Ford Motor Company Global Auto Shows

When it came to delivering on the promise of last year’s Verve concept cars, Ford Motor Company had to produce something special. So they appealed directly to the people whose ideas mattered most: Ford drivers. These customers called for a practical and affordable car that offered something bold, exciting, and instantly desirable. They got their wish this week in Beijing, as Ford unveiled the new-generation Ford Fiesta at Auto China 2008.

This car infuses some life into the compact category through Ford of Europe’s “kinetic design” approach, adding dynamic visual appeal to the car’s exterior. Here, the Fiesta’s dramatically contoured hood and front fenders, stylishly sculpted headlamps, and sweeping roofline add up to a uniquely sporty take on the five-door hatchback.

Ford backs up this style with hallmark engineering: excellent driving dynamics, a comfortable ride, and an interior that’s isolated from wind, road, and powertrain noise. And the car has been made even more responsive with the introduction of Electronic-Power Assist Steering (E-PAS). So the Fiesta now offers an unusually smooth driving experience for a vehicle its size.

But one of the biggest innovations here is the one you don’t immediately notice: the ultra-high-strength steel used to ensure absolute safety. Specialist steels like boron steel and dual-phase steel give the Fiesta a supremely robust framework, providing unusual structural integrity for a car this small, lightweight, and agile.

The new Fiesta will be customized for markets in Asia, Europe, and the Americas between 2008 and 2010. It’s the first car to emerge from Ford’s Global Product Development System, as the automaker positions itself in a rapidly changing world market. These changes are nowhere more in evidence than in China, where production on the new Fiesta will begin this year at the state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Nanjing.