea on how to turn around that corporate frown, BUILD THESE!!

Hey Bill! Want to get happy again? Why not build some exciting cars? I mean it's not as if you guys don't have some dynamite ideas. Ford has had some of the most ineresting concepts over the last few years, some real head turners. Like the Reflex! And everyone knows I love Ford, but lets face it the current line up is boring and uninspiring ( Mustang excluded.)
What about this? The Iosis which was praised globally and will be the inspiration for future European Ford styling. While we get "Dave" everyone else gets "Kinetic." What a snore, wake up Bill ditch Dave, and give us some style!
Hey, you want something to compete with Scion, Dodge, Toyota, Honda, Hyundai and all the others? How about putting the Focus platform under the Faction and getting some of that "youth" market?
Want to take advantage of the trailing edge of the "retro" craze ? Bring out the Bronco! People were six deep around this at the New York Auto Show. It's a no brainer according to every enthusiast. Just look at Mini and the new Toyota FJ Cruiser!

And don't forget my Reflex!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good luck to Jayson with his upcoming purchase of a Mazda 5 !

A friend of my brother is in the market for a new Family hauler and has decided on the Mazda 5. Good choice! The Mazda 5 which shares DNA with the 3 and CX7 is an innovative wagon/van. The only hints of mini van involved are the sliding rear doors. With three rows of 2 bucket seats each, it's a perfect compromise between wagon and van. With the same 2.3 L I-4 as my Mazda 3 making 160 hp through a 4 speed auto, it won't lag in traffic, but will get reasonable milage if Jayson doesn't put his foot to the floor too often. I myself looked at the 5 before buying the 3 and found it to be a great little hauler. But the 3 suited my needs better.

Good luck ! And give us some feedback on the driving experience if you can.

We're a truck country and Ford's a truck company, how are we to survive in the future?

Time to face facts kids, we're a nation of trucks, and yes I mean you "soccer moms" in your SUVs and you cowboys in your super duty trucks. And for over 90 years one of the main sources of our addiction to trucks has been Ford Motor Company. From the first Model T's converted to truck duty by farmers to the current crop of F Series trucks, Ford has more than likely sold more trucks world wide than any other manufacturer.
The Ford F series truck has been the best selling vehicle in the world for 26 years! That's not just the US, but with sales of over 900,000 anually that's just amazing. To put this in perspective there are probably not 900,000 Feraris built altogether since they started turning wrenches 50 years ago. It takes many models several years to sell a million units and Ford sells nearly that many F Series a year.
And to think old Henry Ford didn't want to build trucks? He reluctantly allowed the Model TT into production when executives around him pointed to the number of converted Model T's around the world. So Ford built trucks, man did they ever!
Trucks in all sizes from big to small and everything in between. Trucks for every concievable use. In every market around the globe Ford has a truck for any job you need. From the little Fiesta based Bantam/Courier mini ute or "backie" to the over the road big rigs. Ford trucks are part of the global landscape.
And now, the meat and potatoes of Ford's sales seem to have hit a wall. Sales of large trucks and SUVs have slowed and incentives like cash back, low interest loans and gas debit cards are offered to clear the dealers' lots. So does this mean Ford has had it? Will Ford abandon the truck market? ( Hell I can't believe I even typed that one.) Is there any hope for Ford and our American love afair with the truck? Well, no, no and yes!
While there is a rough road ahead for Ford and our nation there is hope and possability for a recovery. Ford Motor Company has been working on several technologies that can help relieve the pain of $3+ gallon fuel.

Let's be clear from the start E-85 is not the answer! It's a stop gap effort and a loophole for the manufacturers, not a boon to consumers. The facts are that E-85 powered Flex Fuel Vehicles get poorer milage than conventional fueled vehicles when they burn E-85, if you can find E-85. Diesels on the other hand get better fuel milage and deliver more power than Gasoline or E-85 powered vehicles. Now with new emissions standards Diesels are being pulled from the market, but with new technologies and "Low Sulphur" Diesel coming to market, Diesels will be back with a vengance, and FoMoCo is positioned to really meet our national need. Ford has Diesels in 4, 6 & 8 Cylinders that could be pressed into service in light, medium and heavy duty pickups and SUVs across their lineup. They're gearing up production of Diesels in France and England for the global markets, and partner brands destined for the US market.

In addition to Diesels, Ford has been working on Hydraulic Launch Assist for medium and heavy duty trucks and Hydrogen Internal Combustion Engines for busses and trucks. The SuperChief Concept truck was powered by a Supercharged Hydrogen burning V-10.

