Itand#39;s Official: Ford Fiesta to be Sold Internationally

Two of the more notable complaints that the North American media – and

Ford's Fiesta will finally be sold here in North America, though perhaps not in the 3-door body style as it's seen here. (Photo: Ford)

consumers too – have aimed towards Ford regard its lack of a small, subcompact car, and it not selling its European product on this side of the planet. The day that these complaints are being addressed is here, with the official announcement that the 2009 Ford Fiesta is headed our way.

The new Fiesta subcompact is the end result of Ford’s international efforts to produce a subcompact car to sell across the globe. After developing three different city-sized compact concept vehicles, each tweaked slightly for different markets, Ford has just unveiled the version that will be sold in Europe.

Sticking closely to the three-door Verve concept first shown last year, the Fiesta shares its underpinnings with the Mazda2, which has been praised for being fun to drive, yet remarkably efficient. The sharp looking three-door hatch won’t be

Much of the Verve's interior has made it over to the Fiesta. (Photo: Ford)

sold here in North America (yet); the version that we will get will feature four doors and a trunk. Ford will debut versions for Asia later this year, and following that, the North American-spec version, most likely in LA. Global production will begin this autumn, and the Fiesta will arrive in markets around the world between 2008 and 2010.

Highlights of the Fiesta include electrical power steering, a new interior layout dubbed HMI for Human-Machine Interface, Handsfree Bluetooth, a cap-less fuel filler system and a variety of diesel and gasoline engines, including one that is capable of delivering less than 5.7 oz/mi of CO2 emissions.

While details regarding the North American model are still up in the air, the Fiesta is a strong sign that Ford is delivering what consumers are asking for.