A prototype of the 2013 Ford Fiesta sedan has been spied undergoing testing on the roads around the Nurburgring in Germany.
The mid-life upgrade for the light-sized Fiesta sedan will benefit from revised front and rear styling, interior updates and a new 1.0-litre three-cylinder EcoBoost engine.
The spy shots reveal the new model will get an Aston Martin-style multi-slat chrome grille similar to the upcoming midsized Ford Mondeo. The inner corners of the headlights will be rounded off and LED daytime running lights will be added, following the lead of the recently revealed Fiesta ST hatch.
The bonnet, fog lights and front bumper will also get a new look, while the rear will be freshened up with moderately sleeker tail-lights and a remodelled boot lid and bumper.
The new 1.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine, already available in Europe in the Focus, Focus-based C-Max MPV and the Fiesta-based B-Max MPV, is likely to produce 74kW/170Nm in the compact Fiesta – down 14kW but up 19Nm on the existing naturally aspirated 1.6-litre four-cylinder.
The 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine is expected to make its Australian debut in the Fiesta-based Ford EcoSport baby SUV around the middle of 2013.
International reports suggest the updated Ford Fiesta could be revealed as early as the 2012 Paris motor show in September, most likely in hatchback form following spy shots of that vehicle testing back in March.
Ford Australia says the updated Fiesta is scheduled to arrive in local showrooms around mid 2013, either late in the second quarter of 2013 or sometime in Q3.
The conventional hatch and sedan models are likely to precede the Fiesta ST, Ford’s new light hot-hatch hero, which has been confirmed for our market for the second half of 2013.
The current Fiesta is one of Ford Australia’s most popular models, although its sales in 2012 are down almost 25 per cent compared with the same period in 2011. Over the first four months of this year, it held an 8.3 per cent share of the sub-$25,000 light segment, trailing the Mazda2 (14.4 per cent), Toyota Yaris (13.6 per cent), Holden Barina (10.4 per cent), Hyundai i20 (9.6 per cent) and the Suzuki Swift (8.6 per cent).