CONFIRMED FOR 2010, CONTINUED
TRANSIT CONNECT: (photo) The Ford Transit Connect is a first-of-its-kind vehicle in America, though trucklets like it are popular in other parts of the world. The Transit Connect is based on a front-wheel-drive car chassis with a boxy body that can be outfitted as a cargo van, a mobile workstation, or a five-seat wagon. Power comes from a 136 horsepower two-liter four-cylinder engine coupled to an automatic transmission. Transit Connects bound for America will be built in Turkey.
BEYOND 2010:
C-MAX: (photo) The C-Max is a small 7-seat micro-minivan based on the European-market Focus. Though the C-Max was originally designed for Europe, Ford plans to bring it to North America in late 2011, probably as a 2012 model.
FIESTA: (photo) The Fiesta is on sale in Europe, and is on schedule to make its US debut in 2010 as a 2011 model. Along with the 5-door hatchback, Ford will offer a 4-door sedan. The North American Fiesta will be powered by a 119 hp 1.6 liter engine with either a 5-speed manual transmission or a 6-speed twin-clutch automatic. The automatic Fiesta is expected to have best-in-class EPA fuel economy figures of 30 MPG city/40 MPG highway.
- 2011 Ford Fiesta preview drive
- 2011 Ford Fiesta photo gallery
- 2010 Euro-spec Ford Fiesta photo gallery
FOCUS: When Ford introduces the next-generation Focus, they will once again sell the same car in both Europe and America. The backstory: When Ford launched the original Focus in 1999, the car was more-or-less identical both sides of the Atlantic, with engine choices and suspension settings specific to each continent. But while Europe got an all-new Focus in 2005, America got a watered-down facelift, and the "new" US-market 2008 Focus was a new body on the old platform. But even as the '08 Focus was being readied for market, Ford was already planning the re-integration of North American and European Focii. Expect the third-generation Focus to debut in 2010 as a 2011 model, with a battery-powered all-electric version about a year later.
F-SERIES SUPER DUTY: The Super Duty pickup will be updated for the 2011 model year. Changes will include refreshed styling and a new 6.7 liter diesel V8.
MUSTANG: The Mustang's ancient 4.0 liter V6 will give way to a modern 3.7 liter unit for the 2011 model year. The new engine will put out 305 hp and 280 lb-ft of torque. Other improvements include electric power steering, improved aerodynamics, and 6-speed manual and automatic transmissions. Ford says EPA fuel economy ratings for the automatic will be 19 MPG city/30 MPG highway.
RUMORED:
RANGER: The current Ranger, introduced in 1998, is scheduled to cease production at the end of 2011. The whispers are that Ford will introduce a new global-market Ranger in 2011 or 2012. (Ford currently sells a Mazda pickup badged as the Ford Ranger in other countries.) The North American version could get a 1.6 liter turbocharged EcoBoost four-cylinder gasoline engine that produces 175 hp and 180 lb-ft, while other markets will get the 3-liter four-cylinder turbodiesel (154 hp/280 lb-ft) in the current Mazda-based Ranger.
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