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Here’s the first glimpse of the 2018 Ford Fiesta, with evolution written all over it
HERE’S our first taste of the 2018 Ford Fiesta, snapped wearing an all-new set of clothes, ahead of a likely world premiere sometime late this year or early in 2017 before its arrival in showrooms.
The sixth-generation Ford Fiesta will face a tough battle as it will be joined next year by completely redesigned versions of the Volkswagen Polo, Holden Barina, Suzuki Swift, Nissan Micra, and Citroen C3 on the new-car catwalk. That’s in addition to rivals such as the Renault Clio, Peugeot 208, and Mazda 2.
A resolved version of the Ford corporate grille appears to be sitting between larger headlights, while the vertical-look tail-lights of the current hatch give way to an LED-packed horizontal pair, imparting a greater sense of width than before.
Interestingly, rumours are swirling that – ST performance version aside – the existing range of four-cylinder petrol and turbo-diesel engines are going to give way to a variety of smaller three-pot units, expanding beyond the lauded 1.0-litre EcoBoost currently used in the Fiesta Sport.
This should lead to a substantial drop in overall weight, which in turn ought to benefit dynamics, performance, and economy.
On the safety side, a significant leap in driver-assist safety gear will include a reversing camera, blind-spot monitoring, lane-change alert, and perhaps even adaptive cruise control technology on the more expensive models, as Ford aims to pitch its 40-year-old supermini nameplate upmarket.
The boost in quality as well as size is important for the Fiesta in Europe, helping to put some distance between it and the new, larger Ka+ sub-B city car also due soon. Unfortunately for lovers of urban littlies, the latter isn’t slated for Australian consumption.
With the existing WS/WZ Fiesta fast approaching its eighth year on sale, the change cannot come soon enough for the company. Whether Thailand will continue to supply the Australian market as it has done so since 2010 has not yet been confirmed, but don’t count against it.
Have spy pics of your own? We’d love to see them. Email them to wheels@bauertrader.com.au
