We still have another year and a half or so before the new Ford Fiesta will be available at North American Ford dealerships but we may know today where the little car will be built. Ford is expected to announce today that Fiestas for the the U.S. and Canadian markets will be built at one of Ford's two Mexican assembly plants. When Ford launched the Fiesta at the Geneva Motor Show, they announced that the cars would be produced in Europe and Asia for those markets but had not yet decided where to source the North American edition.

Also undecided at this point is which body styles we will get here. The four-door sedan will definitely be available, but there is also a great deal of interest in the stylish hatchback model. Ford made a last minute decision to display the hatchback version of the Concept Verve at the Detroit Auto Show this year and it drew a lot of positive response. With stylish, well-equipped hatchbacks like the Honda Fit gaining in popularity, a similar Fiesta is a strong possibility. Now they just need to pull the program forward and bring this car to market as soon as possible. Along with the upcoming Fusion hybrid, the Fiesta could be a major shot in the arm for Ford in North America and they need it now.


[Source: Reuters]

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Soon after the new Ford Fiesta launches in Eurpe in July, a version "with 99 grams per kilometer CO₂ will come very quickly," Ford of Europe Chairman Lewis Booth has told Automotive News Europe. This is the EcoNetic version of the Fiesta, which was announced at the Geneva Motor Show, and would essentially have "conventional technology" underhood, Booth said. By using options like low rolling resistance tires, different gear ratios and aerodynamic tweaks, a sub-100 g/km CO₂ version is possible.

The Fiesta is Ford's global small car, so the low-emissions option should be welcomed no matter where you live. In the U.S., Ford says the American Fiesta will be well-equipped and profitable right from the get-go. BusinessWeek is reporting today that the Fiesta might also soon makes its way to India.


[Source: Automotive News (subs req'd)]

Click the Fiesta for a high-res gallery

Last week, Ford announced that their new B-class car that's coming to the U.S. for 2010 would retain the name Fiesta that's currently used for that car in the rest of the world. When the Verve concept made it's North American debut at the Detroit Auto Show last month most of the attention was paid to the new four-door sedan version. This was no surprise given American consumers seeming preference to that form factor. However, visitors to the show might have also noticed that the original three-door hatchback concept that debuted last fall at Frankfurt was also sitting nearby. It turns out that the hatchback had been touring European shows and was not originally planned to be shown here. However, new marketing chief Jim Farley, who recently moved to Dearborn from Toyota, had other ideas. According to a Ford source, Farley insisted that the hatchback be shown in North America alongside the sedan. Farley apparently supports the idea of selling the hatch here. Based on the comments to the posts on the production Fiesta photos here and on Autoblog, it seems that the majority of readers feel the same way. No decision has been made at this point, but chances look good for America getting a hatchback Fiesta as well as the sedan.


[Source: Ford]