Hi, Guest
09-25-2012, 11:49 PM
As much as I admire Matt’s “pure-itanical” mindset on the subject, the whole "badging" issue is not so cut and dried IMO ... there are many in the Mustang community who still refuse to call this a Mustang - even though of course it came out of the factory wearing that badge.
![[Image: images?q=tbn:ANd9GcREmVI2JDdTn0q4rMpP6An...darChTBCN5]](http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcREmVI2JDdTn0q4rMpP6AnaBp_AqWuKr8XJxyQEsFdarChTBCN5)
But the fact is that Ford did make an SVT wagon – but first a little self indulgence.
I was part of the communications and marketing development team that was imbedded with the Ford of Canada product development group tasked with bringing the Focus to Canada; this was in the late 1990s.
As part of that group, one of our first jobs was to identify the ideal bodystyle mix for Canada and it was readily apparent that we had a problem – the Americans wanted just a basic barebones coupe and sedan and our ideal mix included a hatch and a wagon and an upscale version – all were on the books for Europe.
Within the Ford world at that time however, invariably the Americans got what they wanted and Canada made do. But the president of Ford Canada at the time just wouldn’t accept that and tasked my group with coming up with a compelling story to tell the new Ford CEO Jac Nasser, who was not an American.
And so Nasser came to Oakville and heard our story – a multi-media exposition of what was Canada, why were different from the Americans, our different automotive experience, our demographic trends, our passion for cars that tended to be more European than in the US, and the unique automotive culture in Quebec. We told him that the Focus would be a tremendous success in Canada, but only if we had a hatch and a wagon. There was just 11 people in the room and I was one of them.
Well you all know the outcome of the story - against the odds we got both a hatch and a wagon - and now you know one of the reasons I have been so passionate about the Focus since its inception – in a small way I helped bring it to life here in Canada.
One of the discussions we did not fully win against the Americans was the idea of badging. The Americans wanted to go with their typical Escort nomenclature at the time S, SE – we wanted to go European and again you know how that turned out. Sedans and wagons were NA, hatch was badged Euro.
And so now to the matter at hand. When Ford EU began developing the hot Focus hatch for their market – it was called the ST170 – if Ford at that time had been true to the world-car intention of the Focus the hot hatch in NA would have also been called ST170. But what’s in a name? Shakespeare says a rose by any other name is still a rose – and so in my mind an ST170 by any other name is still an ST170.
In Europe the ST170 lineup included the wagon, and it would have been relatively easy to decide to bring it here, but wagons weren’t selling well in the US and there was the factory situation … the hatch was built in Mexico, and the wagon was built in Kentucky and they just didn’t want to split up SVT production.
The other consideration was Ford's decision to support their network of SVT dealers who were clamoring for more product at that time - and so the decision to badge the hot hatch "SVT, was more a strategic distribution decision, than any nod to history or legacy.
So … invoking the notion that the badge does not make the car but that the car makes the car – I am on the side that maintains that the ST170 wagon could just as well be labelled SVT and in that sense Ford did in fact build an SVT wagon.
![[Image: images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTiXAYcczl1tqWBvGOWK8K...R-5-S7A3vL]](http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTiXAYcczl1tqWBvGOWK8K5QO3AHiewwnMIXC78A2R-5-S7A3vL)
But the fact is that Ford did make an SVT wagon – but first a little self indulgence.
I was part of the communications and marketing development team that was imbedded with the Ford of Canada product development group tasked with bringing the Focus to Canada; this was in the late 1990s.
As part of that group, one of our first jobs was to identify the ideal bodystyle mix for Canada and it was readily apparent that we had a problem – the Americans wanted just a basic barebones coupe and sedan and our ideal mix included a hatch and a wagon and an upscale version – all were on the books for Europe.
Within the Ford world at that time however, invariably the Americans got what they wanted and Canada made do. But the president of Ford Canada at the time just wouldn’t accept that and tasked my group with coming up with a compelling story to tell the new Ford CEO Jac Nasser, who was not an American.
And so Nasser came to Oakville and heard our story – a multi-media exposition of what was Canada, why were different from the Americans, our different automotive experience, our demographic trends, our passion for cars that tended to be more European than in the US, and the unique automotive culture in Quebec. We told him that the Focus would be a tremendous success in Canada, but only if we had a hatch and a wagon. There was just 11 people in the room and I was one of them.
Well you all know the outcome of the story - against the odds we got both a hatch and a wagon - and now you know one of the reasons I have been so passionate about the Focus since its inception – in a small way I helped bring it to life here in Canada.
One of the discussions we did not fully win against the Americans was the idea of badging. The Americans wanted to go with their typical Escort nomenclature at the time S, SE – we wanted to go European and again you know how that turned out. Sedans and wagons were NA, hatch was badged Euro.
And so now to the matter at hand. When Ford EU began developing the hot Focus hatch for their market – it was called the ST170 – if Ford at that time had been true to the world-car intention of the Focus the hot hatch in NA would have also been called ST170. But what’s in a name? Shakespeare says a rose by any other name is still a rose – and so in my mind an ST170 by any other name is still an ST170.
In Europe the ST170 lineup included the wagon, and it would have been relatively easy to decide to bring it here, but wagons weren’t selling well in the US and there was the factory situation … the hatch was built in Mexico, and the wagon was built in Kentucky and they just didn’t want to split up SVT production.
The other consideration was Ford's decision to support their network of SVT dealers who were clamoring for more product at that time - and so the decision to badge the hot hatch "SVT, was more a strategic distribution decision, than any nod to history or legacy.
So … invoking the notion that the badge does not make the car but that the car makes the car – I am on the side that maintains that the ST170 wagon could just as well be labelled SVT and in that sense Ford did in fact build an SVT wagon.
2008 Fusion SEL MTX - DD1 * 2009 Fusion SEL - DD2 * 2007 Focus ZXW - R*I*P * 2004 Focus ZTW CD Silver - sold * 2004 Focus ZTW Black - sold * 2003 Focus ZTW Black - sold * 2001 Focus ZTW Gold - sold * 2000 Focus SE Wagon (ZTW option) - Black - sold * 2000 Focus SE Wagon (ZTW option) - Gold R*I*P
2003 Focus ZX5 infra-red Track Rat - R*I*P
2003 ZX5 CD Silver Track Rat - retired, but still in the driveway
New track rat: 2000 ZX3, Atlantic Blue * JRSC with lots more to come
* New Zetec crate motor - NFG - thanks Topspeed *
2003 Focus ZX5 infra-red Track Rat - R*I*P
2003 ZX5 CD Silver Track Rat - retired, but still in the driveway
New track rat: 2000 ZX3, Atlantic Blue * JRSC with lots more to come
* New Zetec crate motor - NFG - thanks Topspeed *
