NEW FORD FIESTA WINS INTERNATIONAL DESIGN AWARD

"The all-new Fiesta is one of the most stylish cars in the world." That is the verdict of 28 leading designers and design experts from 19 countries who have awarded the eye-catching Ford model a prestigious 'red dot' award for international product design.

The design professionals, who make up the award jury, said the Fiesta's design was "innovative and dynamic".

The red dot design awards are presented annually by Germany's Essen-based Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen, and it's one of the world's largest design recognition programmes.

The independent jury assesses each entry against a series of criteria which includes innovation, design, functionality and quality. For the 2009 award, 3,231 submissions were received from 49 countries. The Fiesta was one of the products to be awarded a red dot for their outstanding design.

The awards, claimed by the organisers to be "an internationally recognised quality label for design excellence" are presented in three categories: product design, communication design and design concept. Within each category there are 17 product areas covering a broad diversity of goods, from sofas to caravans, watches to computers.

Previous automotive winners have included the Maserati Quattroporte, the Mercedes R Class and the Lamborghini Murcielago Roadster.

"We are delighted not only to receive this important award but also by the growing list of accolades given to the new Fiesta," said Martin Smith, Executive Design Director, Ford of Europe. "It is particularly encouraging to see that our new small car was singled out for its innovative, expressive design by some of the world's leading designers."

"Research shows that whether they are in Milan, Beijing or New York, customers put style at the top of their list. The new Fiesta delivers that style, together with outstanding quality."

The red dot design award is the latest in a long line of accolades received by the new Fiesta. Among recent awards, the model was named as Car of the Year 2009 by Britain's What Car? Magazine, while in Germany, readers of Guter Rat and SUPERillu presented the new Fiesta ECOnetic with the Auto der Vernunft 2009 trophy, for value for money, economy and sustainability. Earlier this month, Fiesta was named one of the three finalists in the 2009 World Car Awards – the winner will be announced in New York next month.

The Ford Fiesta has long been synonymous with outstanding design, quality and value. Today's Fiesta takes the model's three-decade heritage to a new level with its eye-catching kinetic design and widely acclaimed driving dynamics.

"Kinetic design's new and successful form language defines the new Fiesta and brings it into the new Ford product family," explains Martin Smith. "It is a language that visualises the leading driving dynamics of Ford cars by delivering bold, confident and individual design."

Global Reach

Underlining the adage that good design is good business, 117,000 Fiestas have been sold in the seven months since the model was launched in Europe in August last year.

And it is not just in Europe that the Fiesta is attracting attention. Designed and developed in Europe as Ford Motor Company's first truly global car, the new small car will be going on sale in markets around the world.

Earlier this month it was officially launched in the Chinese market. Pre-sale demand for the car in China surpassed expectations, with several thousand Chinese consumers placing orders ahead of the official launch. Additionally, more than 1.2 million people downloaded Fiesta music from www.qq.com, a popular Chinese web portal. The Fiesta video has been shown more than 6.8 million times on www.Youku.com, China’s version of YouTube.

China is the world's first market to introduce the four-door Fiesta saloon. Both the saloon and the five-door Fiesta hatchback are built at the state-of-the-art Changan Ford Mazda Automobile Company manufacturing facility in Nanjing.

China will not be the only Asian production location, Ford and Mazda’s joint-venture facility in Thailand, Auto Alliance, will begin assembling the new model next year.

In Europe, the new Fiesta is produced at Ford’s plant in Cologne, Germany, as well as the Valencia plant in Spain. Fiestas built in Cologne are now also being exported to South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

Ford Motor Company's plant in Cuautitlan, Mexico will build the new Fiesta for the North American market in two bodystyles: a sporty hatchback and a saloon, beginning in early 2010. Construction of the integrated stamping facility and retooling of the assembly plant is currently underway.

In advance of the Fiesta’s launch in the US, thousands of consumers across the country are being given the opportunity to drive the new car. In a programme called “Fiesta Movement,” Ford is selecting up to 100 enthusiasts to drive the Fiesta and relate their experiences through social media sites, providing Ford with early consumer feedback. The 100 models used in the programme were recently assembled in Cologne.