The U.S. version of the Ford Fiesta was officially unveiled today.  Ford’s own Mark Fields officially introduced the car along with numerous Fiesta agents on hand who helped pull the sheets off the various Fiestas on the show floor.

While just 60 percent of the parts on the U.S.-spec Fiesta are common with the European version, most of the European versions visual design elements remain. The front the grille has been revised to include the three-bar design (at least on the sedan), and the fog lights have been replaced by LED light strips surrounded by chrome.

The interior design is relatively the same as well, although it’s been tweaked to conform with U.S. crash standards and features soft touch materials, a four-inch LCD display, and available SYNC, auto climate control, leather seats, moon roof and more. The sole engine available for the U.S. spec Fiesta is the 1.6-liter four-cylinder putting out 119 horsepower and 109 lb-ft torque. Ford projects a 40 mpg highway rating with either the 5-speed manual or new 6-speed PowerShift electronic dual clutch automatic transmissions.

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Offical Ford press release is located below.

PRESS RELEASE

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 2, 2009 – Ford’s hot-selling new Ford Fiesta will deliver more than just great looks and top fuel economy of any vehicle in its segment when it goes on sale in North America next year. The 2011 Fiesta – available in four- and five-door body styles – also will set a new small car benchmark for safety, connectivity and powertrain technology.

In fact, Fiesta will offer North American buyers a stylish new choice of 15 class-exclusive technologies and projected highway fuel economy of 40 mpg, besting the Honda Fit, Nissan Versa and Toyota Yaris and Corolla.

“Customers are savvy. They want expressive cars that deliver not just great fuel economy but also high quality, new technologies and a fun driving experience,” said Mark Fields, Ford president of The Americas. “We plan to answer the call with Fiesta; an all-new vehicle in North America we hope will set a new standard for small cars.”

Fiesta is the next milestone under the ONE Ford plan to design and develop vehicles that meet the differing needs, wants and expectations of customers around the world. More than 500,000 Fiestas have already sold to customers in Europe and Asia.

When developing the new Fiesta, Ford conducted extensive global customer research. Findings clearly indicated the need for style topped the list of customer desires everywhere in the world. In Europe, across North America and in the Asia Pacific region, customers are looking for a distinctively designed small car that offers world-class quality, convenience, comfort and connectivity.

“Fiesta was developed with customers, not just for them,” said Derrick Kuzak, group vice president for global product development. “Fuel economy, spirited performance and efficient use of space are universal desires, across global markets – and Fiesta delivers.”

The anticipated new Ford Fiesta arrives in North America with strong consumer awareness, thanks to the Fiesta Movement program. With 100 social media mavens chronicling their experiences of driving European market Fiestas on American roads, Fiesta has generated more than 675,000 Flickr views and more than 5.5 million YouTube video views.

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One year after its debut, more than half a million customers have purchased the new Ford Fiesta, marking an important milestone as Ford Motor Company prepares to bring the fuel-efficient, global car to the U.S. and other key Asian Pacific markets next year.

The new Fiesta, the first in a wave of stylish vehicles being brought to world-wide markets under the ONE Ford plan, went on sale in Germany in October 2008. It quickly became the second-best-selling car for all markets in Europe and the leader in the European small car segment. The new Fiesta has also been a key driver behind Ford of Europe’s market share gains, which are up 0.5 percentage points this year through September to 9.2 percent, the highest since 1999.

After its European introduction, the Fiesta was launched in South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and China. Global retail sales of the car reached 470,000 units through September of this year, with 430,000 sales in Europe and 40,000 in the Asia Pacific region. Continued strong demand for Fiesta through October has pushed the total number beyond 500,000.

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Business Week, September 4, 2008 article about how the US won’t get the diesel Fiesta available in Europe.  This article is about 11 months old so the  fuel price descriptions are a bit higher than today. In any case a 65 mpg rating is still much higher than the new Prius! Enjoy the article.

By David Kiley
September 15, 2008

Ford’s Fiesta ECOnetic gets an astonishing 65 mpg, but the carmaker can’t afford to sell it in the U.S

If ever there was a car made for the times, this would seem to be it: a sporty subcompact that seats five, offers a navigation system, and gets a whopping 65 miles to the gallon. Oh yes, and the car is made by Ford Motor (F), known widely for lumbering gas hogs. [break]

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The Ford Fiesta ECOnetic becomes the most fuel efficient 5 seater family car in the UK with CO2 emissions under 100g/km. Aerodynamic body styling, lowered suspension and low resistance tyres all help to achieve ultra low CO2 emissions.

Earlier this year Jalopnik’s Wes Siler reviewed one of the European Ford Fiestas brought to the US as part of the Fiesta Movement.  The “Fiesta Movement”  program put the 2009 Fiesta in the hands of 100 everyday people for six month extended test drives.

The Jalopnik review provided some great insights into the car we can expect early next year in the US.  Some key stats:

American version will be made in Mexico, sales start early in 2010 for the 2011 model, will have 1.6-liter, 118 HP engine and European tuned suspension, choice of five speed manual or automatic transmission, 0-60 MPH in 9.9 seconds with a 120 MPH top speed and return an estimated mid 30s combined MPG figures.

Source: Jalopnik.com

A recent post on Luxist describes how the new Ford Fiesta will be returning to the US market for the first time since 1980. Unlike the 1980 Fiesta that focused primarily on good fuel economy, the New Fiesta will display higher end equipment and workmanship plus fuel economy in a small package.

Picture below show the handsome sedan version of the Fiesta that will make its way to the US!

Source: Luxist.com

Gotta Have Cars: 2010 Ford Fiesta

Sub-compact-size models that manufacturers now refer to as “B”- class cars. Some thought America didn’t care. Then crude oil passed $100 a barrel and gas prices approached four bucks a gallon. People care now and are buying these B-cars. Ford sold its original Fiesta here three decades ago. It was a hit, and the Blue Ovals are hoping for a repeat performance with the new one, which hits our shores in calendar year 2010.

Ford teased us with several concept cars named Verve, all of which point to the new production version, which is globally named Fiesta. It goes on sale this fall in Europe and other markets in three- and five-door hatch variants. The sedan version, with a conventional trunk, is currently being designed for the U.S. and Asia and isn’t pictured here. But it’s not hard to figure what it’ll look like. “Take the five-door Fiesta,” says Ford global design chief J Mays, “and graft on the trunk of the Verve sedan concept, and you’ll be 99 percent there.” The overall package is more substantial looking than the Fit and better proportioned than the Versa. The jury is still out on whether or not the hatchback model Fiestas will be sold here.

Mays’ team put extra effort, and dollars, into the cabins. The I.P. designs are sweeping, with deep, pod-like gauges, and the center stack has a “personal electronics” feel. “I believe this is one B-car that has C-car amenities,” adds Mays. There’s no talk of U.S.-spec powertrains yet, but the Euro Fiesta, which shares front-drive chassis architecture with the Mazda2, runs a 1.6-liter four with a choice of manual or automatic transmissions.

If the fit, finish, and dynamics measure up, Ford could be well positioned to strike with the Fiesta, as Chrysler and GM don’t have competitive players in this segment. And gas isn’t going to get any cheaper.

Source: MotorTrend