The Fiesta makes its U.S. motorsport debut with the Swedish Olsbergs Motor Sport Evolution (MSE) race team in July’s Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in Colorado. The team will also compete in ESPN’s X Games 15 in Los Angeles, Calif., July 30 – August 2 with famous Swedish driver Kenny Brack behind the wheel of a 2009 Fiesta 3-door hatchback.

Olsbergs MSE drivers Tanner Foust and Brian Deegan will also field two Ford Fiestas for ROCKSTAR Energy Drink. Tanner Foust will drive a race-prepared 2009 Fiesta 5-door hatchback and Brian Deegan, who has competed at every X Games rally event, will drive a 2008 Fiesta 3-door hatchback.

All three Fiestas will comply with Rally America Open Class specifications.

The X Games 15 will be covered live on ESPN’s family of networks, including ABC, as well as across ESPN’s many digital media assets, including Xgames.com (or you can use ESPN.com/action or simply ESPN.com) and ESPN360.com.

About Kenny Brack
Brack was the 1998 IndyCar Series champion and was a factory driver for Ford Racing’s Champ Car entry Rahal Letterman Racing (RLR). Brack sustained significant injures in a major accident at Texas Motor Speedway in 2003 while driving for RLR, but he returned to the car at the Indy 500 in 2005, subbing for the injured Buddy Rice and posting the fastest qualifying speed (227.598 mph) of the field.

About Tanner Foust
In addition to winning the both the 2007 and 2008 Formula Drift Pro Drift Championship, he also took the Silver medal as runner-up in the 2008 Summer X Games Pro Rally race. Foust won the 2007 X Games Gold Medal in the Pro Rally for the ROCKSTAR Energy Rally team. He was selected to represent Team USA in the annual Race of Champions at Wembley Stadium in London, UK this past December. He teamed with Ford Racing NASCAR star Carl Edwards to do battle with the world’s fastest drivers and riders from Formula One, World Rally Championship, Superbike and Touring Car racing.

About Brian Deegan
Brian Deegan is a 10-time medalist at the X Games, including three gold medals for Moto X Best Trick (2002, 2003, 2005). Earlier this year, Deegan launched a Pro-Lite class off road truck team in Championship Off-Road Racing (COOR) under a newly formed ROCKSTAR/Metal Mulisha/Caffaro Motorsports banner. In 2004, he was named one of the Top 100 Action Sports Stars by ESPN.

Quotes

“The new Fiesta is already creating headlines around the world. The announcement that it would compete at Pikes Peak was greeted so positively by enthusiasts everywhere. Now, to back it up with competition at the X Games will just create even more buzz for the car.”
- Brian Wolfe, Director of Ford North America Motorsport

“We are very excited to see the Fiesta competing not only at the Pikes Peak Hill Climb, but also at the X Games in LA. The competition will be extremely strong in both events, but we’ve put together a strong team with the ROCKSTAR/BF Goodrich Tires Fiestas and our all-star drivers. The Olsbergs Motor Sport Evolution race team is doing an outstanding job in preparing the cars for both of these world famous events.”
- Jost Capito, Director of Ford Global Motorsport Business Development

“Pikes Peak and the X Games give our agents two more exciting events to attend and show off their Fiesta’s.”
- Connie Fontaine, Brand Content and Alliance Manager for Ford Motor Company

Links

The Fiesta Movement
Ford Racing

The Fiesta Movement, which is aimed at introducing Millennials to a new generation of global small cars, rolls into New York’s Times Square on April 7, 2009, just prior to the New York International Auto Show (NYIAS). The campaign will engage the city’s “social media influencers” to spread the word about Fiesta’s upcoming 2010 North American launch.

Millennials –those born between 1979 and 1995– are active users of online networks like Twitter, Facebook, Flickr and YouTube. Two main Fiesta Movement events, Influencer Drives and a Ford Fiesta! Tweet Up, will allow these Gen-Y influencers to use these technologies to share their experiences digitally and in real-time.

Influencer Drives
Approximately 20 social media, lifestyle and trendsetter bloggers will be invited to experience the Ford Fiesta first hand through a test drive or ride along in Manhattan. Members of the Ford Fiesta marketing and communications team will act as chauffeurs and help personalize each individuals’ Fiesta experience as they cruise about the city - a staff member will be on hand to capture each ride on video.

Ford Fiesta! Tweet Up
The Ford Fiesta Tweet Up, hosted by Scott Monty (Ford), Rohit Bhargava (Influential Marketing Blog), Ray Wert (Jalopnik), Adam Hirsh (Mashable), Julia Roy (Undercurrent) and other notable NYC based online influentials, will be held from 6 – 8pm at Nero on Gansevoort Street. Attendees will have the opportunity to get a tour of the vehicle, chat with the hosts and contribute Fiesta Movement challenge ideas in real time via the Twitter hashtag #fiestamovement.

Throughout the two events, both bloggers and attending Fiesta 100 agents will be encouraged to share their thoughts and experiences by uploading videos and photos via social networks, writing blog posts and “live Tweeting” throughout the Fiesta Movement campaign using the hashtag #fiestamovement.

