Ford Fiesta 2013 News

The Australia Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has commenced legal proceedings against Ford Motor Company of Australia.

A safety notice regarding a potential oil leak has been issued by Ford in Australia and concerns 4450 of its Kuga SUVs.

A quartet of new Ford Fiestas has been unveiled in Germany, but the Australian version will soldier on to 2018.

An automatic transmission designed to save fuel has increased complaints among Ford customers who claim it's not a smooth operator.

The new family of engines will give 15 Toyota and Daihatsu models an efficiency gain of up to 30%, including Toyota's new Yaris due in 2015.The Yaris will be battling for top spot in light car sales with the upcoming Mazda 2 and Ford Fiesta, which will have similar efficiency gains from its skyactiv and EcoBoost technology respectively. The new engines could also help the rumoured upcoming Toyota Rush become the one of the most efficient SUVs in Australia.The 1.3-litre and 1.0-litre power plants have been co-developed with Toyota's small car brand, Daihatsu. Both units take advantage of an Atkinson cycle, which increases the compression ratio and reduces waste heat to operate more efficiently. However, the Atkinson cycle produces less power than ordinary engines, which has limited its use mainly to Hybrid cars until now.But Toyota has packed both engines with technology to help retain maximum power while optimising economy. A range of new developments will help the engines breathe better, achieving optimal efficiency. For example, the 1.3-litre will have a cooled exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system, a redesigned intake port and electronically controlled variable valve timing (VVT-iE).Both engines are designed to be compatible with stop-start technology, which cuts out the engine in traffic to save fuel. This system is currently limited in small cars to premium offerings, such as the Mini Cooper or the Volvo C30. However, Toyota and Daihatsu could be utilising this feature in the most basic entry level cars.Both engines will commence production in coming weeks, but we may only get the larger 1.3-litre engine in Australia initially. However the efficiency gains in the 1.0-litre engine could increase the incentive for Toyota to offer a cheap entry level car sourced from Daihatsu, to rival the Suzuki Alto, Nissan Micra and Mitsubishi Mirage. 

The New York motor show in April will see the announcement of which vehicle has won the 2014 World COTY, and there looks to be a tough -- and very varied -- field of finalists.Last year's winner was the Volkswagen Golf, which also took awards in pretty well every country on the globe. But this year it could be anything from the little electric BMW i3 to the offroading Jeep Cherokee and even the Citroen C4 peoplemover, judging by the shortlist.A panel of 69 motoring experts from around the world -- including Carsguide's Paul Gover and National Motoring Editor Joshua Dowling -- will choose the winner from: Audi A3, BMW 4 Series, BMW i3, Cadillac CTS, Citroen C4 Picasso, Ford Fusion/Mondeo, Infiniti Q50, Jeep Cherokee, Lexus IS, Mazda3, Peugeot 308 and Skoda Octavia.The 10 finalists for the 2014 World Luxury Car are the Bentley Flying Spur, BMW X5, Cadillac ELR, Cadillac Escalade, Maserati Ghibli, Maserati Quattroporte, Mercedes-Benz S-Class, Porsche Macan, Range Rover Sport and Rolls-Royce Wraith.Due to a tie, there are 11 finalists for the 2014 World Performance Car: Alfa Romeo 4C, Audi RS 6 Avant, BMW M6 Gran Coupe, Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, Ferrari 458 Speciale, Ford Fiesta ST, Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 Roadster, Mercedes-Benz A/CLA45 AMG, Porsche 911 GT3, Porsche 911 Turbo and Volkswagen Golf GTI.A separate panel of five 'green' experts will choose the 2014 World Green Car from Audi A3 Sportback e-tron (+ Audi e-gas), BMW i3, Honda Accord Hybrid, Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV and Volkswagen XL1.Similarly, a panel of five design experts will decide on the 2014 World Car Design of the Year, from among: BMW i3, Cadillac CTS, Citroen C4 Picasso, Mazda3, Lexus IS, Mercedes-Benz C-Class and Volkswagen XL1.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott 

