Consumers bought a new Ford Fiesta every two minutes on average last year, making it the best-selling small car in Europe, according to automotive data intelligence provider JATO Dynamics.* Ford last year sold 953,174 cars in the 30 European markets monitored by Jato, including 306,405 Fiestas. Ford recently announced that during 2012 more than 1.4 million Ford vehicles were sold across all of the 51 European markets in which it operates. In the UK, Ford sold almost 110,000 Fiestas last year – confirming its position as the nation’s most popular car every year since 2009. In anticipation of the latest model’s arrival, Ford’s 530 UK dealers set aside January 24th as “Fiesta Day” to help manage unprecedented levels of interest in Ford’s new baby. In addition to special “Fiesta Day” showroom features and attractions, Ford has also launched a Facebook app which analyses information on profile pages to match users with their ideal Fiesta specification.  The app also encourages the submission of ideas on the perfect 24 hours in a new Fiesta – as already enjoyed by singing star Jessie Ware (www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lAuJqakzYY).

“The Fiesta had a fantastic 2012 in the UK, Europe and across the world,” said Roelant de Waard, vice president, Marketing, Sales and Service, Ford of Europe. “This iconic car has come to define what customers desire from a small car – style, quality, efficiency and great technology.” Ford has sold more than 15 million Fiestas worldwide since the vehicle first went into production in 1976. The Fiesta now has been the top-selling small car in Europe for three out of the past four years. During that period, more than 1.7 million Fiestas have been sold in Europe and 2.1 million globally. The U.K. was the most successful European market for Fiesta in 2012, with 109,250 models registered according to Ford figures. Across Europe, Frozen White proved the most popular paint colour among Fiesta customers. Ford is currently launching the new Fiesta in Europe – which is coming to dealerships now – which is redesigned inside and out and offers the 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol engine – the 2012 “International Engine of the Year”. An ECOnetic Technology version powered by a 1.6-litre Duratorq TDCi diesel engine achieves 87 g/km CO2**. The new Fiesta also offers MyKey, a Ford-exclusive technology that allows parents to encourage safer driving and limit their teenager’s exposure to risk at the wheel. Ford also has equipped new Fiesta with Ford SYNC, a voice-activated in-car connectivity system, and SYNC Emergency Assistance, which directly connects vehicle occupants to local emergency services operators after an accident. In addition, Fiesta offers Active City Stop, which can help avoid or mitigate low-speed collisions. “The new Fiesta has some big shoes to fill in 2013 but is perfectly equipped to do so,” said de Waard. “Being acclaimed as Europe’s best-loved small car in 2012 is a great achievement and we thank all of our customers who continue to put their faith in the Fiesta.”