It says Ford plans to bring new Fiesta to US.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23333918/

I also read recently that Ford is expanding production facilities for Fiesta expecting strong demand from North America (encouraged by success of Honda Fit).
I don't expect diesel version, just gasoline for US.

The modifications needed to be made to the Euro Fiesta are a better catalytic converter to meet stricter emission rules and strenghtening bumpers to stand 5 mph colision, plus perhaps some minor changes related to some lights.

@Peter:
"The sky is blue and life expectancies in France and Germany are higher than ours."

High percentage of diesels definitively makes air in European cities dirtier and unhealtier than in US (some Swedish studies on this site showed that micro/nano particles from diesels significantly increase risk of heart disease and stroke).
Actually almost all health standards in Europe (EU) are higher than in US (like for food preservatives, hormones in meat, GM foods, drug quality), but emission standards are higher in US which ensures cleaner air.

So the Europeans choose to poison themselves with bad air courtesy of Diesels while we choose to poison ourselves with bad food? It looks like they're coming out ahead.

I'm wondering about the quoted 0.33 CD for the Fiesta...
Isn't it too high?
I still own a 1995 Opel/Vauxhall Calibra that sports a 0.25 CD.
Can't they get something better below 0.30 for the Fiesta?

Don't forget that total drag = Cd x frontal area.
A new streamlined semi tractor might have a lower Cd than a mini.

This car actually looks cool....it does not look g,ay-h,omo. The Fiat 500? G,ay. Smart? G,ay. If you are straight, and you get a Fiat 500 or Smart car - that must mean your girlfriend or wife wears the pants in your family....or you have h,omo tendencies.

As for Stas Peterson's ranting - I think he either went to Europe and had a horrible time, or someone from Europe wronged him or a loved one. Will someone from Europe please recommend some places Stas Peterson can go for an attitude adjustment? Either way, the truth is that Europe is spectacular though it has its flaws like anywhere else.

I think Ford will offer the ECOnetic Fiesta in the USA, powered by a slightly bigger turbodiesel engine (probably 1.7 liters) mated to the six-speed Powershift dual-clutch transmission.

While it may not have the extreme fuel economy of the European-market Fiesta, the US-market ECOnetic will still likely get over 50 miles per US gallon fuel economy (EPA 2008 standard overall average) and still meet the 2009 CARB rules for diesel emissions (EPA Tier 2 Bin 3 certification).

I seem to recall less dirty old cars and trucks in Europe than the US. That compensates for more diesels.

Again, the best selling cars in US have little to do with gas mileage.

Yaris may not get 69 mpg, but Babba and Marmies with love for big vehicles will buy a used truck/van before he/she has to stoop so low as to buy a compact car. They'd figure that for the price of a new car, the savings in a used truck will buy their enough fuel for a few years.

I think people are just too optimistic about cars that get high gas mileage. I have absolutely no doubt that small cars have a bigger market TODAY compare to the last decade, but it doesn't mean that ANY high-mpg cars will be an instant hit here in US.

The drop in oil prices in the last week probably already have some people think that oil prices will stabilize in the future. I'm not arguing about whether oil prices will go up or down. What I'm getting at is that once people are less jittery about oil prices and once the economy show signs of strength, old habits of buying gas-guzzlers will surge right back.

We're not asking Ford and GM to make their whole car line diesels. For god sake, can't they make just one line of cars that's really fuel effient and different? Take a look at the foolish cars they've all come out with in the past and it's not hard to see this isn't a huge risk. These guys don't have much time to change their business model before they lose the whole thing. The fact is, they just don't want this to happen.

This is what really disgusts me about US automakers. They sell fantastic, cutting edge, fuel efficient products to our cousins in the UK and Europe and what do we get? The Impala. The Cobalt. The Chrysler Anything! I so would like to buy a hyperefficient American car, but there really are none in this market. Bring some of these UK/EU models over here and they will sell like mad! It USED to be true that crash, and even emission, standards were lower in Europe, but I think that now we are mostly on par. For heaven's sake they can bring us a US legal 2009 Jetta clean blue-tec diesel and the bluetec Mercedes diesels, but Ford can't figure out how to do the same? Well a car like this, at 63 MPG, would sell like mad, even with a lower HP engine. It would be groundbreaking and could help pull Ford out of its morass in North America. This would be the US version of the VW Lupo 3L! At +$4 gas. MPG is now the newly crowned king, not HP or truck bed size!

