Ford is ready to start making money on small cars, and the production of Job One of the new global Fiesta marks what the company is calling a "new global small-car era for Ford." Having just spent a month in Europe and very much liking the various Kas and other small Fords running around there, this is good news to me, especially to see that the first new Fiesta rolled off the production line in Cologne, Germany today (see the gallery below). The Cologne Stamping and Assembly plant has been the birthplace of over 5m Fiestas since 1979. Sales of the new Fiesta should start soon, and production will also kick off in Asia and Spain in the next few months. In a few years (in early 2010), Ford will start building the North American Fiesta at the Cuautitlan Assembly Plant in Mexico. More details after the break.


[Source: Ford]

Ford has everything ready to start selling the new Fiesta in Europe next Fall. Prices start at €11,700 for gasoline variants, and €13,700 for diesels (prices shown are for the French market). If you want 5 doors instead of 3, you have to add €500 to the sticker price. Six different trims(Ambiente, Trend, ECOnetic, Ghia, Titanium and Sport, or Zetec S in the UK) and six powerplants (4 gasoline and 2 diesel) will be available.

All gasoline engines produce CO₂ under 140 g/km and start with two 1.25L options, with 60 or 82 hp. An available 1.4L is good for 96 hp. All three have emissions ratings under 135 g/km. The sportiest version has a brand new 1.6L four-cylinder rated at 118 hp that achieves 41.6 mpg (US), while keeping CO₂ emissions at 139 g/km. Regarding diesels, there's a 1.4L good for 68 hp as well as a 1.6L with 90 hp, producing CO₂ under 110 g/km. The ECOnetic version further improves the car's consumption level to 62.5 mpg (U.S.) and boasts CO₂ emissions of 98 g/km.


[Source: Autoplus]

We're fully aware that Ford will be bringing the 62mpg, 98g/km CO₂ Fiesta Econetic to the British Motor Show. What was less noticeable was just how much faith Ford is putting into how this fuel-efficient little ride and the others in the Econetic lineup. As the release pasted after the jump makes clear, Econetic models and other eco-friendly rides are responsible for a 38 percent sales "surge" in the UK, and Ford says the upcoming Fiesta Econetic will - it is hoped - continue this success. Any good sales data much we music to the ears of Ford execs these days. You will find more details from Ford after the jump. For people who want a little more racing style with their Fiesta, Ford will also be bringing the Zetec S Red to the UK in a limited edition.


[Source: Ford]

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With excitement building over Ford's introduction of the new Fiesta to the U.S. market, it's fun to get to know its international brethren. Ford is introducing a new limited edition of the Fiesta to the UK called the Zetec S Red special edition. This zippy little ride gets a red body paint (called "Colorado") and a checkered flag roof paint. Inside, the Zetec S Red sports leather seats and privacy glass. The powerplant will be a gasoline-only 1.6-litre, 100PS that Ford calls "zesty yet thrifty." See more details after the break.

Ford will only be making 400 of these special models and will sell them for £13,000. Ford UK sold almost 43,000 of the popular Fiesta in the UK through the end of May and previous limited edition Fiestas have sold out quickly.


[Source: Ford]

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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)]

Traditionally U.S. car buyers have had an aversion to paying more than minimal prices for small cars, essentially preferring to "pay by the pound." That has posed a problem for automakers trying to meet fleet average fuel economy standards. If they can't sell enough smaller cars to pull up their fleet average, they have to spend a lot more money to raise the efficiency of bigger vehicles to compensate. The only way they have been able to sell small cars to Americans has been at rock-bottom prices which means they lose money on every car. A large part of the cost of cars is tied up in areas like engineering, labor and tooling. Those costs are pretty much the same regardless of whether you're building a Toyota Yaris or a Lexus. The cost of extra materials has been less than the price differential that customers have been willing to pay.

In recent years though, Americans have started to show a willingness to pay more for a small car if it's equipped with the all features they expect, has high quality appointments and decent, if not outstanding, performance. The success of cars like the MINI and the Mazda3 looks like it might be an inspiration to Ford. The new Fiesta that's coming to the U.S. market is actually expected to be profitable from the start. Part of that is due to economies of scale from making a global small car. The stylish little car has drawn raves for its looks inside and out and Ford expects to be able to sell it for a price higher than they would if it was just a stripped down economy car. Ford design director Peter Horbury believes that selling the Fiesta at the same specification levels as the Euro model will allow the car to succeed both financially and from an efficiency standpoint.

[Source: Just-Auto, Sub. 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]

The Verve sedan concept

The clearest shots yet of the production version of Ford's new B-class car have turned up showing both the three- and five-door hatchback models. The new photos show the minis pretty much devoid of camouflage and confirm that they will remain pretty much true to the Verve concept. When the car comes to the US in 2009, we'll probably get the four-door sedan that Ford unveiled in China last week (pictured above) and perhaps the three door hatch. Although unlikely it would be nice if Ford brought over a small diesel for the new car.

[Source: AutoExpress]

When Ford unveiled the concept version of their new B-class mini car at the Frankfurt Motor Show it was called the Verve. The production version of this car, which is expected to debut next March at the Geneva Motor Show to replace the current Fiesta, appears set to retain most of the visual verve of the concept, but it looks like Ford is taking a lesson from the Taurus/Five Hundred fiasco when it comes to naming. Rather than flush three decades of brand equity, the new car looks like it will still be badged as a Fiesta. Whether that will carry over to the US market, which will get the car for 2009, is unknown since it's likely that few if any of the potential customers will even remember that the Fiesta was offered here, for a time, about two decades ago.

[Source: AutoExpress]