Ford Motor Co. said Thursday it has begun production of its new subcompact Fiesta at a plant in Germany. The vehicle is the first product to come out of Ford's new global development process, which aims to produce global models that are tailored to regional tastes but have the same underpinnings. It's slated to go on sale in stages between now and 2010, starting in Europe. The Cologne Stamping and Assembly plant is the first Ford assembly facility to build the new car, with production at Ford's Valencia assembly plant in Spain set begin in January.

Asian production is scheduled to begin later this year in China and Thailand, Ford said.

Ford's Cuautitlan assembly plant in Mexico, which previously made F-Series trucks, is... // WJLA

The Rayong plant is under construction to increase domestic production by at least 100,000 cars per year for export. In addition to the Fiesta, the first of a generation of new global small Ford cars, the subcompact Mazda 2 will be built at the plant.

Ford, in partnership with Mazda, is investing more than US$500 million to expand the Rayong plant.

The two companies plan to export the small cars to Asean, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa in addition to selling them in the domestic market.

The all-new Fiesta was conceived by the European arm of Ford's global product development team to meet the expectations of customers around the world, according to Ford Motor.

It is also the blueprint for future Ford global development, bringing together Europe, the Americas and Asia. The... // Trading Markets

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif., Aug. 15, 2008 - Kicking off the weekend marking the celebrated Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, Lincoln today confirms it will produce the Lincoln MKT, a premium, three-row luxury crossover based on a the well-received concept vehicle.

"The Lincoln MKT reinforces our commitment to further expand America's fastest-growing luxury brand, providing an all-new vehicle to the showroom that's been crafted and honed for a new kind of customer," said Mark Fields, Ford Motor Company's president of The Americas.

"The MKT will offer the comfort of a luxury sedan, the spaciousness and flexibility of a crossover and the performance of a sports sedan, courtesy of its EcoBoost engine," he added. "At the same time, this perfect blend of performance and power is elegantly wrapped... // Autochannel

Production of all-new Ford Fiesta small car begins in Cologne, Germany

Developed from Fords global B-car platform, European-designed Fiesta heralds new global small-car era for Ford

Production of Fiesta for North America will begin in early 2010 at Fords Cuautitlan Assembly Plant in Mexico

More than 5.3 million Fiestas have been produced in Cologne since 1979

COLOGNE, Ford Motor Company today began production of the all-new Ford Fiesta, the first in a portfolio of global small cars, at the Cologne Stamping and Assembly plant in Germany.

The next-generation Ford Fiesta was developed by the European arm of Fords global product development team to meet the demands and expectations of customers around the world.

The new small car represents the blueprint for future global product... // WebWire

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Volume production of the new Ford Fiesta, the first of a generation of new global small Ford cars, started at the company's Cologne plant in Germany today.

This all-new model of the Ford Fiesta has been conceived and developed by the European arm of Ford's global product development team to meet the demands and expectations of customers around the world.

It is also the blueprint for future Ford global product development, bringing together Europe, the Americas and Asia. The new Fiesta will be tailored for each region and go on sale progressively between now and 2010, starting now with Europe.

The Cologne plant has the honour of being the first Ford assembly facility in the world to build the new car. In January 2009, the Valencia plant in Spain will also begin... // TAXI Design Network

• Developed in Europe for customers around the world

• Fiesta to be produced and sold in Europe, the Americas and Asia, and will go on sale progressively across these regions between now and 2010

• Over 5.3 million Fiestas produced in Cologne since 1979

SEE ALSO: Ford Buyers Guide

COLOGNE - August 15, 2008: Volume production of the new Ford Fiesta, the first of a generation of new global small Ford cars, started at the company's Cologne plant in Germany yesterday.

This all-new model of the Ford Fiesta has been conceived and developed by the European arm of Ford's global product development team to meet the demands and expectations of customers around the world.

It is also the blueprint for future Ford global product development, bringing together Europe, the Americas and... // Autochannel

The company said that the Cologne plant is the first Ford assembly facility to build the new Fiesta. Production will start at the Valencia assembly plant in Spain in January 2009.

