Car Design Fetish

The Fiesta has arrived wearing exactly what we wanted it to.  Many were worried that the Fiesta would “lose” something after its long swim from Europe.  The U.S. Fiesta has sustained a minor face lift to fit in all the necessary requirements, but it is nothing that consumers will even notice.

Exterior Design

The Kinetic Design Language has survived since it was first introduced on the Iosis concept.  The highly energetic surfaces create a fabulous sense of style while never allowing the thought of a small econo box from entering your mind.

If this car doesn’t get the masses to begin appreciating hatch backs then I don’t know what will.  Finally designers have realized that surface development is free (well kinda).  Whether it is flat or “Kinetic” the metal will get formed and stamped.  So why not make the most of it.  This car does come close to being over done with so much activity on such a small canvas.  The hatchback does look the best since it was always intended to be.  But here in the states consumers want a trunk.  So that need has been filled.

The sedan is actually nothing new.  Remember the Verve Concept from last years Detroit show?  The front half of the car is identical to the hatch.  The rear gains a few inches which leads to a generously sized trunk.  The only issue with the sedan is the combination of a rising belt line to the rear and small wheels (16″).  The hatch is not as noticeable since the car ends at the rear wheel with basically no overhang.  Having the wheel arch and shoulder crease help to break up the mass, but it is still there.

The grill is not the best attempt at the three bar theme.  The designers blamed it on air flow, but I think there is more that can be done with it.  There is a different version shown on the hatch which can easily be swapped.  A nice touch is the light pipe borrowed from the new Taurus.  This is a nice change from the typical round lamp and fits well with the forms of the car.

As we have seen for the past year and with evidence of the 500,000 already sold since last fall this car is a success.  Throw in the 10 exterior color choices, some of which being fresh and vibrant and the Fiesta will be a welcome sight on American roads.

Interior Design

Small and inexpensive cars are notorious for having planar surfaces with bad materials.  Simplicity to the max and not in an Audi kind of way.  The Fiesta has done a great job carrying the kinetic design theme from the outside in.  The interior is sculptural with a layer of technology influence over the top.

There is no animal grain in here.  Only pebble grains and a cool techno dot grain on the instrument panel and doors.  The center stack is influenced from cell phones circa 2004.  Hello Razor.  Sorry to those of you who still use this phone.

The controls are easy to use and buttons are minimal.  The HVAC is fairly hidden in the sea of black.  It would have been nice to add another color around the controls. The gauges use a trendy font and look fresh.

The seats are fairly bland compared to the Euro versions.  The designer said that the American consumers have different needs.  Well I do not need a boring seat when the rest of my car looks bad ass.  Big miss here.  But don’t worry Ford makes up for it by offering 7 different trim levels including the highest trim level of leather with piping.  My favorite color option is the Lava Red seats.

Overall the interior “looks” good but it is still plagued by hard plastics and monotone color.  There is a lot of room for material upgrades and color inserts to make the interior look more up level.

Under the skin goods…..

The big seller on this car is the mpg.  30mpg in the city and 40mpg on the highway sounds like the new norm for small cars since the Chevy Cruze has announced the same.  I am sure the new Civic will also be hitting those numbers.  Helping to achieve these numbers is the introduction of the new PowerShift dual clutch transmission.  This is similar to the one on the VW GTI but without the paddle shifters or any shifting at all.  That is right, the automatic is old school with no way of controlling the shift points.  I would imagine this will change after the car is released and people complain.  Ford backed this decision up by saying there data showed consumers do not care about a tiptronic style shifter.  Time will tell.

Customer Insights

The Fiesta is targeted at Baby Boomers and Millenials.  No Gen Xer’s need apply since they are supposedly making families and are shopping for minivans.  Women are also the main target with 70% under the age of 30 buying new cars.  There is also talk of numerous accessories coming out.  How about a SVT version with an Ecoboost in it?  I wouldn’t be surprised since this car is all about personality.

Dealerships

Ford is going to begin training their dealerships about how to relate to the consumers buying this car.  This means using Twitter, facebook and others to communicate in a new way.  I think a test will be in order once the Fiesta shows up on the lots.  Can you imagine the 65 year old Ford salesman giving out his Twitter name and keeping in touch with you.  Don’t get me wrong, this is a much needed update, but it will be a long term change in how dealerships do business.

There is also going to be a reservation system to pre order vehicles for the first time.  Customers who reserve their Fiesta will have SYNC included as well as a break on delivery fees.

Final Thoughts

The Fiesta is a small car that blows the doors off everything else in its class (Yaris, Fit & Carolla).  Ford’s new personality of Dynamic, Engaging and Responsive vehicles holds true.  The one last test is to see how it drives.  Go check out your Lime Squeeze this summer at your local Ford Dealership.