Ford Verve Sedan Concept
Motoring Channel Staff - 16/January/2007
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Ford Verve Sedan Concept
The next generation Ford Fiesta will be based
on what you see here, the Verve Sedan concept
Ford is predicting that almost half of all cars
sold in four years time will be small cars, which
is why it is spending time perfecting this model
The interior of the concept car will be
replaced by a far less outgoing design
Ford's next generation Fiesta will be based on
the Verve concept, and will be a global vehicle
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Detroit, America — Is this the new Ford Fiesta? A concept version of the new car, but essentially the 2010 model Fiesta.
Following up on the Verve concept shown at the Chinese Motor Show
in late 2007, Ford unveiled an updated version of the Verve Sedan at
the 2007 Detroit Motor Show. This new design is
looking more likely to reach production around the end of this decade
and as early as next year, and could be on sale in Australia in 2009
for under $20,000. Having
a grand unveiling at America's largest motor show adds significant
weight to news that the European-designed small car will also be sold
in the United States. The
Verve design will be both sedan and hatch and is believed to be
replacing the Fiesta model. The
car is expected to be a global model, and will be on the road in Europe, Asia, and America from
2010. Ford's original Verve concept,
a hatchback, was revealed at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show in September
and though the Blue Oval's hierarchy has not confirmed whether the
Fiesta name will continue or if it will be dropped in favour of Verve. Back in 2007 at the launch of the Verve hatchback concept, the president and CEO of Ford of Europe, John
Fleming, said the vehicle was designed to "generate reactions while our production plans are taking shape." It appears as though the reactions have been favourable and the design is believed to be have been locked in. Features
like the LED fog lights and show car interior will be changed for the
production version, but the overall exterior shape is expected to
remain unchanged for the production version of the Verve. In
Detroit Ford's top brass said that almost half of all cars sold by 2012
will be small cars - that almost 40 million small cars sold worldwide.
As such, the Blue Oval brand wants an internationally recognised,
class-leading small car and the new Verve concept is an early look at
this vehicle. Mazda, which is owned by Ford, will share some of the engineering used on the new Mazda2 model, and the design of the car will share styling cues with the larger Ford Focus. Ford
will provide a range of engines to power the new models, both diesel
and petrol and possibly even hybrid, but this will depend on location.
Australian models of the next generation Fiesta - which could be in for
a name change - are likely to be manufactured in Thailand and equipped
with small (1.5- or 1.6-litre) 4-cylinder petrol engines. Related
Articles:
- Ford Fiesta XR4 (Road Test)
- Ford Focus RS (2009)
- Ford Mondeo (Road Test)
- Ford Explorer America Concept (2008)
- FPV F6 X (2008)
- Ford Kuga Concept (2007)
- Ford Focus Diesel (Road Test)
- Ford Focus XR5 Turbo (Road Test)
- Next-Gen Ford Falcon in Detroit (2008)
- Ford
Fiesta Zetec (Road Test)
- Ford Territory Turbo (Road Test)
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