The Fiesta could save its owners more than $100 a year in fuel costs compared with other subcompacts.

Ford Racing Performance Parts is putting its own spin on a Fiesta at SEMA, outfitting a concept Fiesta in a way that is sure to get the hearts of high-performance enthusiasts pumping. The Fiesta will have a production-based 2.0-liter EcoBoost™ engine, enlarged to 2.3 liters to pump out 350 horsepower.

“The goal of our 350-horsepower Fiesta is really twofold – first to reinforce Fiesta’s fun-to-drive nature with an extreme version that captures the attention of the influential enthusiast, and second, to introduce the Ford Racing/EcoBoost connection in a way that’s unexpected and outrageous,” said Mickey Matus, Ford Racing Performance group marketing manager. “In both cases, we’re targeting the discriminating performance enthusiast with our message. After all, they are the people others rely on for automotive expertise and recommendations.”

The car comes equipped with several Ford Racing Performance Parts options that are currently available at www.fordracingparts.com. A short-throw shifter offers more precise shifting, while a Ford Racing exhaust gives off a deeper, throatier exhaust note. Also available are 17-inch wheels that are cast-aluminum and painted in charcoal gray.

Additionally, the car features Brembo brakes that offer the ultimate in stopping power, and Ohlins dual-flow valve dampers that deliver comfort and agility.

Ford Racing’s Fiesta will arrive in all-blue, pristine condition, and will be painted by a renowned artist during the show with the intention of auctioning the car in the future to benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund (JDRF).

Ford today is revealing the Fiesta ST concept, another chance to show how turbocharged car are at the center of its performance and gas-saving strategy. The Fiesta ST will join the production version of the Focus ST in being formally debuted at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

Like Focus ST, Fiesta ST will be powered by a turbocharged EcoBoost engine. Its will have a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine producing 180 horsepower. The Focus version gets a 2-liter EcoBoost engine. Fiesta ST also gets a six-speed manual transmission.

"Fiesta has a rich history of high-performance models so a new ST performance model is a logical next step in our performance vehicle strategy," said Derrick Kuzak, Ford group vice president, in a statement. The plan would be to sell the Fiesta ST worldwide.

Standing apart from the regular Fiesta, the ST has a lowered stance, tuned suspension, widened wheel arches with 17-inch alloy wheels and full ST body kit. It's made to look like the racing Ford Fiesta WRC competition car.

Ford is unveiling its vision for a future high-performance Fiesta ST at the Los Angeles Auto Show this month. The Ford Fiesta ST Concept signals the next step in Ford Motor Company’s global performance vehicle strategy and hints at how a future Fiesta ST model might look when it joins the Focus ST in the global small car portfolio.

The Fiesta ST Concept combines eye-catching, muscular and sporty styling with a dynamic sports chassis and a high-performance powertrain capable of delivering impressive fuel economy with low emissions.

A global Fiesta ST would extend the proud, 35-year Fiesta history of delivering high- performance thrills to small car customers. Iconic past models include the European Fiesta XR2 and XR2i, Fiesta RS1800 and RS Turbo, and the more recent first-generation Fiesta ST. The five-door Fiesta ST Concept shows the promise for a globally available performance model.

Bold and distinctive, the five-door Fiesta ST Concept embodies the spirit of Fiesta’s high-performance history with an infusion of dynamic, futuristic looks and innovative technology.

“The Fiesta has a rich history of high-performance models so a new ST performance model is a logical next step in our performance vehicle strategy for our global small cars,” said Derrick Kuzak, Ford group vice president, Global Product Development.

The Fiesta ST Concept continues that tradition by showing how a global performance version of Ford’s best-selling B-car can be both technologically advanced and dramatically styled.

“With a racing silhouette inspired by global Fiesta race and rally cars currently competing on the world stage, and influenced by the unique appearance of the all-new Focus ST, the new Fiesta ST Concept is an exciting demonstration of the road-going Fiesta’s potential,” Kuzak added.

Rally car-inspired, EcoBoost-powered

With the Fiesta RS World Rally car and Fiesta Rallycross cars currently demonstrating the potential of Ford’s global small car in the toughest of international motorsports events, there could be no better time for Ford to offer customers a glimpse of what is technically possible with the road-going Fiesta.

