Ford of Europe is reinventing its small car range for a new generation of customers in 2008, starting with a stylish new Fiesta. First details of the three-door model were released last week and the car will make its global debut at the Geneva Motor Show next month.

The new Fiesta is the first major product of Ford's new global product development process. The new Fiesta opens another chapter in the story of the popular Ford small car that has sold more than 12 million units since its introduction in 1976 (165,000 in Ireland).

Ford claims that this new model makes major strides in craftsmanship, quality of materials and product choice while continuing to represent Fiesta's traditional strengths of practicality, value for money, agility and safety.

It also brings a host of big-car features to the small-car segment for the first time. The new Ford Fiesta is closely related to the exciting Verve Concept vehicle that was revealed at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show.

The new vehicle range will introduce several Ford firsts for a small car, including, from later in 2008, another model in the new Ford ECOnetic range promising CO2 emissions of fewer than 100 grams per kilometre.

The new Fiesta retains its predecessor's compact size, but is lighter and stronger. It also has an enhanced Intelligent Protection System which includes a new driver's knee airbag.

The vehicle also has detailed enhancements to the acclaimed driving character of Fiesta which include Electric Power Assisted Steering (E-PAS) and reduced road, wind and engine noise The new Ford Fiesta brings the radical Verve Concept exterior and interior styling to production models. It rejects the notion that an affordable small car has to be basic or boring.

The highlight of the Verve Concept interior, the futuristic, mobile phone-inspired, human-machine interface technology of the instrument panel centre stack, will be a core feature of the new Ford Fiesta when it hits the road.

Gone is the flat, upright centre stack of the instrument panel, a feature typical of many small cars driven by the need to package a large radio head unit behind the fascia panel. New technology allows Fiesta to separate the key elements of audio system – the control buttons, display and underlying electronics – in a distributed architecture that gives designers more freedom to create aesthetically pleasing, functional shapes.

The new Fiesta will arrive in Ireland towards the end of 2008.

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