Following the carmaker’s dismal financial results this quarter, the Fiesta represents the new strategy to build globally and cut costs simultaneously. Ford is aiming to build around five million vehicles globally using the Fiesta platform within the next five years - no small target but feasible considering the shift towards smaller cars.
Combined with production facilities in Spain, Thailand and China, Ford hopes to have a veritable flood of small cars hitting the market soon to satiate global demand. On top of this, the carmaker’s Mexico truck plant will be retooled to build more Fiestas and eventually a new global Focus.
Original: Last week we reported that Ford will keep pricing for its upcoming Fiesta below $15,000 in the U.S. but to achieve these levels the car will have to be sourced from a low-cost facility with latest reports claiming Mexico as the new site. The news will come as a blow to unionized U.S. plants, which have been attempting to convince Ford management they can build small cars at a competitive rate. Almost all subcompacts currently sold in the U.S. are built overseas.
The upcoming Ford Fiesta, due in North America in 2010, is a crucial model for Ford as it’s the first vehicle developed under its new global common-platform strategy. The three and five-door hatchback models will first go on sale in Europe in the second half of the year and will eventually go on sale in China as a sedan at the end of the year.
Ford is yet to announce which versions will be sold in the U.S., however the sedan is almost guaranteed given the Verve sedan concept revealed at the Detroit Auto Show in January. The carmaker is expected to make an announcement on production details this Friday, reports the Associated Press.
Ford Fiesta Cologne assembly
New Ford Fiesta S
2009 Ford Fiesta five-door
2009 Ford Fiesta three-door
Reader Comments
Fri May 30 2008 7:47 AM
chris says
mexico is fine. I wonder if they'll build a new plant, or extend the current plant (cant remember where it is) that builds the fusion now, and used to do the focus hatch. The fusion's quality has really impressed a lot of people in the business, and it would be nice to use that established quality on this car.
I'm really excited to see what the production plans are. I'm convinced that in this market today, they could easily turn a profit on a full market investment,.. 3,4,5 door models. COME ON. you're reducing production of anything with a frame. maybe you might want to take that as a sign that you should increase production numbers (and options) of smaller vehicles. START WITH THIS ONE.
I was at the NAIAS, and let me tell you, there were just as many people looking at that hatch as they were at the sedan.
And so help me god, if you dont offer trim levels that approach the concept's look, you might as well not even offer the car. people who buy cars don't always want the best looking ones, but the best looking ones cruising around on the street will get them into the dealership. JUST DO IT.
Fri May 30 2008 8:29 AM
Turkle says
It is the 3 door hatch that I wonder will be accepted here in the U.S. I know a sedan would be profitable, but just don't know about the 3 door. A 5 door would compete against the Toyo Matrix, the Pontiac Vibe, and the Mazda 3, and Honda Fit. I know that the Fiesta would be a little smaller than some of these cars, but it should attract some attention from the same people looking at the cars I mentioned above. Ford should make this thier top priority and get these cars to market in the U.S. as soon as possible. Then thier ad campaign should emphasize that they are responding responsibly to the changing market and offering what consumers both want and desperately need. Fuel efficient, sporty (somewhat), flexible packaged cars.
Fri May 30 2008 1:14 PM
burke says
Has anybody thought on how the Fiesta is culd affect Ford Focus sales here in US? Couldn't the coming of the Fiesta cause a slow-down in sales for both The Focus and the Fiesta?
Fri May 30 2008 11:36 PM
chris says
turkle: this car is sub compact.. it will compete with the yaris,.. and what ever else is out there. its going to sell in 3 and 5 door because in a sub compact, if you want to get a weeks worth of groceries in it.. you need a hatch. younger people associate hatches with SUV's and crossovers, and also look at them as being funky, sporty, and more "refined" because they're a very un-american thing. The next focus will be released a little after this car, and that will defintiely blow out every one of those cars you just mentioned. of course everyone will look down on it because it will be a ford (and probably made in detroit).
burke; i think you need to realize that people who are in a focus right now and are sweating the gas bill will move down to a fiesta... and the people in their fusions that are sweating the gas bills will go down to the focus. i dont think it's fair to talk about canabalization in this current market because everyone is moving downstream. sub compacts are finally coming back to north america for the first time in 15 years at least.
This page hasn't been updated yet but ford has announced that we will be getting the hatch back. it will be built at the mexico facility, and they will have to increase the production of that facility (that already makes the fusion/milan/mkz/hybrid variants) to 500k, with 3 billion investment and 4500 new jobs (for mexicans). So basically, I'm awesome, because I called it yesterday. see above. No announcement about the number of doors but something tells me if you're going to do a hatch,.. whats the difference between offering 3 or 5 doors? not nearly as much as offering two different body styles.
I think this will be really good for ford. like i said,.. slow down the production of the large vehicles means you have to invest more into smaller vehicles. but like I said.. i want to be able to get the kind of trim you would expect on a 40 or 50k vehicle. yea the fiesta is going to be less than 15,000... but i want to be able to spend as much as 25 on mine. 2L eco boost with black suede and white stitching interior.. chrome to the max. sync, hard drive, 6 disc cd/mp3 changer.. oh yeah.
Thu Aug 14 2008 2:44 PM
Chris says
I'd like to draw the attention of the nay sayers... that car looks exactly like the concept.
QED
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