And for light duty trucks and crossover SUVs there is the posability of Hybrid drivetrains. The new Edge is based on mechanicals used in the Fusion and there is a planned Hybrid version on the way.

For those that need large trucks and SUVs or just feel they do, it's going to be a tough road until some of this technology comes to market, but Ford has been working hard to bring them to market. There have been stories online for months about Diesels for Expedition and Possibly Explorer and overseas the Ranger has had a Diesel for years.

The reality is that trucks, even smaller trucks use a lot of fuel, and some people will move away from trucks towards cars and car based vehicles. So there may be shrinkage in the truck market, and that means the ones that get the greatest share of what's left will be the ones that innovate and adapt. I believe Ford can come out on top again. What do you think?

The Boss is back to quiet those pesky GTO guys!

Long rummored and now AutoBlog reports on the return of the Boss Mustang. I had read months ago and they seem to support this, is that Ford will produce a 5.0 version of the Mod V-8 making 390 naturally aspirated horsepower. Sure it's a few ponies short of the GTO and Charger SRT8, but the Mustang's lighter weight should give it the stop light advantage.

Ford has been selling a crate version of the 5.0 "Cammer" motor for about a year now and it's the powerplant used by racing teams. 5.0 is close to the 302 ci displacement of the original Boss Mustang from 69-70.

The Boss will fit nicely between the "Base" Mustang GT and the SVT Shelby GT500 in both price and performance. I'm sure they'll be limited production units and as hard to find as the Shelbys. And you know that dealers will charge a hefty premium too.

Ford loosing focus on Focus?

I'm having problems posting photos, so I'm just going to go ahead without them. On Friday AutoBlog posted an article on SpyPhotos of the 2008 Focus sedan from Foculjet Forums. The photos are kind of fuzzy, but you can make out what looks like a new Fusion type three bar grille.

But what's more interesting than the spy photos, is the discussion about the future of the Focus both at AutoBlog and at Foculjet Forums.

It seems Ford is considering killing the Focus 3 & 5 door hatches, as well as the station wagon, leaving the 4 door sedan and a possible 2 door coupe. So they're going to "Americanize" the Focus by killing most versions. I'm not sure that's the "Bold Move" I'd make, but let's explore this further.

3 door hatchbacks seem to be loosing favor in the US, even Honda no longer offers the Civic in hatchback form. So while I prefer the look of a 3 door hatch and Volvo is introducing the C30, a 3 door version of the Focus C1 based S40/V50, Ford wants to cut out the bottom rung of the Focus ladder. Debateable move, but there is a trend away from 3 doors.

Now 5 door hatchbacks and little utes are all the rage now, with the new Nissan Versa, Honda Fit, and Hyundais selling well. Toyota has the Matrix and Mazda the 3 (also Focus C1 based). Dodge just moved away from the Neon sedan with the Caliber and Jeep is coming to market with 2 clones the Patriot and Compass. So why would Ford kill the 5 door? And the Wagon too? Now nobody is going to acuse the Focus wagon of being exciting, but it's one of the last compact station wagons on the market. So does Ford have a new model coming that will fit in this niche? Or are they just going to abandon the 5 door/wagon/ute market?

The 4 door sedan does seem to be the most popular Focus right now and is a good car. I'm reserving judgement on the "Dave" styling until I see better pictures. But the Focus does offer a competitor to Honda's Civic and Toyota's Corrola. But the Civic is all new and the Corrolla is due for replacement soon.

Now a 2 door coupe? That could be interesting, Honda has had success with their coupe as has Chevy with the Cobalt. But this has been a shrinking market segment, isn't it?

So is Ford doing to the Focus what they did to the Escort? Breaking ties with it's European roots, differentiating the model so much that they have little more than a name in common? The last generation Escort if you remember was nothing more than a rebadged Mazda 323 with none of the Ford Escort DNA from Europe.

It's said that Ford will bring a new Focus to the US in 2010 based on the C1 platform. Well hell what other platform can they use? But that will be how many years after the C1 saw world wide release?

There are pros and cons for some of these moves, but Ford had better sort out their plans quickly and bring competative variations to the North American Market as soon as possible or sooner. Maybe the new Focus based Crossover? Will the new Focus Coupe be based on the European Coupe/Cabriolet?

The "Way Forward" seems to involve a lot of chasing their own tale in my opinion.