Ford Fiesta ST Concept is tiny-tough hotness

Meet the Fiesta ST concept – it’s all the goodness of the newly introduced Focus ST, just in a smaller package. It looks just about ready to hit the streets, and that’s a good thing, since
Ford says that it is “seriously looking” at bringing this hot little number to production.

The beating heart under the Fiesta ST’s bonnet is a 1.6-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder, producing somewhere between 175 and 180 horsepower. The concept car uses a six-speed manual transmission and sends power exclusively to the front wheels, and Ford claims that the Fiesta ST is capable of running to 62 miles per hour in under seven seconds.

The big reason why we’re hoping the Fiesta ST gets the go-ahead? Ford says that the car will be a global model, meaning we’ll have two new Ford performance products to sink our teeth into in the United States. We’ve seen plenty of spy shots of the hotted-up Fiesta, so we’re fairly confident that this little darling will see the light of day sometime after the Focus ST goes on sale. The question is, will we get the three-door configuration, or will it spawn a set of rear doors?

We’ll have a slew of live images direct from the Frankfurt Messe in short order. For now, hit the jump to read over Ford’s official press release.

http://www.autoblog.com/2011/09/13/ford-fiesta-st-concept-is-tiny-tough-hotness/

Ford Fiesta-based CUV spied again, this time tackling the Monster’s peak

Our spy photographers have caught Ford testing its Fiesta-based crossover before. This time, however, the air is a bit thinner and the camo-clad vehicle is sitting up a little bit higher. The vehicle that appears to be the future Ford Fiesta CUV was spotted chugging into the Monster’s den that is Pike’s Peak.

While it’s still a quite heavy on the camouflage, we can predict that this compact soft-roader will utilize the same powertrains found under the bodywork of the Fiesta. Hopefully there’s a punched-up optional engine available as well, to cope with a potential four-wheel-drive variant. Can you say Fiesta EcoBoost crossover? We sure can, and we hope Ford does as well.

http://www.autoblog.com/2011/09/08/ford-fiesta-based-cuv-spied-again-this-time-tackling-the-monste/

Ford Fiesta RS WRC rally car specs released ahead of season debut

We now know exactly what the Abu Dhabi World Rally Team will be packing when they take on this year’sWorld Rally Championship. Ford has officially let loose a volley of information on the team’s new Fiesta bruiser. Built by M-Sport, the minds responsible for some of the quickest machines on tarmac or off, the rally-spec Fiesta is loosely based off of the same S2000 car that recently took gold at the Monte Carlo Rally in 2010. M-Sport quickly set about reducing weight and strengthening all the components necessary to compete on the global stage.

Under the hood, there’s a steroid-riddled version of the FoMoCo 1.6-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder engine with 300 horsepower and 331 pound-feet of torque. Even with the added burden of lugging around a full-time all-wheel drive system, the machine manages to hit the scales at a fairly feathery 2,645 pounds. A 12:1 steering rack, massive Brembo brakes and an X-Trac six-speed sequential transmission are all standard kit as well.

Look for the new Fiesta to be helmed by the likes of Mikko Hirvonen and Jari-Matti Latvala when the racer takes to the rally stages of the WRC later this year.

Paris 2010: Ford Fiesta RS WRC

The FIA World Rally Championship is shaping up to be particularly interesting in 2011, and the new-for-2011 Ford Fiesta RS is a big reason why. The Blue Oval’s latest dirt-spitting racer will contest its first race at Rally Sweden in mid-February, but the Fiesta S2000-based rally car made its debut this morning at the Paris Motor Show.

In typical WRC fashion, the blue and gray Fiesta RS is all gaping intakes, massive flares and skyscraping wings, and needless to say, it looks The Business. Motivated by an EcoBoost-branded 1.6-liter turbocharged four of undisclosed output, the four-wheel-drive RS will get a shakedown run on Spain’s gravel roads next week, though Ford says it’s already conducted about 3,000 kilometers worth of testing with various engines.