If Ford or GM can't see this, than frankly they are beyond help. They deserve to lose to Toyota.

So sad. Especially for us drivers.

Maybe there are not enough non obese americans to purchase cars that only a relatively fit person could fit into?

Maybe that is why americans used to (hopefully "used to") buy the big huge behemoths?

CharlesS:

Here are the 10 best selling cars in Canada for the first six months of 2008, by order of increased sales:

1) Hayundai Accent +106.7%
2) Toyota Corolla + 37.4%
3) Honda Civic + 24%
4) Pontiac G5 + 14.6%
5) Toyota Yaris + 13.4%
6) Nissan Versa + 10.3%
7) Chevy Cobalt + 6.0%
8) Toyota Camry + 5.7%
9) Ford Focus + 5.0%
10) Mazda 3 - 1.3%

Here are the 10 best selling small trucks/van:

1) Toyota RAV4 + 31.1%
2) Honda CR-V + 9.3%
3) Ford Scape + 5.2%
4) Ford Rabger + 4.5%
5) Dodge Ram + 3.1%
6) Ford F - 5.9%
7) Chev Uplander - 11.9%
8) Chev Silverado - 24.8%
9) GMC Sierra - 26.3%
10) Dodge Caravan - 26.4%

PS
The Civic was the best seller (43069, mostly in central and eastern Canada) followed by Ford F (36555, mostly in western Canada). The big surprise is the Accent (16952, almost +107% mostly in central and eastern Canada). Many people are switching back to cars.

Peter,

I am tired of suffering fools who want to run down their own country for no good reason.

I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and even try to educate you. Go google and look at what the emissions levels for proposed EU6 is going to be; and go look at what the emission levels for T2B5 and Lev II is. Go compare our existing gasoline engine standards for 50 state or CARB, and compare it to Europe proposals for future ICE implementation, never mind the kludge that is in force now.

EU toxic emissions laws are a joke.

They talk of CO2 emissions and future standards there. We have much tougher emissions regulation in force and existing here; except for CO2. And frankly we don't need them. We are close to meeting pre-rigged Kyoto standards, 6% away, despite the pre-rigging that screwed Japan, and the US. (why 1990 baseline?) And they missed by 21%, in spite of the EU pre-rigged head start.

Long before their superior CO2 standards are actually promulgated rather than promised, no one will give a damn about the levels of a necessary trace gas and plant food, except to want more of it.

The EU is full of homogeneous populations in countries that have little in-migration, except for handfuls of former colonials, from third world cesspools. The US has some 35 million plus in-migrating peasants, who have slipped across our open borders, seeking a better life, after having no health care in their early years.

If you looked at our life expectancy figures, with and without these would-be immigrants, we would dwarf EU health statistics. Ditto for the literacy stats;, Ditto for any kind of social pathology that you would like to name.

Whereas everyone in the EU has a leftist toilet paper health insurance contract, that guarantees health insurance, but not actual health care. Meanwhile the actual health care infrastructure of doctors, clinics, hospitals, and drug companies decay, and people queue in long lines, or wait interminably for procedures, or flee here for it. British National Health is a growing disaster. Nomenklatura excepted. Naturally.

European air IS dirtier, I travel there often enough, to notice that it is getting worse too, over time. Measurably dirtier. In the US the air and rivers constantly improve.

Even in the bad old days before official cleanup began; in the 1960s, people did not drop dead on the Street (except in London), from the pollution. There were even blue sky days, too.

Grow up! It is not a conspiracy. If there is any conspiracy to prevent imports, it exists in Europe. They have worked hard to keep others, including the Japanese and Koreans out. Whereas we let virtually anybody into our markets to compete and are intrinsically healthier for it.

The NA built autos, are still measured near 14,000,000 annually; and I don't really care that its overwhelmingly very modern plants, have Toyota, or BMW on the Logo as well as GM or Ford.

I am a real and genuine environmentalist, who wants clean air and water, with no genuine toxics in it. I will not accept my Science from a know-nothing preacher man, who knows no science except the rustle and clink of an ill gotten buck.

