This week’s most read reviews continue to be Chrysler’s highly anticipated 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee and the 2011 Honda CR-Z. Also making the list is the 2010 Honda CR-V and 2010 Chevy Equinox; we say goodbye to the 2011 Buick Regal and 2011 Ford Mustang for now.
American automakers aren't known for high gas mileage or high-quality small cars, but that’s changing. The Los Angeles International Auto Show saw the introduction of two smaller cars from Chevrolet and Ford, both of which promise highway fuel economy of up to 40 mpg as well as high-quality interiors and features usually found on more expensive models. Have they reached small-car Nirvana? Yes. And no.
The Fiesta comes in S, SE, SEL and SES trim levels. The S comes as only a sedan, the SE comes as either a sedan or five-door hatchback, the SEL as only a sedan and the SES as a five-door hatchback.
The North American version of the Fiesta subcompact will debut at the 2009 Los Angeles Auto Show in early December. Ford made the announcement today and added that the new car, a 2011 model, will go on sale next summer.
No additional information was revealed, however, we do know the U.S. will get a sedan and two-door hatchback. The Fiesta sedan sold in China is shown above. It’s still not known what the Fiesta’s powertrain will be; that information will be revealed at the December show.
At the 2009 New York International Auto Show, Ford provided a couple of European-spec Fiesta subcompacts for the media to drive, and I took one out for a spin on the streets of Manhattan. Of all the foreign-spec cars I've driven as teasers of upcoming American products, this one was probably the closest to what we'll actually get here in the States, which makes it all the more maddening that the 2011 Ford Fiesta is still about a year away.
I drove a five-speed manual with a 1.6-liter four-cylinder, which is basically what we'll get in the U.S., along with a four-speed automatic. Even with the four adults we had in the car, there was enough low-rpm power to take off repeatedly in a patch of stop-and-go gridlock. It's certainly powerful enough for driving on the flatlands, but I'd have to drive a loaded Fiesta on hills to know what it's really made of.
The Ford Fiesta has been a huge hit in Europe, where its small size and fuel efficiency have won it praise and, more importantly, sales. Now it’s on its way to the U.S. as soon as 2010, where Ford hopes to duplicate its European success. Cars.com’s Kelsey Mays had a chance to check out the Fiesta at the 2009 Chicago auto show, and he runs down what Ford will need to do to make the vehicle a hit.
Behind the big guns introduced in Chicago — the Taurus SHO and the Harley-Davidson F-150 — Ford parked a European version of its new Fiesta compact. The car is part of a program that will loan a handful of models to so-called cultural influencers — cool people — before it goes on sale in 2010. I poked around in it and, as a gut check, went across the showroom floor to revisit the competing Nissan Versa, Honda Fit and Toyota Yaris.
My early take: The Fiesta trades quantity for quality. The interior feels high-rent, but larger drivers take warning: It’s no gymnasium inside.
Act quickly and you could get your hands on a Ford Fiesta before it even hits American shores…and you could get it for free.
As part of a marketing campaign, Ford will select 100 lucky individuals — regular people, mind you — to receive Fiestas and build hype around the small, fuel-efficient car that has done so well in Europe. But wait, there’s more: During the sixth-month period in which they get the car, those selected will not only get to drive a free Fiesta, but also enjoy free gas, insurance and concierge service.
Applicants must put together a 2-5 minute video explaining why they are worthy of a Fiesta. Fair warning: Once you have the car, Ford stipulates that you must be willing to participate in “monthly secret assignments from Ford Mission Control that will take you places you’ve never been.”
With only a hundred slots, the odds of getting one are thin, but go to the Fiesta website to learn how to sign up.
Ford Giving Away 100 Fiestas for Six Months (Autoblog)
Ford, in its apparent love of mini-sites, has launched a new 2011 Ford Fiesta webpage. Call it premature, but with Ford desperately proving its relevancy to Congress, displaying some of its future rides makes a lot of sense at the moment.
Along with a few pictures of the car — which Ford points out are of the 2009 European model — there’s also some information regarding available content.
Judging from the luxury-like features, it appears Ford will market the Fiesta as a premium subcompact competitor to the Honda Fit. However, always more important to car shoppers is the list of standard features, which Ford has not released. But note that the 2011 Fiesta will sport standard stability control when it goes on sale in 2010. That’s a couple years before it will be mandated by federal law.
Check out the features and more just-released images of the Fiesta sedan which will go on sale in the U.S. in early 2010.
This morning Ford announced a rather large loss in the second quarter of 2008 — $8.7 billion. Because the company needs to reassure stockholders and Wall Street of its future, Ford has detailed its product plans for the next two years in rather explicit detail. It seems dire economic times have broken through the secretive process Detroit automakers have had in place for decades. Check out our in-depth look at what products Ford will field in the next two years from Europe and North America, and if they’ll be worth the wait. We detail future Lincoln and Mercury products in a separate post.
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