I don't believe it! IT HAS AMBER TURN SIGNALS YES!!!!! There is hope after all. On some further study it may just be lighting that gives the yellow glare. I hope it does have amber turn signals.
NA-Spec Body Shell in Mexico - Unobstructed View of Rear
Here's some pics from the Fiesta factory in Mexico. It shows a US spec sedan with the rear bumpers and taillights uncovered:
Ford avanza en la producción del nuevo Fiesta 2011 en Cuautitlán
Ford avanza en la producción del nuevo Fiesta 2011 en Cuautitlán
Ford avanza en la producción del nuevo Fiesta 2011 en Cuautitlán
Ford avanza en la producción del nuevo Fiesta 2011 en Cuautitlán
It's pretty much what I expected from the spy photos
Here's some translated bits from the story:
Ford avanza en la producción del nuevo Fiesta 2011 en Cuautitlán
Ford avanza en la producción del nuevo Fiesta 2011 en Cuautitlán
Ford avanza en la producción del nuevo Fiesta 2011 en Cuautitlán
Ford avanza en la producción del nuevo Fiesta 2011 en Cuautitlán
It's pretty much what I expected from the spy photos
Here's some translated bits from the story:
The new Ford Fiesta production start in 2011 the plant from the first quarter of 2010 for distribution in Mexico and export to the U.S. market.
Ford estimates that for the first year of production was 180 thousand units manufactured and eventually reach the 324 thousand
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Looks like what I expected as well. Looking at the pics, I kind of miss designing automotive checking fixtures! The body is sitting on a fixture that checks the locations of each panel. I designed a lot of those a number of years ago.
So it looks like the taillights are the same shape, different detailing. Looks good though. No front end shots? =(
Glare. Fluorescent tubes.I don't believe it! IT HAS AMBER TURN SIGNALS YES!!!!! There is hope after all. On some further study it may just be lighting that gives the yellow glare. I hope it does have amber turn signals.
The bumper looks as expected, but I think the camo on the spied sedans did a pretty nice job of concealing the actual size and proportions of the taillight. While not the same by any means, I see similarities to the current US Focus taillight in it's outer shape. Maybe that's just me. All in all, why couldn't they just publish a front end shot as well?
How lovely, no amber turn signals. Unless the middle light will be for the turn signal and the back up lamps will be mounted on the trunk.
And here's the front:
http://imagenes.autocosmos.com/contenidos/galerias/1024x768/2310_20091007081122200.jpg
You'll notice that the grille is not the 3-bar chrome piece we expected but a simple black trapezoid with a Ford logo floating on a thin bar in the middle.
The headlight optics have a much sharper look to them, but the fit the same opening. There's a chrome insert on each side of the lower intake resembling the Verve concept.
Sedan taillight detail: http://imagenes.autocosmos.com/contenidos/galerias/1024x768/2310_20091007081131919.jpg
Hatchback rear detail: http://imagenes.autocosmos.com/contenidos/galerias/1024x768/2310_20091007081128752.jpg
Note that the white inserts are gone from the taillights (were those the rear fogs?)
The entire set of photos: Fotos Visita de Enrique Peña Nieto a Ford Cuautitlán - Foto 29 - Autocosmos.com
http://imagenes.autocosmos.com/contenidos/galerias/1024x768/2310_20091007081122200.jpg
You'll notice that the grille is not the 3-bar chrome piece we expected but a simple black trapezoid with a Ford logo floating on a thin bar in the middle.
The headlight optics have a much sharper look to them, but the fit the same opening. There's a chrome insert on each side of the lower intake resembling the Verve concept.
Sedan taillight detail: http://imagenes.autocosmos.com/contenidos/galerias/1024x768/2310_20091007081131919.jpg
Hatchback rear detail: http://imagenes.autocosmos.com/contenidos/galerias/1024x768/2310_20091007081128752.jpg
Note that the white inserts are gone from the taillights (were those the rear fogs?)
The entire set of photos: Fotos Visita de Enrique Peña Nieto a Ford Cuautitlán - Foto 29 - Autocosmos.com
The white inserts were for the Turnsignal and the Backup Lamp. WTF??? Thankfully the 3 bar grill is history. So we see that the Kinetic design is holding, we have rear reflectors where the rear fog lamps go on the bumper which means some minor modifications to the rear bumper fogs can be added. Head lights and tail lights ordered from Trevor and bam, minor mods very nice indeed. But it also leaves the question, where are the back up lamps going to be mounted on the hatchback?
