[Frost__2001]

Update

Quote:Ford used the Guangzhou Auto Show in China earlier this month to unveil its 2010 Fiesta Sedan — essentially a production version of the Verve sedan concept — and now details have surfaced on the North American-spec car. Expected to be offered in the United States and Canada, the Fiesta four-door will be manufactured in Thailand and Mexico for these markets.

Motivation for the Fiesta will be supplied by a 1.6L, featuring variable valve timing. No output ratings have been released as of yet, but the Fiesta is expected to deliver peppy performance and fuel economy near the 40 mpg mark.

Ford’s SYNC system will be available on the Fiesta, as will 16 inch wheels, a remote entry system, three different cloth and leather upholstery choices and a four inch LCD display. Seven airbags and stability control will be standard.

Although the Fiesta will slot below the Focus, Ford will be positioning the Fiesta as a premium small car, which should help the Blue Oval turn a decent profit in the historically slim-margined small car segment.

In order to ramp up North American capacity, Ford will invest $3 billion in its Cuautitlan, Mexico facility, which will raise capacity to 500,000 units annually and create another 4,500 jobs.

Ford will market a hatchback version of the Fiesta alongside the sedan in the U.S. The Dearborn-based automaker originally planned to sell only the sedan version, but changed its mind in the face of rapid consumer shifts from trucks and SUVs to more economical vehicles.

Ford did not officially announce which hatchback the U.S. would see — the Fiesta is produced as both a three-door and five-door variants in other world markets — but a source at Ford’s Mexican plant indicated that both versions would be available in the U.S. At the very least, the U.S. will see the five-door version, as evidenced by the latest spy shots.