All-New 2017 Ford Fiesta Makes Global Debut In Cologne

The all-new Ford Fiesta has just been unveiled at Ford’s ‘Go Further’ event held at Cologne, Germany, earlier today. Expected to hit European markets by 2017, this is the seventh generation model of the Fiesta lineage, even though our market is only familiar with the current sixth-generation model.

Detailed specifics have yet to revealed, but Ford has shown four distinctive trim versions:

• Titanium: Regular model
• ST-Line: Sportier trim. Ford Performance-inspired.
• Vignale: Upscale trim.
• Active: Rugged crossover-like look with unpainted external body trim elements.

From the outside, we see a seemingly evolutionary look from the current model, with both three- and five-door hatchback models retaining the predecessor's familiar window line. The front end too, appears little changed; the basic elements of the enlarged grille and swept back tail lights remain present with only their details and shape massaged for a more coherent appearance. 

The rear end receives a more drastic revision; the tail lights now placed lower and sporting a more horizontal design spilling into the tailgate. From the raised rear three-quarter angle in the image provided by Ford, the proportions now look almost MPV-ish.

Inside, a redesigned interior with supposedly improved ergonomics features an 8-inch floating hi-def touchscreen allied with Ford’s latest Sync 3 infotainment system. Upper models get high quality audio delivered by a premium B&O Play Sound System setup.

No details on powertrain line-up are available through official sources at the moment, although we expect the current 1.0-litre EcoBoost 3-cylinder engine to form the bedrock of the new model's line-up. The ST performance flagship model would probably get either a carryover of the present model's 1.6-litre EcoBoost or the newer 1.5-litre mill we now have in the Focus and Kuga.

The first-generation Fiesta was launched in 1976 and the seventh-generation model’s unveiling coincides with the 40^th anniversary of the original’s.

It is too early at this stage to speculate on the timeline of the Fiesta’s arrival in our region, but as an indication of Ford’s past practice, the current Fiesta as well as the Focus were both launched in ASEAN two years after their respective global debuts in 2008 and 2010 respectively.