2011 Red Ford Fiesta

• The newly transformed Cuautitlán Stamping and Assembly Plant (CSAP) in Mexico reopens and begins producing the all-new 2011 Ford Fiesta
• The plant will produce two versions of this new vehicle, a four-door sedan and a five-door hatchback, for Ford customers in the United States, Canada and Mexico
• Ford transformed its Cuautitlán facility from a truck-producing plant, creating 2,000 direct jobs and at least 6,000 indirect jobs. As part of its ONE Ford plan, the company has been leveraging its global strengths and shifting production to more fuel-efficient small cars customers value
• On sale this summer, the Fiesta features an expressive, vibrant design, projected best-in-class fuel economy and a number of features and technologies not found on competitive vehicles this size

CUAUTITLAN IZCALLI, MEXICO, May 11, 2010 – Ford Motor Company today celebrates the start of production of the all-new 2011 Ford Fiesta at its Cuautitlán Stamping and Assembly Plant (CSAP), which has been transformed from a truck plant to a car plant producing the all-new Fiesta for North American customers.

The start of Fiesta production at Cuautitlán marks another milestone in the ONE Ford plan to deliver even more products people really want while better leveraging the company’s global product and manufacturing strengths.

“Our investment in Cuautitlán brings ‘ONE Ford’ global vehicles to life in North America and allows more customers to experience even more of our high-quality, fuel-efficient vehicles,” said Jim Farley, Ford’s group vice president of Canada, Mexico and South America operations and Global Marketing. “Small cars are the fastest-growing product segment around the world, and Ford is answering the call with fun-to-drive new cars such as Fiesta, Fusion and the new Focus that is coming soon.”

Mexico’s President Felipe Calderón Hinojosa and the Governor of State of Mexico Enrique Peña Nieto joined the Cuautitlan event to celebrate the start of production for the Fiesta, which starts arriving in North American dealerships this summer and is already a strong seller in Europe and Asia.

Eduardo Serrano Berry, President and CEO of Ford in Mexico, expressed his pride on the transformation of Ford’s plant in Cuautitlán, now one of the most advanced flexible manufacturing complexes in the world.

“This year, as Ford of Mexico celebrates 85 years of uninterrupted operations in our country, we feel honored for the trust the corporation has placed in our manufacturing capabilities,” he said. “Ford of Mexico has a great team and a strong track record for producing high-quality vehicles, and we are eager to deliver outstanding new cars for an entire continent of customers.”

New Fiesta: Above the rest
The all-new Fiesta features an expressive, vibrant design, fuel-efficient engine, high-quality materials and a number of features and technologies not found on competitive vehicles.

Fun to drive, the new Fiesta has a 1.6-liter DOHC I-4 engine that delivers 120 horsepower. This engine can be mated with either a five-speed manual transmission or Ford’s new advanced PowerShift six-speed automatic transmission, which is expected to deliver best-in-class fuel economy of 40 mpg highway.

Designed to be versatile, personal and adaptable, Fiesta is expected to deliver best-in-class safety, convenience and connectivity with segment-exclusive SYNC® voice-activated communications system, an expressive color palette and available graphics.

The new Fiesta is built off Ford’s global small car platform. By 2014, this vehicle platform will deliver up to 1.6 million global vehicles annually, including up to five separate vehicle lines and eight top hats.

Fiesta’s global track record
The Ford Fiesta was first introduced in Europe in 1976. Since then, it has become synonymous with outstanding driving performance, design and value.

In the U.S. and Canada, the Fiesta arrived as a 1978 model, equipped with a Kent OHV I-4 of 1.6 liter engine – the biggest engine offered in European markets.

The Fiesta went on sale in Mexico in 1998, selling more than 294,000 units.

Worldwide, Fiesta has sold more than 12 million units in the last 30 years.

The new Fiesta is off to a fast start, selling 750,000 units in its first 18 months on the market in Europe and Asia. The new car also has received a number of awards, including:

* A prestigious ‘red dot’ design award for international product design
o 28 leading designers and design experts from 19 countries called Fiesta one of the most stylish cars in the world, labeling its design “innovative and dynamic.”
o The award showcases the fact that Fiesta delivers style, together with outstanding quality that consumers desire.
o The red dot design awards, one of the world’s largest design recognition programs, are presented annually by Germany’s Essen-based Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen.
* 2009 Car of the Year – The Sun Motors
* 2009 Croatian Car of the Year – Croatian Car Association
* 2009 Hellenic Car of the Year – Journalists from Autobild, Drive Autocar
* Woman’s Car 2009 – Hachette Filipacchi Editorial Group
* 2008 Scottish Car of the Year – Association of Scottish Motoring Writers
* The Best of the 2008 Geneva Show – Most Significant – Autoweek
* Top Gear, Car, Car & Driver and 4 Wheels
* 2008 Croatian Car of the Year – Croatian Car Association
* 2008 Best Supermini – What Car? magazine

Cuautitlán: A tradition of manufacturing
Since 2008, Ford has invested $3 billion in its Mexican operations – including a diesel engine plant in Chihuahua, a new transmission plant in Guanajuato (a joint venture with Getrag) that will product the Fiesta’s new automatic transmission as well as the transformation and expansion at the Cuautitlán Plant.

Opened in November 1964, Ford’s Cuautitlán Plant now has become one of the world’s most advanced flexible manufacturing complexes.