Like Ford’s World Rally Championship contender, Fiesta RS WRC, the Fiesta ST Concept uses a 1.6-liter Ford EcoBoost® gasoline engine to deliver high-level performance.

The use of a 1.6-liter turbocharged unit in the Fiesta ST Concept and Ford’s EcoBoost downsizing strategy in general reflects not only the current WRC engine guidelines but also the trend within international motorsports to deliver greater fuel economy through technological advancement.

As with all engines in the EcoBoost family, the Fiesta ST Concept’s advanced engine combines turbocharging and direct injection to deliver the powerful performance of a larger-capacity, traditional gasoline engine.

Like the 2.0-liter EcoBoost engine that will power the production Ford Focus ST, the 1.6-liter EcoBoost in the Fiesta ST Concept also features twin independent variable camshaft timing (Ti-VCT) and has been specially developed to provide power and torque worthy of the ST badge.

In the Fiesta ST Concept, the 1.6-liter Ford EcoBoost engine achieves a target output of 180 horsepower with 177 lb.-ft. of torque.

Yet the advanced design of the turbocharged four-cylinder engine – connected to a six-speed manual transmission – means the Fiesta ST Concept also delivers lower emissions.

Improving fuel economy and emissions remains one of the driving factors behind Ford’s continuing development of the EcoBoost engine family, with the Fiesta ST Concept proving that responsible and attractive fuel economy need not come at the expense of performance.

Bold design

The Fiesta ST’s bold and assertive styling makes an immediate impression and drives home the high-performance message with a number of striking features and design themes. The large, distinctive trapezoidal grille echoes a key feature of its larger sibling, the new Focus ST, and incorporates a honeycomb mesh design.

At the rear a dramatic diffuser design leaves no doubt as to the sporting credentials of the Fiesta ST Concept. The diffuser also envelops a twin-exit exhaust.

A lowered stance, widened wheel arches filled with 17-inch alloy wheels and full ST body kit mirror the styling of the Ford Fiesta WRC competition car – an alluring form that also delivers racing functionality.

Motorsports-influenced performance and handling

Taking inspiration from Ford’s competition Fiestas in the World Rally Championship, Global Rallycross Championship, European Rallycross Championship and X Games, the Ford Global Performance Vehicles group has developed the Fiesta ST Concept to deliver uncompromised sports performance and handling.

Tuned suspension geometry ensures dynamic and competent handling that can flatter less-experienced drivers while rewarding those seeking to push the limits of the Fiesta ST’s sports performance.

“With the Focus ST we promised to deliver uncompromised sports performance and styling to a truly global audience for the first time, without sacrificing Ford’s key values of Quality, Green, Safe and Smart,” said Jost Capito, Ford director of Global Performance Vehicles. “With the Fiesta ST Concept, we are demonstrating that our global performance plan has legs.

“The Fiesta ST Concept shows in the most dramatic way possible that the qualities that define an ST are not limited to one model,” he added. “The potential for delivering the ST experience to an even wider audience is laid bare by this exciting new concept.”

-Fiesta ST – a well-known hot hatch born in Europe and now ready for North America – packs a punch with a 1.6-liter EcoBoost® engine producing nearly 200 horsepower

-New Fiesta ST is Ford's latest vehicle to wear the Sport Technologies badge, a global performance brand that debuted in North America earlier this year with the launch of the Focus ST

-Exclusively equipped with a six-speed manual transmission, Fiesta ST is expected to be a segment leader in both performance and fuel efficiency


LOS ANGELES, Nov. 26, 2012 – Small cars continue to be a hot segment in North America and with the new Fiesta ST, introduced here at the 2012 Los Angeles Auto Show, Ford is expected to have the hottest hatch around.

Fiesta ST, a performance model first launched in Europe back in 2005, is yet another proof point from Ford that small cars are anything but boring. In addition to a precision sport-tuned suspension and an improved braking system, Fiesta ST packs a punch under the hood.

A new high-output variant of the award-winning 1.6-liter EcoBoost® four-cylinder engine propels Fiesta ST with an estimated 197 horsepower and 214 lb.-ft. of torque. In comparison, Mini Cooper S makes do with 181 horsepower and 177 lb.-ft., while Chevrolet Sonic RS produces just 138 horsepower and 148 lb.-ft.

Unlike the competition, Fiesta ST doesn't simply look like a performance car; it's got the guts to back it up.