Thankfully the AGW fraud has about run its course. Our science and technological advance has just about produced a superior Transport substitute in the electrified auto. Fossil limitation is the only commodity that was looming to limit a fine lifestyle for all humans. That is disappearing before our eyes. Generation sources for electricity improve everyday. Clean coal in the form of IGCC is here; it is 20% more efficient and much cleaner than an equivalent operating coal plant. Nuclear fission has been perfected enough now to be used in great numbers, and it is.

Controlled Fusion get closer everyday too. Limitless energy beckons, in the not too far time frame, and that means rising not falling living standards despite the caterwauling of the Cassandras.

@stas

"The biggest method to interfere with trade is now the governmental regulatory agencies, not tariffs."

What an undiluted piece of crap!
Misinformation is the law here, folks.
The USA has signed all the corporate enacted laws, treaties, etc, WTO, NAFTA since Clinton and GM is going down, so blame the gov, yeay, how &$%# dumb can you be ?

"A bureaucrat can always dream up a unique regulation that makes it difficult to import another product."

No such thing here, 1/3 going to 1/2 of US sales are imports, never has it been so good for imports. EVER !

"The Euro Greens have so corrupted their original mission to cleanse the air and water, that they don't give a damn about true toxics, that everyone agrees are unhealthy."

More misinformation. The Greens in Europe and particularly Germany have set up the most ambitious plan to cut global emissions, and yes, they give a damn about true toxics unlike you, such as banning $%^&# GMOs from their food. Sweden has decided to eliminate nukes TWENTY YEARS ago in twenty years, and they are on target. Germany banned nukes. NUKES ARE TOXIC, the most toxic substances on the planet and stay toxic for hundreds of thousands of years.

"SOx, CO, NOx, and PMs are ignored, in favor of chasing the will'o'the wisp, the harmless plant food trace gas, CO2. A gas that now is being shown isn't even capable of altering the climate any appreciable amount. The world may warm (and now cool) but CO2 has next to nothing to do with it."

None have been ignored in Europe either, they are being controlled and phased out. Germany is going to move to 20% of total electricity from renewable sources. CO2 is not just plant food, it is an atmosphere warming gas responsible to global warming, and an ocean water acidifier. On the other hand, you did not write, research, publish or can ever publish any of the science. NONE, ZERO, NADA, NOTHING.

"America has chosen another route. Our air standards for controlling genuine pollutants are in place, effective, and being addressed FIRST. We are 25 years ahead of Europe in such standards that reduce real genuine pollutants. It shows; our air is much cleaner than ambient air in Europe."

Indeed. We put more pollutants, mercury, cadmium, co2, nox, co, methane, lead than anyone else. They get our pollutants there courtesy from you on the jet stream.
We have some of the worst polluted cities in the world:
Houston, Los Angeles, the Pacific Northeast, and so on.
You are an INSULT to millions of Americans who suffer from asthma and respiratory illnesses all across the country.

"Meanwhile, we are within 6% of officially meeting 1990 Kyoto standards without ratifying it The the phony Europeans are 21% over their 1990 Kyoto committments. "

No such thing. It's a lie and a slander to the europeans. There is no research done on this.
Not even by stas.

"If we only calculate it,just as others do, and credited ourselves with making the prior land use restrictions, in favor of wilderness and parkland,correctly. If we allowed a tree on such restricted and reserved property to propagate and grow a tree, and count them in the tallies, we met Kyoto long ago. "

There is no such thing. GOV subsidized clear-cutting has accelerated during the bush-0-matic years, we clear-cut 2 acres a second, the Amazon cuts 1 acre a second, because we are bigger, faster, much better cutters. As a consequence of tree cutting and watershed damage, salmon fisheries on the ENTIRE WEST COAST have been closed this year until further notice.

"It is not that we are so progressive; its that they are so backward. I would say on purpose, by corruption from their automakers, with the watermelon Greens. "

More slander and humilliation. If you think anyone will see you as better because you humilliate them, I got news for you. The european automakers that you so despise, well, CO2 or not, they are the best in the world: BMW, MERCEDES, FERRATI, MASERATTI, LAMBORGHINI, ASTON MARTIN, ROLLS ROYCE, you name it, you got it, capice ?