No white inserts for the hatchback's taillights at all, interesting...to be honest I'd prefer there to be the clear inserts but apart from that it appears pretty close to Euro-spec there.
The front is very surprising: no three-bar grille (though I wonder if the grille insert in the picture is finished or not) and different headlights, which I wasn't expecting us to get. They don't look bad at all, in fact I always thought the tinted inserts on the halogen-lighted models were a tad cheap-looking, but still it's not what I was expecting at all (though thinking about it they did need to put the required orange reflectors somewhere, and designing new headlights would have been cleaner than sticking orange rectangles on the fenders. Or something).
OTOH, the front bumper is exactly as I thought it would be.
Actually, looking at that front end some more I really like the new grille they've done. It's pretty clear they've just retrofit a more Euro-style one into the opening originally intended for the three-bar grille, but it makes the car look much closer to the European model. Then again, if they're not going to do the three-bar look at all then what's the point of the new front end?
...I'd bet money on it being that the new front end was designed with the three-bar grille a while back, and later on they decided to retrofit a Euro-style grille into the space but it was too late to design a whole new front end to keep it more or less Euro spec with a slightly bulgier lower area (it looks like the bumper does stick out a bit more on the American model). Thus the design we're seeing.
So overall, while I'd prefer there to not be any changes at all, the ones they made don't look bad. Now all that's left to see is the interior...
The front is very surprising: no three-bar grille (though I wonder if the grille insert in the picture is finished or not) and different headlights, which I wasn't expecting us to get. They don't look bad at all, in fact I always thought the tinted inserts on the halogen-lighted models were a tad cheap-looking, but still it's not what I was expecting at all (though thinking about it they did need to put the required orange reflectors somewhere, and designing new headlights would have been cleaner than sticking orange rectangles on the fenders. Or something).
OTOH, the front bumper is exactly as I thought it would be.
Actually, looking at that front end some more I really like the new grille they've done. It's pretty clear they've just retrofit a more Euro-style one into the opening originally intended for the three-bar grille, but it makes the car look much closer to the European model. Then again, if they're not going to do the three-bar look at all then what's the point of the new front end?
...I'd bet money on it being that the new front end was designed with the three-bar grille a while back, and later on they decided to retrofit a Euro-style grille into the space but it was too late to design a whole new front end to keep it more or less Euro spec with a slightly bulgier lower area (it looks like the bumper does stick out a bit more on the American model). Thus the design we're seeing.
So overall, while I'd prefer there to not be any changes at all, the ones they made don't look bad. Now all that's left to see is the interior...
I'm not wondering if the lights on these cars are prototypes and we have yet to see the finished product. I believe I still see a 3 bulb set up on the hatchback light and that these pics are part of a demonstration on how to assemble the car.
I imagine the headlights are completely final but I wonder if there's red tape covering the white part of the hatch's taillight or something; right now that's the only thing I don't like.
Thats what has me very puzzled about the hatch right now, the back up lamps where are the backup lamps at? Could there be tape I'm really putting my eyes to the screen on my computer and I can swear I see three bulbs in that hatch light.
Yeah, i guess we'll see. i'm glad they kept the cool mesh detailing on the top of the taillamps though, that was really the highlight of those lights for me.
I am somewhat shocked by today's developments. I'm having a bit of trouble interpreting the front fascia. It looks like the hood ends at the same point on the headlights thus the upper grille is now lower and maybe slightly larger than the current grille. The painted insert beneath the Ford oval seems more vertical than on the EU model, and could have the illusion of enlarging the grille a la the Fiesta R2. I think I'm a fan--the lower arc of the headlight seems to be a lateral extension of the lower portion of the upper insert as I had hoped.
I believe the front will look even cleaner without the front license plate holder. Sadly, this will be required in many states, though the fortunate ones in rear plate only states and those willing to risk running only one plate will enjoy the unobstructed, discreet chrome trim of the lower grille. I'll be very interested to see if it will be possible to remove the solid plastic portion of the lower grille, but that's for another day. Sadly, it doesn't seem that the headlights are projector beams, but I could be wrong or this could be a lower-model range. As for the side chrome sections, where are the fog lights? Seems like they'd have to be an unusual shape, or maybe LED fogs are coming to Ford's B-segment? Maybe a bit much chrome, but it's not the best way to tell with bare metal and no wheels on the body.