"This is a rewarding car to rev," says Mark Roberts, Fiesta calibration supervisor. "With 177 lb.-ft. of torque available from just 1,600 rpm and 214 lb.-ft. by 3,500 rpm, Fiesta ST gives the performance and feel of an engine twice its size. There's no waiting at all for the power to just push you back in your seat."

Fiesta ST may be born with racing DNA, but buyers won't have to pay for that performance at the pump. Available exclusively as a five-door hatchback in North America and with a six-speed manual transmission, Fiesta ST is projected to achieve up to 34 mpg.

This compact performance machine sports a unique grille and chin spoiler with new rear diffuser and fascia extensions. Bright tipped dual-exhaust pipes and high-mount spoiler along with unique 17-inch wheels complete the visual package: Fiesta ST looks like it's made for the racetrack. The car is first of its nameplate to receive the Molten Orange tri-coat metallic paint.

Fiesta ST steering is more direct and responsive than the base model. A unique suspension with modified front knuckle makes for a quicker overall steering ratio of 13.6:1.

The rear axle gets increased roll stiffness to improve stability through fast corners, while the Fiesta ST body sits 15 millimeters closer to the ground than the base model.

Increased mechanical grip provided by the suspension improvements is further enhanced with electronic Torque Vectoring Control to reduce understeer during hard cornering maneuvers. Three-mode electronic stability control – standard, sport or off – enables the ST driver to select the amount of electronic aid based on current conditions. Overall, Fiesta ST provides enthusiastic drivers with the ideal mix of performance handling and ride comfort.

Fiesta ST will also sound good on the open road. It features the mechanical version of the sound symposer first used on the Focus ST, which went on sale in North America earlier this year, to provide an enhanced soundtrack for drivers out tackling the open road. It is unique for Fiesta in that for the first time the engine sound is directly fed into the passenger cabin to accentuate feedback quality and response.

Fiesta ST is the result of the combined efforts of Team RS in Europe and SVT in the United States.

When Ford launched the Fiesta for 2011, they had a head start. Two years earlier in 2009, they’d brought 100 European Fiestas to the U.S. and created the Fiesta Movement. Thousands of consumers submitted entries to be chosen as one of 100 digital influencers given the keys to a Fiesta for six months. These Fiesta agents completed monthly challenges, posted video and blogged about their experiences. The campaign, masterminded by new Ford social media head Scott Monty, was called the Fiesta Movement. It was spectacularly successful.

The campaign did an exceptional job of exposing the Fiesta name to a new generation of users (the name had been defunct in the U.S. for over a decade), gaining 6.2mm YouTube views, 750,000 Flickr views and 40mm Twitter impressions. Most importantly, it singlehandedly brought top-of-mind awareness for the Fiesta nameto a new generation of drivers. 132,000 drivers signed up for updates on the new Fiesta and over 6,000 pre-ordered the Fiesta, an exceptionally strong showing for a new economy car.
Four years later, Ford is resurrecting the Fiesta Movement for the launch of the 2014 Fiesta. This time around, Ford is incorporating the lessons from the first Fiesta Movement, as well as successful social campaigns for the Explorer, Escape and Fusion into the new Fiesta movement.

The 2014 Fiesta Movement will still have 100 agents given the use of a 2014 Fiesta for up to 8 months plus reimbursement for parking, gas and insurance. As with the first Fiesta Movement, there will be also be monthly missions to complete. This time around, though, a small percentage of the cars will be reserved for celebrities, current Fiesta owners and alumni. Each month with have a theme and a particular mission for the theme. The monthly themes are intended to highlight different features of the Fiesta. This year, Ford will partner with American Idol, the Summer X Games and the Bonoaroo Music Festival. Part of the partnership will give Fiesta agents inside access to these events, including behind-the-scenes looks at Idol.

A big change from the earlier promotion is that this year’s Fiesta Movement will generate all of the tv, print and digital advertising for the 2014 Fiesta launch over the summer. Team Detroit, Ford’s agency of record, will use the influencer produced video to create advertising and tie in with the promotional partners to further the reach.

Ford has a good track record with user engagement in social media programs and the new Fiesta Movement has all of the elements that a successful campaign needs in 2013. Recruitment for the new Fiesta agents begins today at www.fiestamovement.com