"It is routine for their automakers to build cleaner cars for export to the USA, than with what they poison their own EU citizens. Such watermelons are eager to talk a good show; but have never demonstrated any urge to actually do anything but than to make an environmental cesspool wherever they are put in charge. "

The cesspool is all in your head. Start cleaning it.
The Europeans are now on TIER 5, among the cleanest
in the world.

"True "clean diesel" will come when the world adopts T2B2 standards for CI ICEs. But the entry point to "clean", is "cleaner" T2B5, an order of magnitude stiffer than EU 6, and that is the US entry point for diesels. "

And that is the best diesel emissions in the world, far better than the US.

"EU planned promulgation proposals for EU 6 is pure phony watermelon eyewash."

The type you use for your eyes, no doubt.

"EU Automakers can conform. Daily, they announce such vehicles for sale in the USA, but not in Europe. As a consequence, EU automakers who would build better cars, are forced to build polluting pigs to maintain price competitiveness, in Europe. "

And that is no coincidence either that they can meet California standards, put in place by California laws, signed by Gaaa-leee-phornya Gubernators, and monitored every two years by inspection laws in Gaaa-leee-phornya.
And so goes the story, MERCEDES, BMW sell pretty good in Gaaa-leee-phornya too.

"If you want these cars here, you must defund NHTSA and EPA while requiring them to negotiate uniform OECD standards for automobiles."

No deal. They are already here. You are too late,
livin in the past.

"But our government friendly politicians, who never met an opportunity to expand government, or lord it over the Peons, would never countenance shrinking such bureaucracies. The outraged roar would be massive that the Polluters or the Uncaring were in charge here. Unlike the deafening silence to the same and VALID charge in Europe. "

Of course they are government friendly. They work there too.

"And most of the critics that would be leading the charge are right here. The charges would be leveled by the self-same impatient ones, who complain that such autos as this Ford should be allowed into the USA."

What is the matter with you ? GM is going out-of-business, Ford is next.

"In due tiem ,when these vehicles meet genuine emissions standards anthey will come here. Beleive it or not, The world will survive a delay of a few months."

No such thing. And neither will you survive.
That's the good part. I would not have it
any other way.

HarveyD...Got my wife a 5 speed 2008 Hyundai Accent. She loves it & averaged almost 33 MPG thru a long cold winter & a stop & go highway commute. All pieces stay in their right spots & function 100%, without any squeaks, creaks or rattles. My wife finally let me feather foot the Accent on 3 daytrips over 1400, 3000, 4000, & 5500 foot mountain passes getting 41.5, 42.6, & 45.2 MPG! I was not surprised to see monthly U.S. sales for Accent move from ~3000 to 6900+ cars.

I've gotten 35, 35.6, 50, 53, & 75 MPG highway with my own vehicles for 35 years.

Get a high MPG car folks, whether it be Yaris, Honda Fit, Versa, Accent, Ford Focus, Aveo or even a Dodge Caliber. It doesn't have to be a Hybrid(save some money). But feather foot them like crazy. It is the only way to get good MPG. The decades of racing around(hard acceleration from the stoplites & high speeds) are over & never should have been. Fast moving big vehicles made fuel skyrocket.

So many young people(mostly males, but all hurry hurry people played a part) started by squealing away from stops & as they 'matured', they only reduced their acceleration a bit & used speed limits as a suggestive starting point.

@ litesong:
Just to clarify:
(I saw you have a UK email) Are you talking about a diesel or gasoline version of the 5 speed 2008 Hyundai Accent, and is it a US or Imperial galon (in your MPG figures) ?

@ Anon (that replied to Stas):
If those European diesels are so clean, why then leading European makers VW am Daimler (Merc Benz) have so many problems meeting stringent California (and some other US states) emission standards for passenger cars ?

Hi MG...Don't think you'll find many 5500 foot mountain passes in England or Scotland. I live in Northwest USA with U.S. gasoline gallons(20% smaller than imperial gallons,) driving in the Cascade Mountains, a few drives near Mt. Rainier & some trips to 10,000 foot Sierra-Nevada passes, & 12,000-14000+ Rocky mountains passes & tops. Like you, I wouldn't believe Accent would put up such high MPG numbers. The Honda Fit, which has a couple more EPA MPG than Accent, might have a hard time matching Accent's mountain MPG...I'd love to try tho.