Sunroof looks like a definite as the cutout can be seen in several shots. Looking at the steel unibody has me thinking--are sedans more structurally sound and rigid than hatchbacks? Brian, I expect you know a lot about this topic. The sedan benefits from a significant steel cross-member at the C-pillar that the hatch cannot accommodate. Finally, there does not appear to be a hole in the front of the roof for an antenna, so maybe it's going to be at the rear possibly to house an optional satellite radio option?
At the rear of the hatch, the line beginning on the forward end of the taillight curving down to form the top of the bumper seems to be longer, suggesting the change to slightly larger--deeper--bumpers which should also improve its 5-mph crash performance (at which the Fit is dismal as I would suspect the EU Fiesta would be as well given the short distance to the hatch). The reflectors are very pleasantly seen and help to decrease the visual height of the rear of the car. It's not possible to tell if these reflectors will be on the sedan, but that could help with its even taller appearing rear. It seems odd that the sedan would get amber rear turn signals and not the hatch, but it's definitely looking like this hatch's lenses are solid red. Hopefully, it is not a signal lamp unit as it appears to have at least two bulbs, but I will still hold out hope for the amber units as in the EU. Plus, where will the backup lights be if the lenses are all red? I'm sure Ford isn't planning on having a single clear light on the left lens, and placing them low in the bumper would mean an extra part and wiring segment making that unlikely. So where is it hiding?
According to the article, production begins Q1 2010. Overall, this front fascia is quite appealing from the one shot, though I'd probably alter the side vents a bit if it were all up to me.
I believe the front will look even cleaner without the front license plate holder. Sadly, this will be required in many states, though the fortunate ones in rear plate only states and those willing to risk running only one plate will enjoy the unobstructed, discreet chrome trim of the lower grille. I'll be very interested to see if it will be possible to remove the solid plastic portion of the lower grille, but that's for another day. Sadly, it doesn't seem that the headlights are projector beams, but I could be wrong or this could be a lower-model range. As for the side chrome sections, where are the fog lights? Seems like they'd have to be an unusual shape, or maybe LED fogs are coming to Ford's B-segment? Maybe a bit much chrome, but it's not the best way to tell with bare metal and no wheels on the body.
Sunroof looks like a definite as the cutout can be seen in several shots. Looking at the steel unibody has me thinking--are sedans more structurally sound and rigid than hatchbacks? Brian, I expect you know a lot about this topic. The sedan benefits from a significant steel cross-member at the C-pillar that the hatch cannot accommodate. Finally, there does not appear to be a hole in the front of the roof for an antenna, so maybe it's going to be at the rear possibly to house an optional satellite radio option?
At the rear of the hatch, the line beginning on the forward end of the taillight curving down to form the top of the bumper seems to be longer, suggesting the change to slightly larger--deeper--bumpers which should also improve its 5-mph crash performance (at which the Fit is dismal as I would suspect the EU Fiesta would be as well given the short distance to the hatch). The reflectors are very pleasantly seen and help to decrease the visual height of the rear of the car. It's not possible to tell if these reflectors will be on the sedan, but that could help with its even taller appearing rear. It seems odd that the sedan would get amber rear turn signals and not the hatch, but it's definitely looking like this hatch's lenses are solid red. Hopefully, it is not a signal lamp unit as it appears to have at least two bulbs, but I will still hold out hope for the amber units as in the EU. Plus, where will the backup lights be if the lenses are all red? I'm sure Ford isn't planning on having a single clear light on the left lens, and placing them low in the bumper would mean an extra part and wiring segment making that unlikely. So where is it hiding?
According to the article, production begins Q1 2010. Overall, this front fascia is quite appealing from the one shot, though I'd probably alter the side vents a bit if it were all up to me.
Clearly I should have refreshed before posting as I have based restated in my own words what everyone had already said. Oops, my apologies for that. The hatch taillight--perhaps I can convince myself the inner portion that is clear on the EU cars is darker than it should be in this picture, so maybe it has some amber beneath the surface contributing to this? Not sure at all. Still, pretty blown away by how good the grille seems to look in that picture.
I know for sure from the one Mule that yes there will be a rear antenna for sure on the sedan which is the exact same as the antenna base and mast for the current Fusion/Focus, as for the hatch I do not know yet. The front fascia is better than what I had expected and we could possibly see this in the next year model for Europe as well. Though its looking over all that changes would be for me at most, headlights, tail lights, rear bumper with rear fog lamps. Interior unknown at this point but right now the changes are very small.