Social Media Links

Fiesta Movement on Facebook
Fiesta Movement on Twitter
Fiesta Movement on YouTube
Fiesta Movement on Flickr

In a new program dubbed “Fiesta Movement”, Ford will choose up to 100 vehicle enthusiasts to drive a Fiesta and share their hands-on experience online at Facebook, Flickr and YouTube. The pre-launch program is like no other as it is uniquely focused on social media – indicative of the progressive marketing ideas taking shape at Ford. Consumers will be able to connect to the Fiesta discussion, and capture and share their experiences digitally.

Starting in late spring, the chosen consumers, called “agents”, will be asked to complete “missions” in their Fiesta. The missions take them to new places, to meet new people and to experience new things, all while bringing their friends and followers along for the ride. As well, additional consumers will also get a hands-on experience with the Fiesta in the form of test drives -100,000 in all.

Applications for those who want to be an “agent” in the Fiesta Movement can be found online at fiestamovement.com or fordvehicles.com/2011fiesta. The application also asks applicants to submit a two to five minute video explaining why they want the opportunity to become part of the Fiesta Movement. Applications will be accepted through March 13, 2009.

Quotes

“It’s one thing to talk about the vehicle, but it’s another to put people into the vehicle and let them experience it. To give people the hands-on experience to get excited about the Fiesta this early, is a great opportunity.”
- Connie Fontaine, Ford Brand Content and Alliances Manager

“This is another demonstration of ‘One Ford.’ Now that we are leveraging our global reach, this presents a unique opportunity. It’s already been launched in Europe with success, and now it’s our turn.”
- Sam De La Garza, Small Car Marketing Manager

“By focusing on social networks, the Fiesta Movement embraces a fundamental shift in the way people are communicating. The Fiesta brand is already being talked about…and we want to keep the conversation moving.”
- Sam De La Garza, Small Car Marketing Manager

Early strong sales of Ford’s stylish subcompact have helped Ford’s European operations increase market share in November. This bodes well, as the Fiesta is poised to launch in China, Australia and New Zealand in the first quarter of 2009, and in the United States in early 2010. The upscale features and trim packages are drawing a broader range of customers, of which, approximately half choose the Titanium and Ghia trim levels.

In the United Kingdom alone, the Fiesta, including the new version and outgoing model, was the top-selling vehicle in November among all automakers, capturing 6.2 percent of the total new car market. This represents the Fiesta’s highest market share in the U.K. since 1998.

Currently on sale in Europe and South Africa, Ford has sold more than 42,200 new Fiestas in its first two months on sale, despite soft overall industry sales. In total, Ford of Europe sold 95,700 vehicles in November across its 19 European markets. This was down 21.4 percent versus November 2007, but the company again outperformed the industry by increasing its market share to 8.8 percent, up 0.5 percentage points. Ford is now firmly established as the No. 2 brand in Europe’s main 19 markets behind only Volkswagen.

Quotes

“After only two months since its introduction, the Fiesta is already our second-best selling model behind the Focus. In the U.K., the Fiesta’s market share for November was the highest since January 1998 for the nameplate, and the new Fiesta attracted 1,000 more retail British buyers than the previous model in November 2007. This is a promising start for our all-new global model.”
- Ingvar Sviggum, Ford of Europe Marketing, Sales and Service Vice President

Ford’s new-generation global small car to be previewed at 2008 Geneva Motor Show. Its worldwide name is confirmed – Ford Fiesta.

The new Ford Fiesta brings the Verve Concept exterior and interior styling to production reality, demonstrating that small cars can be stylish, sophisticated and emotional. It rejects the notion that an affordable small car has to be a commodity.

Designed and developed in Europe for customers in Europe, Asia, South Africa, Australia and the Americas between 2008 and 2010, the new Fiesta is the first major product of Ford’s new global product development process.

In Europe, the new Fiesta will debut first in production guise at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show in March and will go on sale in fall 2008 in three and five-door hatchback body styles. By 2010, the new Fiesta will be on sale in markets across Europe, Asia, South Africa, Australia and North America in a variety of regionally tailored models derived from a common platform.

• The worldwide name is confirmed – Ford Fiesta
• Next generation, all-new global small car signals fresh chapter in Ford Fiesta story
• Stylish ‘kinetic design’ and dynamic flair combines with traditional Ford strengths to deliver confident, contemporary, fun-to-drive package
• Fiesta brings a host of big-car features to the small car segment for the first time
• Fiesta stays compact but is lighter and stronger. Ultra high-strength steels and a comprehensive safety package that includes a driver’s knee airbag
• Exciting three-door body remains true to Verve Concept
• Futuristic interior from Verve Concept becomes production reality, including integrated HMI center stack inspired by mobile phones
• 113 HP (115 PS) Duratec 1.6-liter Ti-VCT gasoline engine joins Fiesta range; one of five fuel efficient and clean engines
• Fiesta will expand Ford ECOnetic ultra-low CO2 range, delivering optimized reduction in CO2 emissions.
• New Fiesta is the first product of Ford’s new global product development process, with versions due for launch in Europe in 2008, and in Asia and the Americas between 2008 and 2010
• 5 Efficient Powertrain Choices at launch from 68 PS Duratorq TDCi diesel to new Duratec 1.6-liter Ti-VCT petrol engine which delivers low emissions.
• New technology highlights include keyless vehicle technology, ‘Ford Power’ engine start button, Ford Easyfuel capless refueling, USB connectivity and ambient interior lighting