Guangzhou show: Fiesta gets the boot

FORD chose to launch its all-important B-segment Fiesta sedan in China this week at the Guangzhou Auto Show rather than at the Los Angeles Auto Show, highlighting the value it places on the model in Asia.

This follows the unveiling in China one year ago of this vehicle’s concept-car alter ego, the Verve Notchback.

Espousing the Kinetic Design theme to maximum effect by looking like a mini-Mondeo, the three-box Fiesta sedan will be manufactured from the first quarter of 2009 by Changan Ford Mazda Automobile Company alongside the related Mazda2 sedan that was released in China earlier this year.

It will also be built in Thailand and Mexico, with the latter two supporting the wider Asian and American markets that favour the more traditional sedan silhouette over the hatchback shape preferred by (most) Europeans and Australians. As a result, European buyers will not see this vehicle.

Whether the Fiesta sedan eventually makes it to Australia may depend largely on the performance of the upcoming Honda City – the sedan version of the latest-generation Jazz hatch.

Toyota, Holden, Kia, Hyundai and Proton already sell sedan versions of their respective Yaris, Barina, Rio, Accent and Persona, while Mazda is believed to be contemplating the 2 sedan for Australia.

The Fiesta sedan’s closely related Mazda 2 sedan cousin is also built at the Nanjing plant, and has been available in China since earlier this year.

In terms of technological advancements, Ford claims that the Fiesta sedan will mirror its critically acclaimed German-built hatch sibling (due in Australia in January), insisting that it will deliver class-leading levels of safety, refinement and efficiency.

This level of competitiveness is critical for Ford, as it will depend heavily on the Fiesta sedan to snare North American buyers from the established Asian brands like Toyota’s Scion, which has carved out quite a niche with its frugal little runabouts.

In fact, this car’s job in the USA is to turn around Ford’s image as a producer of thirsty and environmentally out-of-step trucks and SUVs when it goes on sale there in 2010.

Read more:

Sydney show: It's Fiesta time for Ford

New Fiesta's full specs revealed

Beijing show: Ford gets sporty with Fiesta

First look: Ford flouts new Fiesta