Ford Previews 2009 Ford Fiesta To Be Shown at Geneva
By Chris Haak
02.15.2008
Just over two weeks before its official unveiling at the Geneva Auto Show, Ford has released images of the production Ford Fiesta for Europe. Ford’s designers managed to keep the production Fiesta remarkably close to the Verve concept shown in Frankfurt last year (and similar also to the Verve sedan concept shown in Detroit last month).
Ford chose an extremely dull color for the production Fiesta, especially considering all of the Verve concepts shown over the past few months were painted bright, bold colors. In terms of the exterior itself, however, the Fiesta appears to share nearly every one of the Verve’s curves (rhyme not intentional) and creases. The only visual differences are slightly smaller wheels, slightly toned down chrome, and other small things like different fog lamps. This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, though, since all of the Verve concepts appeared to be very feasible for production.
The Verve concept (above) and the production 2009 Fiesta (below).
Inside, most of the shapes remain faithful to the concept, but the differences between show car fantasy and production car reality (coupled with the relatively low price point that the Fiesta will have to meet) are more apparent. Gone is the really cool red backlighting (which looks similar to the Jaguar XK’s Motorola RAZR-esque treatment, only in red instead of blue) that was in the Verve concept, replaced by more conventional gauges and controls. It’s impossible to judge material quality from a photo, but it looks stylish and class competitive from the photos.
The Verve concept’s interior (above) and the production Fiesta’s interior (below).
Under its hood, the 2009 Fiesta will feature a lineup of five gasoline and diesel engines. The 2009 model, thanks to strategically placed high strength steel, is actually lighter than its predecessor, which is a trend I’d like to see continue from all manufacturers.
North America won’t see its version of the Verve/Fiesta (or whatever its name will be) for a while, but I do prefer the US sedan’s styling to the three-door that Europe got. I also prefer the Verve sedan’s more conventional front end treatment, with a larger upper grille and more subdued lower grille. Overall, however, Ford should have a hit on its hands. People who want a small car are no longer being forced into an ugly, underpowered box on wheels, and that’s great news for the buying public.
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