New four-variant Ford Fiesta strategy could influence other Ford models

The Active edition appeared as one of four “styles” of the new Fiesta at the car’s debut in Cologne, alongside ST-Line, Titanium and Vignale.

Farley was confident there is scope for a B-segment auto such as the Fiesta to benefit from the high-end and more expensive treatment, which will also come with a raft of after-sales benefits offered by Ford’s larger Vignale models.

The ST-Line follows in the wheel tracks of cars like the Skoda Fabia Monte Carlo and Renault Megane GT-Line in offering the looks and attitude of the sportier Fiesta ST, but without the firecracker 1.6-litre turbo engine and more focused handling tune.

American vehicle brand Ford, is about to unveil one of its hottest hatchbacks and the sibling to the Focus, the 2017 Ford Fiesta. The Fiesta Active is the first Fiesta crossover model, combining SUV-inspired styling that includes raised ride height, roof bars and additional cladding on the body. This is due to the fact that while Ford would have you believe the Fiesta Active is a radial change, other companies already have such variants and so Ford is not offering anything special – if anything they are going backwards.

There’s also a brand-new infotainment system featuring an eight-inch touchscreen and this feature means a less cluttered interior with 20 buttons removed from the dashboard.

“Growing numbers of customers have been asking us for a five-door version”, according to Roelant de Waard, Ford of Europe’s vice president, of marketing, sales and service.

The new Fiesta, however, will arrive much sooner in the second half of 2017.

It’s just one of 15 new driver assistance features on the Fiesta, including Active Park Assist, Blind Spot Information, Cross Traffic Alert and Lane Keeping Assist.

Fields announced that Ford would begin testing autonomous cars on Europe’s roads in 2017.

The engine range includes the existing 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol, with outputs of 100PS, 125PS and 140PS and emissions from 97g/km.

As for the available engines, expect to see a revised range of three- and four-cylinder EcoBoost engines, including the 1.0-litre and the 1.5-litre units, being offered in various states of tune. This turbocharged petrol will be mated to either a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic gearbox. As the first series from Ford, the new Fiesta generation will also benefit from the new high-end sound system B&O Play.

While the front and side are an evolution of the current Fiesta’s design language, the most radical departure is at the back end, where the taillights are now horizontal and no longer mounted on the C-pillars – even so, it’s a rather conservative design by Fiesta standards.