In North America, the new Fiesta will be offered in European hatchback and two-door sedan styles. The models will be produced at the company's Cuautitlan assembly plant in Mexico in 2010. Retooling of the plant from its current production of F-series trucks to small car production will begin in December... // Automotive Business Review

Cologne, Germany - Production of the new Ford Fiesta began at the company’s plant in Cologne, Germany yesterday. The Fiesta is the first of a new generation of small Ford vehicles conceived and developed by the European arm of Ford’s global product development team to meet the needs of customers worldwide.

The new Fiesta will be individually tailored for Europe, the Americas and Asia, and will go on sale progressively between now and 2010, starting with Europe.

The Cologne plant is the first Ford assembly facility in the world to begin the new car; in January 2009, it will also begin production in Valencia, Spain. Outside Europe, the Fiesta will be built in China, Thailand and Mexico, with production for each region... // CanadianDriver

Ford Mustang Wins 2008 Motorist Choice Award

The Ford Mustang, America’s best-selling sports car for 22 years, has been honored with the 2008 Motorist Choice Award in the Sporty Car segment by car buying information Web site IntelliChoice.com and automotive consulting firm AutoPacific.

The Motorist Choice Awards were designed to recognize vehicles that appeal to both the heart and head. The awards are calculated by combining IntelliChoice.com’s cost of ownership data with AutoPacific’s owner satisfaction information culled from more than 40,000 new car and truck buyers.

“The Mustang is an outstanding value, and it satisfies owners from the six-cylinder buyer all the way up to the muscle car guy who’s driving a Shelby 500KR,†said George Peterson,... // PaddockTalk

The first all-new Ford Fiesta small car has just rolled off the assembly line in Cologne, Germany, a plant that has built some 5.3 million Fiestas since 1979. Ford spent 455 million euros ($677 million) retrofitting the plant and plans to build 148,000 new Fiestas there this year, with production rising to 1900 Fiestas and Fusions a day once the plant is operating at full capacity. The European Fusion is a stretched version of the current Fiesta... // MotorTrend Magazine

Assembly of the new Fiesta began today at Ford's factory in Cologne, Germany, the first of several plants worldwide expected to build the car.  Ford recently invested nearly €455 million ($673 million) in retooling the plant, allowing it to build as many as 1900 Fiestas each day.

Cologne will be the sole source of European-market Fiestas until the plant in Valencia, Spain, comes on-line in January 2009.  Ford also plans on building the... // Automobile Magazine

Autoblog (Enlarge photo)

Click above for high-res gallery of the Fiesta beginning production

Ford has finally begun production of the all-new 2009 Ford Fiesta in Cologne, Germany, today. After an investment of 455 million Euros (about $674 million) to restructure and modernize the plant, Ford is expecting its 4,000 employees will be able to roll out 148,000 Fiestas by the end of the year, which is an impressive 1,900 cars each day). In January 2009, the Valencia plant in Spain will also begin building... // Autoblog

-- Production of all-new Ford Fiesta small car begins in Cologne, Germany

-- Developed from Ford's global B-car platform, European-designed Fiesta heralds new global small-car era for Ford

-- Production of Fiesta for North America will begin in early 2010 at Ford's Cuautitlan Assembly Plant in Mexico

-- More than 5.3 million Fiestas have been produced in Cologne since 1979

COLOGNE, Germany, Aug. 14 -- Ford Motor Company today began production of the all-new Ford Fiesta, the first in a portfolio of global small cars, at the Cologne Stamping and Assembly plant in Germany.

The next-generation Ford Fiesta was developed by the European arm of Ford's global product development team to meet the demands and expectations of customers around the world.

The new small car represents the... // Autochannel

The Ford Mustang, Americas best-selling sports car for 22 years, has been honored with the 2008 Motorist Choice Award in the Sporty Car segment by car buying information Web site IntelliChoice.com and automotive consulting firm AutoPacific.

