Autoblog

Click the Fiesta for a high-res gallery

Until recently, Ford had only planned to sell the new Fiesta small car as a sedan in the US market. Judging from the reaction of readers in the comments here when we showed photos of the production version of the car, which is based on the Verve concept, most people disagreed. The vast majority of commenters chiming in said that they wanted the stylish little hatchback. Apparently, they aren't alone. When the Verve sedan concept appeared at the Detroit Auto Show, it was supposed to be shown alone. A last-minute change of plans was prompted by new Ford marketing chief, Jim Farley, who insisted that the original three-door hatchback concept from the Frankfurt show be displayed as well. The hatchback concept was on a European tour and was detoured for a stateside visit to judge reaction from American showgoers. It now looks like there is indeed a very good chance that the hatchback will be offered to US drivers in addition to the sedan.


[Source: Ford]

For over three years, US car buyers have soldiered on with variations on the aged first-generation Ford Focus architecture while Europeans have moved on to enjoy the much better-looking and more refined gen-two model. Ford CEO Allan Mulally has officially confirmed that the upcoming 2010 Focus will be global, meaning that our interest in the Ford compact should grow considerably. The web scribes at FoMoCo News have popped up a possible sketch of the next Focus (source unknown, so take with a grain of salt), and the three-door rendering shares a lot of design elements with its smaller sibling, the Verve (shown at right). The taut, flowing headlamps and aggressive fender bulges are similar, as is the trapezoidal theme for the lower intake. The contour of the two vehicles is also a near perfect match, with the hatch and rear windows receiving very similar angles. The Focus sketch has more pronounced side panels with a flare that stretches from behind the front wheel well all the way to the hatch, giving the larger three-door a more athletic appearance.

We're still a year or two from seeing the next Focus in the flesh, and although the FoMoCo News sketch is far from official, it's probably as reasonable a forecast as any, since we know the Verve's design language is on the way. You can check out more sketches of this possible next-gen Focus by clicking the "Read" link below. Thanks for the tip, Mbuku!

[Source: FoMoCo News]

Episode 85 of the Autoblog Podcast finds us reminiscing about the North American International Auto Show that recently invaded Detroit. It was perhaps not as thrilling as past shows, but the new F-150 and Ram hauled and herded some excitement into Cobo. Both pickups are newly spiffed and bristling with new features and engineering. While the trucks are no doubt big news, the CTS Coupe stokes our fires far more. We hope to see it visited by the V-series gnomes, too.

There were a passel of diesels at the show, too. Audi's V12 TDI R8 concept was filled with design gumdrops for us to chew on, besides the 12-pot 500-hp diesel that returns mileage in the 20s. BMW had its 335d and some X5 alphabet soup thing, and Honda showed its clean diesel. Beyond oil burners, we took an IRL look at the Hyundais Genesis and found it surprising beyond what pictures convey. The Lancer Ralliart turned out to be a charmer, while we question the very existence of VW's Passat CC, and Fisker's bestickered Karma was certainly software-worthy vaporware. Mazda had the best car in the show with its racy Furai, and the Lincoln MKT threatens Cadillac not one whit. Ford's Verve is a bright spot, though, and it can't get here fast enough. We had a lot more to say, but ran out of time to say it this time around. Watch this space for more, but for now, enjoy all 33 minutes of #85.

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Click image for a look at the other model debuts by the NYT

The Old Grey Lady has officially kicked off the Detroit Auto Show 24 hours early, and they brought some party favors for all their readers to boot. The New York Times' Automobiles section has a Detroit preview article (dated 1/13, incidentally) in its feature spot. No longer under wraps are the 2009 Dodge Ram, 2009 Ford F-150 Platinum, Mitsubishi Concept-RA, Ford Verve sedan concept, and the Fisker plug-in luxo-hybrid, as all are featured prominently in the piece's accompanying new vehicle gallery.

The biggest fish in the tank are the two full-size trucks. While Chrysler inadvertently gave us a sneak preview of the Ram last month, Ford has kept the new F-150 well under wraps until now. The model pictured is the tip-top-of-the line F-150 Platinum, in case you were wondering. As for the others, the snazzy blue Ram Sport is looking good to these eyes (more on the '09 Ram here), while the Verve concept looks to be a slightly tweaked version of the one shown in China, updated with a coat of red paint and a modified fascia (note the differences in the foglamps). The Mitsubishi Concept-RA has us hankering for a new Eclipse, while the shapely Fisker PHEV looks like a green vehicle we'd be more than happy to pilot daily. You can read the Times' full preview here. Team Autoblog will assemble in Motown starting tomorrow, but it looks like the fun's begun in earnest already.

