A NEW Ford Fiesta is on the way – and is being heralded as the world’s most technologically advanced small car.
The next generation model of Britain’s favourite supermini was revealed at a special Go Further event in Cologne, Germany, and is due to hit UK streets next summer.
And for the first time it will come in four distinct variants including an upmarket Fiesta Vignale, a performance-inspired Fiesta ST-Line and a Fiesta Titanium.
The fourth version will the Fiesta Active crossover – the first in a new line-up of Active vehicles to be rolled out across the Ford range in years to come.
Ford is also promising a fresh design, both inside and out, and more opportunities to personalise the Fiesta than ever before.
The company’s executive vice-president Jim Farley said: “We now have a Fiesta option for every driver, with advanced technologies and features that small car customers could only have dreamed of just a few years ago.”
Among those technologies is an enhanced pedestrian detection system that for the first time can help prevent collisions at night.
There’s also the first Ford Active Park Assist system that can deliver brake interventions to prevent low-speed bumps when parking hands-free.
The new Fiesta will be the first Ford vehicle to feature a premium B&O PLAY Sound System, for the first time offering an opening panoramic glass roof.
As for entertainment and communications, Ford’s SYNC3 set-up will feature floating high-definition touchscreens of up to eight inches, while the number of centre console buttons is being cut by half.
Powertrains include the award winning 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol engine offering up to 140PS, and a 1.5-litre TDCi diesel developing 120PS – the first high-power diesel Fiesta unit. CO2 emissions are predicted to be from 82g/km.
Certain to be the most interesting variant to Ford fans is the Active, the first Fiesta crossover model which combines more rugged SUV styling with a raised ride-height, roof bars and some added exterior touches. It is due to join the line-up later on in the launch period.
The Fiesta Vignale model also promises to be a cracker and is part of the Ford Vignale upscale product and ownership experience.
It joins the Mondeo, S-MAX, Kuga and Edge Vignale models as the highest expression of the Ford brand in Europe, and offers unique 18-inch alloys wheel designs, exclusive exterior detailing and colours, and hexagonal-quilted, tuxedo-stitched leather seats.
Higher spec Ford models accounted for nearly 60 per cent of sales in the first 10 months of 2016 and Titanium variants account for 48 per cent of Fiestas sold so far this year.
That said, the new Fiesta will also be available in Zetec and Style versions as the model takes the next step in a journey that has made it the best-selling car in Britain every year since 2008.
