2011 Ford Fiesta Deliverys Delayed Due to Weather
By Chris Haak
Production of the all-new Ford Fiesta subcompact [note: first drive review available here] in the company’s plant in Cuautitlan, Mexico (near Mexico City) is ramping up, and many eager buyers are waiting to receive their new cars. (With apologies to Henry Ford, in spite of what we’ve seen in the Fiesta’s promotional materials, there is no truth to speculation that the car is available in any color, as long as it’s lime green.)
Unfortunately, deliveries of the car have hit a snag. Hurricane Alex hit northern Mexico in late June, and Tropical Storm Bonnie hit the country shortly thereafter. The back-to-back storms knocked out critical rail lines that Ford typically uses to transport completed cars north of the border into the US.
According to the company, just because the rail lines are down does not mean that they all have to be repaired before the cars can continue their journey to dealers. It just means that they have to find an alternate route to the US, which likely means truck transportation, and that the cars will arrive at dealers in early August rather than late July.
Though the delay is naturally somewhat disappointing to buyers of the new Fiesta, it is unlikely that the delay will adversely impact the success of the car’s launch. Ford has devoted considerable resources into creatively marketing the Fiesta in the US, including putting cars into the hands of influencers (otherwise known as Fiesta Agents) for several months to help spread the message about the car and many social media initiatives.
If the Fiesta doesn’t do well in the US, the blame can lie at the feet of US consumers’ distaste for small vehicles – even nicely-styled, premium ones – as well as relatively cheap gasoline, but not on the storm-induced Fiesta shipment delay.
