Mexico: North America's Ford Fiesta to be built at Cuautitlan Assembly
By: Michael Murphy, Friday, May 30, 2008, AutomotiveWorld.com
Ford's plans to make the new Fiesta a global model have moved forward with the company's announcement that it is to build the small car at Cuautitlan Assembly near Mexico City.
The decision is a blow to workers at Ford's unionised US plants. Earlier this year, United Auto Workers president, Ron Gettelfinger, said that the union would try to convince Ford that its US plants were competitive enough that the automotive manufacturer could make money producing its smaller cars in the US.
The Fiesta is critical to Ford's effort to unify its global operations and sell versions of the same vehicle in markets worldwide. Three- and five-door hatchback versions will go on sale in Europe this autumn and China by the end of the year. Other versions, including a four-door sedan, will reach the rest of Asia by 2009 and North America by 2010.
Ford's latest announcement also states that a hatchback bodystyle will also feature for the US market range. As yet, there is no confirmation of this being the three- or five-door bodshell, or indeed both.
Ford has sold 12 million Fiestas since the model was introduced in 1976. Although it is a familiar name to customers in Europe, Asia and South America, the Fiesta was sold in the US only from 1978 to 1980.
Published on Friday, May 30, 2008
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