My thoughts are that, first of all, the rear of the sedan is an definite success, they've made the taillight cluster look larger and rounder (without actually changing the shape). Reminds of the 2000 Neon rear which I also liked.
At the front my opinion is mixed. I like the grille insert, it's a tip-of-the-hat to late 80s-early 90s Ford design though I can't quite place the other car it reminds me of. I'm as confused as the rest of you as to why this is totally different than what we saw on the recent mules. Maybe there is more than one grille design that they'll use depending on the trim line. Maybe NOW they're fooling us.
The headlights are not an improvement. They don't reflect the kinetic design theory. The outer edges remind me of eyelashes. The front license plate position is just plain wrong. I thought they put that big black piece across the lower intake so the plate could sit there.
Finally, the front end seems to have a "squished" appearance in the photo. I'm hoping this is just because the editor squeezed the photo a bit to make it fit a certain size. However it's possible that the hood got reshaped and that skewed the relationship of the grille to the rest of the car. If it still looks that way as more photos emerge I'm not going to like it.
At the front my opinion is mixed. I like the grille insert, it's a tip-of-the-hat to late 80s-early 90s Ford design though I can't quite place the other car it reminds me of. I'm as confused as the rest of you as to why this is totally different than what we saw on the recent mules. Maybe there is more than one grille design that they'll use depending on the trim line. Maybe NOW they're fooling us.
The headlights are not an improvement. They don't reflect the kinetic design theory. The outer edges remind me of eyelashes. The front license plate position is just plain wrong. I thought they put that big black piece across the lower intake so the plate could sit there.
Finally, the front end seems to have a "squished" appearance in the photo. I'm hoping this is just because the editor squeezed the photo a bit to make it fit a certain size. However it's possible that the hood got reshaped and that skewed the relationship of the grille to the rest of the car. If it still looks that way as more photos emerge I'm not going to like it.
As adamant as I've been about the projector beams, I have to admit that this housing looks like I may like it even more than the EU projector beam housing. Of course, projector beams in this housing may be even better, but so far great. I don't want to wait 18 months to get a new car, make that new Fiesta.
I'd like to see projector beams as well but I doubt we'll see them in any form. I wouldn't be surprised if they're standard fare on the Focus, though.
The front bumper on this car is definitely bigger; on the euro model the front end essentially drops away after the top grille opening:
Euro: Ford Fiesta 5-door wallpaper # 08 of 12, MY 2009, 800x600
USDM: http://imagenes.autocosmos.com/contenidos/galerias/1024x768/2310_20091007081122200.jpg
The American-spec front end definitely sticks out a tad more, undoubtedly due to regulations.
And looking at the Euro's rear bumper, it looks too scrawny to meet 5mph regs here, so I imagine it's a bit bigger on ours as well - though they've done an admirable job keeping the styling intact there.
As for the headlights, I think I prefer them to the Euro non-projectors, but I'd just as soon see the Euro-spec projectors here with the reflectors pasted somewhere else. Oh well, a small loss for me.
The more I see the new front end the more I like it, it looks upscale and classy in a way no other car in the segment can approach. The rear-end changes on the hatch (the only model that matters as far as I'm concerned) are minimal so no qualms there really.
I just hope they don't cheap out the interior, and that it looks good regardless of what changes they make.
The front bumper on this car is definitely bigger; on the euro model the front end essentially drops away after the top grille opening:
Euro: Ford Fiesta 5-door wallpaper # 08 of 12, MY 2009, 800x600
USDM: http://imagenes.autocosmos.com/contenidos/galerias/1024x768/2310_20091007081122200.jpg
The American-spec front end definitely sticks out a tad more, undoubtedly due to regulations.
And looking at the Euro's rear bumper, it looks too scrawny to meet 5mph regs here, so I imagine it's a bit bigger on ours as well - though they've done an admirable job keeping the styling intact there.
As for the headlights, I think I prefer them to the Euro non-projectors, but I'd just as soon see the Euro-spec projectors here with the reflectors pasted somewhere else. Oh well, a small loss for me.
The more I see the new front end the more I like it, it looks upscale and classy in a way no other car in the segment can approach. The rear-end changes on the hatch (the only model that matters as far as I'm concerned) are minimal so no qualms there really.
I just hope they don't cheap out the interior, and that it looks good regardless of what changes they make.
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