Events Calendar
In This Section
Most Read Stories
Blogs:
Pets:
Summit teams up with Rescue Waggin' to save dogs
The Heldenfiles:
Songs for an American Day
Patrick McManamon:
Touching on the Browns, Cavs
Akron Zips:
Opponent outlook: Northern Illinois
Browns Bulletin:
Single-game ticket sales begin July 11
Tribe Matters:
Wedge assured of job through season
Cleveland Browns:
Stallworth test showed marijuana
Kent State Sports:
Men's Basketball Scheduling update
Cleveland Cavaliers:
Updated: Free Agency: Another Gone - Apparently
All Da King's Men:
The Obligatory Palin Post
Blog of Mass Destruction:
Wow….Sarah Palin Resigns Governorship
Akron Law Café:
Abraham Lincoln and the Fourth of July
Varsity Letters:
Highland senior receives honor
See Jane Style:
Picnic Wear
Car Chase:
Where do We Go from Here?
Let's Talk Real Estate:
Happy 4th of July!
Ohio Travels with Betty:
Tom asks where to stay while visiting the football Hall of Fame.
Sound Check:
Rundgren fans rejoice!: Second night of AWATS at The Civic added
HRLite House:
Morscruethal Behaviors or Just Lip Service?
Akron Gamer:
Hot link: Best of Nintendo at E3
Redesigned subcompact to return to U.S. market by 2010; new model lighter, greener than predecessor
By Frank Jordans
Associated Press
Published on Wednesday, Mar 05, 2008
GENEVA: Ford Motor Co. unveiled its redesigned Fiesta subcompact on Tuesday with hopes of snagging a bigger share of the market for fuel-stingy vehicles that emit less carbon dioxide — and said it will bring the nameplate back to the United States after a 30-year absence.
The new Fiesta, with swept-back headlights and a deep grill flanked by fog lights, emits less CO2 — one of the greenhouse gases thought to cause global warming.
And it gets up to 63.5 miles per gallon of fuel in the ECOnectic 1.4 liter diesel-engine version, Ford says.
Ford says the ECOnetic range, which will also be rolled out in the Focus and Mondeo models, delivers the fuel efficiency of a hybrid without the associated cost. Details on the fuel efficiency of other Fiesta models were not immediately available, but Ford spokesman Finn Thomasen said the company would be aiming for fuel economy of 47 mpg across the board.
The Fiesta has sold some 12 million units since it was introduced in 1976, and Ford has high expectations in the face of growing demand for smaller, more efficient vehicles.
While the name is familiar to customers in Europe, Asia and South America, the Fiesta was only sold in the United States from 1978 to 1980 — a difficult starting point from which to relaunch the brand.
''That was a very challenging discussion for us,'' Ford's head of small-car development Marin Burela said. ''In the end it became very clear to us that the name was something of value.''
The new model is lighter, improving its efficiency. ''These are not just carry-overs of the old Fiesta, these are completely new vehicles,'' Ford Europe chief John Fleming said.
''They're the same size, but they're lighter, and therefore greener,'' he said.
The three- and five-door hatchback versions show up in European salesrooms this fall and China by the end of the year. Other versions, including a four-door sedan, will reach the rest of Asia by 2009 and North America by 2010.
While subcompacts still make up less than 5 percent of the U.S. market — compared with 25 percent in Europe — the segment is one of the fastest growing in North America, with sales up 20 percent last year.
GENEVA: Ford Motor Co. unveiled its redesigned Fiesta subcompact on Tuesday with hopes of snagging a bigger share of the market for fuel-stingy vehicles that emit less carbon dioxide — and said it will bring the nameplate back to the United States after a 30-year absence.
Get the full article here.
Comments
Click here to post your comments