I'm not a hypermiler, but just a feather footer, so most people could get my MPG with a small car without modifications. Not only does feather footing give superb MPG, but your feather footed vehicles last decades. My last 3 vehicles lasted 15, 22 & 18 years, sometimes on hard mountain logging roads. I still drive my 18 year old vehicle & it could last another 10 years.

@| Wow, Plinked your little red watermelon fantasy world, did I?

Where to begin?

Europe and Japan implement more regulation as a way to prevent imports. No one is perfect, but America does it much less interfering, then either of these two.

In Japan each imported car must be individually inspected, and individually tested, to see it has passed safety and emissions. You can't get an import model year tested and approved; yet they let their own domestic companies approve all cars of a model year after a few samples are tested and certified.

Your statistics showing what market share the open US allows for entry in foreign automobiles, and what the EU does, would be only confirmation of what I said. As I said I'm glad that Toyota, Nissan, Hyundai, Mazda VW, Mercedes, BMW have built modern factories here. It has forced GM, Ford and Chrysler to do the same, and they have. The result is a thoroughly modern, technologically advanced, auto industry in North America.

You are Daft, to even suggest that EU 6, when adopted sometime in the vaguely distant future, will even hold a candle to the emissions levels, in force, today, and for sometime, in the USA.

It used to be true that CA promulgated an earlier implementation schedule for the same tough regulations, adopted federally; so they used to be tougher, by simply being sooner.

But the implementation schedules have caught up, merged, and there no longer is any difference.

Too bad Mr. Bush didn't do as you accuse, and kill all air regulation. As your political tripe leads you to believe.

California needed tougher emissions laws, its air is the worst, most polluted air in any cities, in the US. No US city, except in California, has more than a few, largely technical, bad air days per year, yet California still has bad air days numbering in the high twenties in the LA basin and a little less, in San Francisco Bay.

Some of that certainly is an accident of geography and thermal inversion; but Smog started there, and still exists there, and virtually no where else.

Except its not "trendy" to worry about clean air now, that virtually everyone in the US, except California has it. Can't admit the Jacka$$ Party can't clean it up; let's change the subject. So, let's run off and save the world from trace gas, plant food, CO2.

I dare you to post the NOx, SOx, CO, PM, HVOC emissions levels of the two standards! EU vs USA.

T2B5 diesel regulations are a magnitude stiffer. Ditto for the Gasoline engine standards. That is why the $hitty polluting EU diesels can't get into the US.

Think! If EU 6 was tougher, they all would be eligible, having met T2B5 routinely on the way to EU6 certification. The phony EU Greens don't have a time frame for an equivalent to T2B5, yet they speak of regulations out to years post 2030.

Sorry "|".

GM and Ford make lots of money in Europe, selling European built GM and Ford models, to Europeans. They will be around for a long time; despite your fervent anti-American, leftist, dreams and hopes.

They say tough times bring out the best and produce tough people. This market downturn, instigated mostly by the Jacka$$ eco-wackos drilling policies, is a golden opportunity to unify the automotive product offerings worldwide. Ford and GM will save bundles in a few years, not having to design and build as many global platforms.

I think the Allen Mullaly's Ford motto, summarising that is "One Ford One World".

Meanwhile, Welcome the Ford Fiesta to the USA, with a gasoline drivetrain. Drastic mileage improvements and electric substitutes will probably make its stay about one automobile generation. Just like previously, though.

litesong..., thanks for the useful additional info.
Impresive numbers.
I read recently some Q&A where a car expert said that some of the latest models of cars with ICE actually consume less if left in gear than if shifted in neutral and ICE left idling (when slow deceleration is needed).
The very slow acceleration mode you use (feather footing) is unfortunately not applicable (IMO) on busy city streets with frequent traffic lights. It would increase congestion, and can trigger road rage.

Even for faster acceleration, the way how gas pedal is applied can make significant difference on consumption (except possibly in some newer cars where gas pedal input is taken via a sensor, processed by ECU, then passed as signal to engine to increase rpm (Porsche calls it 'E-gas')).
I believe that in cars where wheels are driven by electric motors, faster acceleration will be far less wasteful than with ICEs.