The Motorist Choice Awards were designed to recognize vehicles that appeal to both the heart and head. The awards are calculated by combining IntelliChoice.coms cost of ownership data with AutoPacifics owner satisfaction information culled from more than 40,000 new car and truck buyers.

The Mustang is an outstanding value, and it satisfies owners from the six-cylinder buyer all the way up to the muscle car guy whos driving a Shelby 500KR, said George Peterson, president, AutoPacific. Thats a combination thats hard to beat.

Vehicle owner satisfaction... // Prdomain Business Register

The warranty repair rate for Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles in the United States is now almost 60 percent lower than it was in 2004.

The falling repair rate contributed to a $1.2 billion reduction in Fords worldwide warranty costs over the past 18 months.

The reason is simple: Ford vehicle quality is improving quickly.

As Ford strives to be best in class in every phase of vehicle development from design to pre-delivery internal measures continue to show the company is making significant quality strides. For example, transmission warranty work for 2005 model Ford vehicles with three years in service dropped by more than 50 percent compared with the 2004 model year.

The drive to improve quality is most evident during a new-model launch. Since 2005, each new model from Ford has... // Prdomain Business Register

COLOGNE, Germany , Aug. 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) today began production of the all-new Ford Fiesta, the first in a portfolio of global small cars, at the Cologne Stamping and Assembly plant in Germany .

The next-generation Ford Fiesta was developed by the European arm of Ford's global product development team to meet the demands and expectations of customers around the world.

The new small car represents the blueprint for future global product development efforts at Ford and will be tailored to meet customer preferences for interior features, exterior colors, body styles and other options in each region of the world. It will go on sale progressively between now and 2010, starting in Europe .

"Today we are celebrating the start of a new era for our... // Insurance News Net

The tiny Ford Fiesta is being heralded as the new symbol of the Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F)--oh how times change.

Ford today began production of the all-new Fiesta, the first in a portfolio of global small cars, at the Cologne Stamping and Assembly plant in Germany.

"The all-new Fiesta is an outstanding symbol for our One Ford vision of a single, global company designing and building cars for customers around the world. Be proud of what you have achieved and be proud of your contribution to a model that will get the world talking," Alan Mulally, president and CEO of Ford, told employees in a taped video message.

The Fiesta has gained a lot of respect in a very short time. In the SUV and truck-crazed U.S., the Fiesta has been viewed as a small step up from a clown car. But no... // SustainableBusiness.com

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (Reuters) -- Ford Motor starts producing its new global small car, the Fiesta, on Thursday, a key launch as the automaker aims to cut manufacturing and development costs worldwide.

Ford, which posted an $8.7 billion second-quarter loss, sees the Fiesta as a blueprint for its product development efforts that include a global platform for its Focus lower-medium car that has been built on differing platforms.

Global platforms can reduce overall development costs and purchasing costs, while allowing for differing interiors, exterior colors and other options depending on regional customer preferences.

Using the Fiesta platform, Ford aims to build about 1 million vehicles per year globally within five years.

The Fiesta, launched in 1976, has been a top seller in... // Automotive News

Auto Spectator (Enlarge photo)

DEARBORN, Mich., Aug. 13, 2008 â The Ford Mustang, Americaâs best-selling sports car for 22 years, has been honored with the 2008 Motorist Choice Award in the Sporty Car segment by car buying information Web site IntelliChoice.com and automotive consulting firm AutoPacific.

* The Ford Mustang is the winner of the 2008 Motorist Choice Award, Sporty Car segment. The awards are based on cost of ownership data from IntelliChoice.com and vehicle owner satisfaction information from AutoPacific.

* The Mustang outranked the Volkswagon Eos, Hyundai Tiburon, Mitsubishi Eclipse and last yearâs winner, the Scion tC, in 17 categories, including Image, Vehicle Reputation, Power s longest-running nameplate and has been the best-selling sports car for 22 straight years.

The Motorist Choice Awards... // Auto Spectator