The Ford Motor Company [NYSE:F] has confirmed plans to introduce the next-generation Fiesta subcompact to North America, with the announcement coming from Ford’s Euro boss Lewis Booth during a meeting with analysts this morning. The move is part of Ford’s plan to rationalize the number of models it sells globally, which will also see it utilize platform sharing for a new global subcompact.
Ford of Europe will be developing both new models, but there are no plans to bring the larger Mondeo as it would cannibalize sales of the mid-size Fusion sedan. Booth was confident the European division’s forward-looking attitude towards its restructuring plan would be beneficial to Ford in the U.S., admitting that "we are a little bit ahead of North America."
Pictured above is the current-generation Fiesta model, which is due for replacement early next year, with the first U.S. sales likely to start by the middle of the year. Several test mules have already been caught by spy photographers undergoing cold-weather testing in Europe, which reveals that the new model will grow slightly in size but will retain the current car’s boxy shape.