[Source: The New York Times]

Click image for photo gallery

The Mazda2 sedan isn't the only new notchback on display at the Guangzhou Motor Show. It's got some company in the form of its Ford-branded cousin, the Verve. Parked onstage along with the 3-door unveiled in Europe earlier this year, the Verve notchback sedan sheds its predecessor's rear hatch and gains two doors and a trunk. The new rear treatment is extremely evocative of the Mondeo, and that's a good thing. In fact, the Verve (in this particular Autoblogger's opinion, at least) is better-looking than the similar Mazda2 4-door that also made its debut today. The Verve trifecta will be completed at the Detroit Auto Show in January, where we'll see the Americanized version in concept form. After looking at the 2008 Ford Focus, we fully expect every cool Ford Europe kinetic design feature to be jettisoned in favor of a ham-handed implementation of the "bold" American-market Gillette Mach 3 cues. Here's hoping we're wrong.

[Source: Ford via EGMCartech]

Spy shooters abroad have snagged a handful of pics proving once again that Ford's next generation Fiesta will be influenced by the Verve concept shown in Frankfurt. The automaker's Kinetic design language will influence every aspect of the five-door's exterior, with a cleanly stylized front clip, tautly drawn headlamps and a steeply raked windshield. The boxy persona of the outgoing model will be dispatched in favor of more curves and sculpted lines, and while the rear spoiler may be a bit of a stretch on this prototype, we'd expect something closer to the concept's to make it to production.

It's expected that the Fiesta will find its way to the States once the hatch meets U.S. crash regulations and the styling fits in with Ford's other American offerings. Our only concern is how the three-bar grille treatment will affect an otherwise faultless front end.

[Source: World Car Fans]

Our friends over at World Car Fans procured a series of shots showing the next generation Fiesta undergoing testing, but this time it's sporting an extra set of doors. The five-door model, like its two-door sibling, will take cues from the Verve Concept that debuted last week in Frankfurt and gets an Iosis-inspired front end, complete with drawn-back headlamps and a steeply raked windscreen. The beltline moves northward in Florida-retiree style, terminating in an upswept D-pillar, while the roof-mounted wing may portend the future of a hot hatch version.

You can check out all the shots from WCF here, and compare it to its concept counterpart by checking out gallery below.

[Source: World Car Fans]

Although we've been seeing heavily camouflaged versions of Ford's Fiesta replacement for several months, It was only a couple of weeks ago that we got our first official look at the Ford Verve concept. Now, an attentive photographer has managed to snag a shot of what appears to be the production version in a workshop somewhere through a chain-link fence and a reflective window.

The new image shows a four door version that looks remarkably close to the concept in most respects. The shape of the headlights, fenders and taillights appear almost identical. There is perhaps slightly less upsweep in the beltline on this version, but the rest looks spot on. The production version of the Verve/Fiesta should debut next March in Geneva with European sales kicking off shortly thereafter. North America will get the new small Ford for 2009.

[Source: AutoExpress]

click above image for gallery of high-res pics

Behold the Verve Concept, Ford of Europe's B-car concept that will debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month. Sketches of the car appeared yesterday, and judging from our gallery of high-res pics, they seem to have been accurate. Pegged as the precursor to Ford's upcoming redesign for the Fiesta, the Verve Concept blends "Kinetic Design" elements inspired by the Iosis Concept that have trickled down into production cars like the new Mondeo and S-Max. In this case, the cat-like slit headlights dominate the small car's front end, along with a rather oversized lower grille. The rear features taillights above the belt line, a center-mounted exhaust, and small lip spoiler above the hatch. We can also see that the Verve's roof is all dark-tinted glass. Aside from the out-of-proportion front grille, our only gripe with the Verve are those chrome plated wheels that look decidedly aftermarket, and not in a good way.

Clearly the new Fiesta will be toned down compared to the Verve when it arrives late in 2008, but this concept is not hiding much. The Fiesta will share a platform with the new Mazda2, and eventually cross the ocean to be sold in the U.S., as well. Considering Ford's current financial strain, and regardless of clashing design themes (Kinetic vs. Three-Bar), we expect the European Fiesta to arrive for sale in the U.S. with little alteration.

[Source: Motor Authority]