Fiesta Force

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The front the grille has been revised to include the three-bar design (at least on the sedan), and the fog lights have been replaced by LED light strips surrounded by chrome.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.

Read more…

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.

Read more…

Sara Miller Llana of the CS Monitor reported a year ago that the Ford will build the North American version of the Ford Fiesta in Mexico.  Sure this isn’t what US manufacturing wanted to here especially with the current US economic climate but hopefully Ford’s success with the Fiesta will lead to many more jobs in the US.   Article located below.

2011 Ford Fiesta

June 2, 2008

Ford Motor Co., in a struggle to regain profitability, will build its new Fiesta subcompact at a factory near Mexico City for sale in the US.

It is a blow to Detroit.

But for Mexico, Friday’s announcement – which has been heralded as the largest manufacturing investment in the country’s history – is a decisive feat.

President Felipe Calderón called the $3 billion deal a “turning point.”

Read more…

Auto Express Magazine named the New Ford Fiesta the Car of the Year for 2009.  This makes the wait for the 2010 US introduction seem even further away. Enjoy the article below.

2011 Ford Fiesta

Ford’s Fiesta subcompact has garnered yet another award. This time, it’s British car mag Auto Express bestowing its Car of Year 2009 award on the Fiesta, along with its Best Supermini award.

The new Fiesta went on sale last September in Britain, and more than 77,000 have been sold since then. So far, the car has won nine awards, according to Ford.

“Expectations of the latest Fiesta couldn’t have been higher–but it hasn’t disappointed. The sleek exterior makes many rivals look dated, while the cutting-edge cabin is as distinctive as it is attractive. And that’s before you even consider the Fiesta’s dynamic prowess: the nimble chassis and beautifully weighted controls mark it out as something very special,” Auto Express Editor in Chief David Johns said, according to a Ford press release. Read more…

Sam Abuelsamid (Autoblog Green) review of the New Ford Fiesta is located below.

For all the strength that the U.S. automakers have shown in the realm of big trucks and SUVs over the last thirty years, they are remarkably weak when it comes to small cars. However, all that appears to be about to change quite dramatically. A plethora of stylish small cars are coming to market over the next 12-24 months wearing the badges of, at least, Ford and General Motors. Chrysler may even get in the action if it can consummate a deal with Fiat and get the 500. At the moment however, the first and perhaps most exciting example is the Ford Fiesta.

Ford sold the first-generation Fiesta in the U.S. for several years in the late ’70s and early ’80s in the wake of the second Middle East oil crisis. Since then, the Fiesta has remained a relatively popular option in Europe, but America had to make do mostly with the Escort and Focus along with a few years of the Kia-sourced Festiva and Aspire. Ford is now in the midst of re-focusing its efforts on cars with plenty of help of Europe. The first of those Euro-Fords will be the 6th generation Fiesta which arrives here around the end of this year. We had the chance to spend some time behind the wheel of the Fiesta in Manhattan during the New York Auto Show.

Source: Autoblog Green.

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