All About Japan Autos

Some American car shoppers who placed orders for the 2011 Ford Fiesta will have to wait a bit longer before taking ownership — and it’s not Ford’s fault.

Autoweek reports, “Ford Motor Co.’s shipments of the 2011 Ford Fiesta subcompact to U.S. dealerships will be delayed by 10 days to two weeks because of storm-damaged railroad lines.” Hurricane Alex and Tropical Storm Bonnie are to blame.

Ford spokeswoman Angie Kozleski is quoted by egmCarTech: “We do ship a significant amount of vehicles via railroad, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t shipping at all. We just have to reroute it and that takes time.”

According to USA Today: “Many dealers have waiting lists for the subcompact car, which gets 29 mpg in the city and 40 mpg on the highway. About 2,000 customers have already put money down.”

While some owners-in-waiting have expressed disappointment for the delay on the Ford Fiesta’s Facebook page, most seem understanding. In fact, Ford has even posted pictures of the damaged railroad line to help deflect blame.

If you’re in the market for a new car, check out the U.S. News rankings of this year’s best cars as well as this month’s best car deals.