Ford likely to introduce facelifted Fiesta sedan in early 2014

Basking in the overwhelming success of the EcoSport, Ford now plan to cash in on the hype and introduce the Fiesta facelift in India by the beginning of next year. The facelift was first unveiled at the Sao Paolo Motor Show last year and has been on sale in the global market ever since. The facelift though mainly cosmetic is a prominent one and features a distinctive new grille designed along the lines of the EcoSport.

The grille is not the only change to the facia of the Fiesta facelift. Ford has redesigned the bumper, the fog lamp housing and the bonnet along with a more elongated and sharper looking front head lamp assembly. The rear gets a similar treatment with more angular tail lamps and a restyled bumper. The changes to the inside include a new piano black centre console in place of the chrome accents on the current model and a redesigned steering wheel.

The current line-up of engine options is expected to be continued with the facelift implying that the 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine in the EcoSport will most likely not feature in the new Fiesta. Hence the 1.5-litre petrol engine that makes 109PS and 140Nm of torque, and the 1.5-litre diesel engine that puts out 90PS and 204Nm will do their duties in the new model. Both a manual and an automatic gearbox will be available on the petrol engine while the diesel motor will be mated to the five-speed manual gearbox from the current model.

The delay in deliveries for the EcoSport will most definitely ease the pressure on the compact sedan segment and cars like the Hyundai Verna, Honda City, Skoda Rapid and the VW Vento which the Fiesta competes against, will likely get their fair share of bookings.

Currently the Fiesta is struggling to make its presence felt in the segment as a result of a wrong pricing strategy at the time of launch. The new Fiesta will feature more localisation and it’s said that Ford has plans to launch the car at around the Rs 7.0-lakh price range. This attractive pricing clubbed with the more global design will hopefully turn the tide in Ford’s favour this time around.  

Source: AutocarIndia