Ford expanded the Cuautitlán plant by 25,800 m2, building in five new lines of high-productivity presses, 270 robots and in-line measuring systems, adjustable ergonomic platforms in the upholstery area and new paint facilities that are more efficient and environmentally friendly.

“All the major subassemblies of the body and final assembly will be completed in the plant,”said Eduardo Villegas, General Manager of CSAP. “This helps ensure a quality build and even greater productivity.”

Fiesta production at the site has created 2,000 direct jobs and at least 6,000 indirect jobs.

The Cuautitlán plant has produced more than 2.2 million vehicles during its 45-year history, including some iconic products. These include the Ford Mustang, LTD, Crown Victoria, Thunderbird, Taurus, Contour, Mercury Grand Marquis, Contour, Mystique and a variety of light- and medium-duty F-Series trucks.

For more information about the Ford Fiesta, please visit: http://media.ford.com/images/10031/Fiesta_Timeline.pdf |

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About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 176,000 employees and about 80 plants worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford, Lincoln, Mercury and, until its sale, Volvo. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford’s products, please visit www.ford.com.

About Ford Mexico
Ford of Mexico began operations in 1925 and currently employs more than 5,800 people in manufacturing facilities that include the Stamping and Assembly Plant of Hermosillo; Engines I and Engines II of Chihuahua; the Cuautitlán Stamping and Assembly Plant as well as in its headquarters located in Mexico City. In Mexico, Ford produces the Ford Fusion, the Mercury Milan, the Lincoln MKZ as well as the hybrid versions of the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan. Its strategy of manufacturing also integrates the assembly and production of the Duratec I-4 (2.0- and 2.5-liter) engine as well as the PowerStroke Diesel 6.7-liter V-8 engine. The brands that integrate into Mexico’s group include Ford, Lincoln, Mercury and, until completing its process of selling, Volvo.

Ford Fiesta Sport+: A star with stripes

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Ford of Europe is introducing a new special edition Fiesta Sport+ model for selected markets that emphasises the sportiness and the bespoke driving dynamics of the successful new Fiesta range.

Available with a choice of the 120 PS (88 kW) 1.6-litre Duratec TiVCT petrol engine or the improved 1.6-litre Duratorq TDCi diesel engine now with 95 PS (70 kW), the new three-door Fiesta Sport+ comes complete with a full body styling kit, featuring a specially designed front bumper with flared lower valence panel, sporty side skirts, a large rear spoiler and a rear bumper with integrated diffuser.

Two distinctive exterior colour schemes are available, both designed to reinforce the car’s sporty stance. ‘Frozen White’ is matched with Performance Blue GT stripes on the roof and bonnet as well as dynamic side stripes, while the exclusive ‘Performance Blue’ model is finished with eye-catching white stripes. To round out the package, large alloy wheels are fitted as standard equipment and are painted in bright ‘Frozen White’. (7J x 17 wheels with 205/40 R17 tyres for the petrol engined version, and 6 ½ J x 16 wheels with 195/45 R16 tyres for the diesel).

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The sporty theme continues in the cabin too. Heated sports leather seats with standard side-airbags and a black full-leather steering wheel are enhanced with striking blue stitching, while the handbrake cover and the gear lever knob are finished in black leather as well. Fiesta Sport+ also gets front and rear floor mats with blue stitching and scuff plates, all with special logos.

“In excess of 526,000 units of the new Fiesta have already been built in Europe since the car was launched late in 2008 and it has gone on to be Europe’s top-selling small car and Europe’s No.2 best-selling car overall in 2009,” said Salvatore Campolo, Ford of Europe’s Small Car Brand Manager. “With its fresh design and acclaimed driving dynamics the Fiesta has also contributed strongly to our overall brand image. To celebrate, we adopted the idea behind the Ka ‘Grand Prix’ pack for the Fiesta Sport+, offering all of Fiesta’s class-leading attributes but with even sportier styling cues outside and inside”.

Initially, availability of the Fiesta Sport+ will be limited to the UK, Spain, Switzerland and Austria where small, sporty cars are in particular demand.

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http://www.maxrally.com/news/entry/strong_weekend_for_fiesta/

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Ford Fiesta S2000 to conquer Corona Rally Mexico (via RallyBuzz.com)

Ford of Spain President José Manuel Machado, who attended the awards ceremony despite being on crutches due to a minor accident, thanked everyone present.

“Receiving this prize encourages us to continue working to move our sector forward despite the crisis,” he said.

Machado pointed out that 170,000 new Fiestas have been produced in Spain since its launch in 2008 and that its European sales have surpassed 500,000 units.

Machado also said that “we at Ford and the whole industry are facing difficult times and that is why all car makers try to work as hard, and with as much creativity, as possible.”

He also praised the Spanish Government’s scrappage programme for its positive effect on sales and the firm and early support showed by the regional government of Castilla-La Mancha to the programme.

This award is the latest in a long line of accolades received by the new Fiesta in Spain and elsewhere. Ford’s supermini was also named ‘Car of the Year in Catalonia 2009′ in the passenger car category and ‘Car of the Year 2009′ by Britain’s What Car? magazine. In Germany, readers of Guter Rat and SUPERillu presented the new Fiesta ECOnetic with the ‘Auto der Vernunft 2009′ trophy, for its good value, economy and sustainability.

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