FORD CONFIRMS FIESTA AS GLOBAL NAME FOR SMALL CAR

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Ford’s new small car family will use the Fiesta name around the world.

Designed and developed in Europe for customers in Europe, Asia, South Africa, Australia and the Americas between 2008 and 2010, the new Fiesta is the first major product of Ford’s new global product development process. This new small car keeps alive a name synonymous with more than 30 years of success and strong driving dynamics in Europe and is already well known in markets across Asia, Australia and South America. The Fiesta also was offered in the United States from 1978 to 1980.

“The new Ford Fiesta captures every aspect of what’s defined Ford as a small-car leader in Europe and builds on it in terms of driving dynamics and design,” said Mark Fields, president of the Americas, Ford Motor Company. “When it arrives in North America in 2010, the Ford Fiesta will set a new standard in the small car segment. Even before it arrives in this market, though, the new Fiesta demonstrates how leveraging our global strengths can yield attractive benefits for customers around the world.”

The dynamic new look for this global family of small cars was previewed in three Ford Verve Concept vehicles which made their debuts at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2007, the Guangzhou Motor Show in November 2007 and the North American International Auto Show in January 2008.

In Europe, the new Fiesta will debut first in production guise at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show in March and will go on sale in fall 2008 in three- and five-door hatchback body styles. By 2010, the new Fiesta will be on sale in markets across Europe, Asia, South Africa, Australia and North America in a variety of regionally tailored models derived from a common platform.

"The new Ford Fiesta will set the standard for delivering to our customers products they really want and value while taking advantage of our wonderful global resources," said Alan Mulally, Ford Motor Company president and CEO. "With momentum in small-car sales outpacing industry growth worldwide, we will build on our European small car strength to deliver a new generation of small cars for a new generation of highly discerning customers."

The new Ford Fiesta brings the dynamic Verve Concept exterior and interior styling to production reality, demonstrating that small cars can be stylish, sophisticated and emotional. It rejects the notion that an affordable small car has to be a commodity.

The new Ford Fiesta also makes major strides in small car craftsmanship, quality of materials and product choice while continuing to represent traditional strengths of practicality, value for money, agility and safety. It also brings a host of big-car features to the small-car segment for the first time.

“The new Ford Fiesta is an example of how good a small car can be,” said Jim Farley, Ford’s group vice president, Marketing and Communications. “The Fiesta is great to look at, great to drive and it has quality you can see, feel and touch. It’s going to be an important growth product for North America.”

A key Ford Fiesta strength throughout its life has been its acclaimed driving quality, and the new model intends to uphold this reputation. Ford’s dynamics engineers also worked hard to enhance Fiesta’s ride comfort and isolate road, wind and powertrain noise from the cabin, and to give the new model an impressively quiet driving quality for a small car.