Other than for economy, hard acceleration from the stoplites is known to be very damaging for automatic transmissions (don't know if it also applies to latest dual-clutch ones, used by VW and some other makers).

Actually it could be that one of key contributing factors to low consumption of Prius is the ability to avoid sudden acceleration of their ICE (and instead use more battery power for short periods when car acceleration is needed).

Slow acceleration (very slow acceleration may not get the best MPG) isn't as upsetting to those behind, as the person who sleeps at the stoplite & takes 2+ seconds before he starts moving. When the driver delays, then takes off hard making up for his delay, everybody's timing behind him is thrown off. Actually, fewer people make it threw the light with the delayed starter, then a slow starter who times the light well & gets going as the signal turns green. Also, the slow but prompt starter is safer too, because as they start slowly, they have time to check for cross-traffic running a stop sign & can stop to give the stoplite offender room. Everyone's timing is ready & the ones behind a prompt but slow starter can also get good MPG. If feather footing gave only the feather footer good MPG & everyone else bad MPG, I would never encourage people to feather foot. But a whole string of cars getting a coordinated but slow acceleration can get superb MPG for the whole string. Pay attention next time to a string of cars where one gets a jack rabbit but delayed start & how poorly the coordination of the car string behind him is.

stas wrote:
> Meanwhile, we are within 6% of officially meeting 1990 Kyoto standards without ratifying it The the phony Europeans are 21% over their 1990 Kyoto committments.

stas, you repeat this falsehood often, assumedly to create this as a perception in the readers' minds. Look at the facts, then adjust your posting accordingly;

http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/1605/ggrpt/carbon.html

US 1990 CO2 emissions: 5017.5 million metric tons
US 2006 CO2 emissions: 5935.4 million metric tons
Difference: +18.3%
US Kyoto target: -7%

The US is 25% away from their Kyoto target.

http://www.eea.europa.eu/pressroom/newsreleases/eu-within-reach-of-kyoto-targets
"EU-15 emissions reached a level 2 % below the Kyoto base year. The EU-15 has a Kyoto target to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 8 % from base-year levels (see below) by 2012. "

Hence, you are confused about progress by the US and the EU; the US is 25% away from its Kyoto goal, while the EU is only 6% away.

If you have any reliable references to provide, we'd be happy to examine them. Reliable references only, though.

The post for July 27, 2008, 12:15am was mine.

Again, I encourage everyone to get a hi MPG car, whatever brand you want.

Some here downplay American cars. But the thing that needs downplaying is the uneconomical way we drive. People who take my tips(& anyone else's tips) for good economy, can expect 10+% better MPG. If leadfooters turn into feather footers(magic indeed?), they may see 20+% MPG improvements.

I own a CVT Dodge Caliber with which many people average under 25MPG...some report sub-20MPG. My overall average has been 31.4MPG, 16+% over the EPA highway high, with a hard winter & trips over 4000 & 5500 foot mountain passes. My highway high has been 32% over the EPA highway rating. As mentioned, just a feather footer here, not a hypermiler, but 5 vehicles in a row have given excellent MPG for me. My 2 highest MPG vehicles were used, not new! So almost everyone can get much better MPG if they want it. Use the mindset of a feather footer.

& the people with poor MPG vehicles who can't afford a new car, can save more fuel than they think! Given a vehicle with 'bad' MPG, say half as much as a 'good' MPG vehicle? Then that 'bad' vehicle, if driven with a feather foot to save 10+% fuel, only has to drive half the distance as the feather footed 'good' vehicle to save the same amount of fuel...its really quite magical!

So begin to save fuel with the vehicle you have. If I wanted to, I could get a miserable sub-25MPG with my Caliber...some people report sub-20MPG.

Nice. Can we have some? I suspect our price at the pump is comparable to Europe, especially with the devaluation of the dollar. Come on Ford... can we have some?

In the UK we pay £1.20 per litre or $2.40 a litre.

That's $11 a gallon imperial or $9 an american gallon.

So no, the price at the pump is not comparable, it is the cheapest in the western world.

Sorry for the reality check, but thats why the fiesta econetic is not sold in the states and the F-series is.