Ford’s Fiesta ST is already arguably the king of the light hot hatch set, but a new report out of the UK suggests that an even hotter RS version is under development. AutoExpress suggests that a RS-badged Fiesta could be followed by the much-anticipated third-generation Focus RS, if a business case can be made for the models. Ford has been toying with the idea of a Fiesta RS since at least 2004, with a pumped-up concept based on the previous generation model shown at the Geneva motor show that year. Stranding in the way of the number crunchers though is the current economic woes of the Ford hatches’ European-market heartland, and the plans are reportedly far from being locked in. If a green light is given, tradition suggests we’ll see the new RS models towards the end of the Fiesta and Focus model life cycles, which could result in a Fiesta RS arriving at least 12 months ahead of as Focus RS – and as soon as 2015. The likely power source for a Fiesta RS would be an uprated version of the ST’s 134kW/240Nm 1.6-litre turbo, producing in the order of 172kW to trump the existing 160kW/320Nm Mountune-enhanced version available overseas.  A tricky diff is possible to help put such power to the ground, along with widened tracks, monster brakes, and pumped wheelarches and other agressive body enhancements to help link it with the RS-liveried Fiesta WRC racer. Development mules have already been sighted of a Focus with the same treatment, with the likely motive source a version of the 2015 Mustang’s circa-227kW 2.3 litre EcoBoost engine. This reporter is on Twitter: @Mal_Flynn  

If Santa didn't bring what you really wanted for Christmas, here's a hint to leave him for next year. Remote control car maestros HPI have released their second Ken Block replica -- sanctioned by the world's top hoon himself.Watch the desktop version of the Ken Block HPI RC replica video here.The meticulous 1:18 scale replica is the Ken Block 2013 GRC Micro RS4 With Ford Fiesta H.F.H.V. Body. And it echoes the real car in every important way -- as HPI sets out to demonstrate in a miniature salute to Block's insane Gymkhana 6.Watch Ken Block's Gymkhana 6 drift mayhemWith a track set up to mimic Block's 'ultimate gymkhana grid obstacle course', you get the signature manoeuvres and slides through tight container tunnels and overpasses, some fun with construction equipment, a spiked wrecking ball and a couple of other cars filling in for the Lamborghini Aventadors in the original.Watch Ken Block's Gymkhana 5 'ultimate urban playground'While the HPI car can't quite match Block's Fiesta in a 0-100km/h time of 1.9 seconds, it has enough acceleration and handling ability - and the hands on the remote control clearly have enough skill -- to show the potential fun you can have with the scale model. All that's missing is the cloud of tyre smoke.Watch the Ken Block Gymkhana in a Target store spoofHPI says the RC Block Fiesta is kitted out to easily handle an outdoor course as well, with an electronic speed control for the high-powered 180-size motor powering all four wheels with a full-time 4WD belt drive, coil-over shocks and waterproof steering servo.Watch Ken Block's backwards entrance into ClipsalIt's controlled via 2.4GHz radio system that automatically prevents frequency conflicts, with the pistol grip control has adjustable steering and throttle trim, steering dual rate, end points, servo reversing switches, and a third channel for optional extras.HPI points out that the car's GRC Spec replica wheels are also true to the originals on Block's Rallycross car, right down to the colour and the 'high-performance, grippy rubber' -- perfect for shredding.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott 

The little Ford Fiesta EcoBoost proved to be winner with women judges, and Ford of Europe's chief operating officer Barb Samardizch was handed the trophy for 2013 Women's World Car of the Year in a ceremony in Cologne, Germany.The panel of judges from around the world cited the 1.0-litre EcoBoost Fiesta's fuel efficiency, plus its premium look and feel, as key factors in selecting it from a tough 2013 field that included vehicles as diverse as the Porsche Boxster S, Audi Allroad and Range Rover."It was clear from the outset that the new Fiesta 1.0-litre EcoBoost had struck a chord with our panel of female motoring experts from around the world," Myhre said. "Women play a significant but often overlooked role in buying a car and the new Fiesta's high-end look and feel, remarkable fuel economy and surprising performance are just some of the features which clearly chime with the needs of many female drivers."The award is judged on a range of factors women focus on when shopping for cars, including safety, value-for-money, appearance, storage, child-friendliness, ease-of-driving, colour, sex appeal and environmental impact."The success of the new Fiesta, both in terms of this award and impressive sales, has been achieved with a car which is sharp looking, better connected and even more fuel efficient and fun-to-drive," said Barb Samardzich, chief operating officer, Ford of Europe, accepting the WWCOTY trophy. 

The insanity of Ken Block's Gymkhana video series has gone beyond jumping the shark and reached self-awareness. This is a shark jumping a pyramid of sharks on shark skis.More precisely, it's a custom-built -- and wickedly powerful -- turbo AWD Ford Fiesta EcoBoost rally car four-wheel-drifting around the 'ultimate gymkhana grid obstacle course'. That means: through teeth-grittingly tight container tunnels and overpasses, under construction equipment, around a spiked wrecking ball, around a couple of moving Lamborghini Aventadors, around a couple of cops on Segways, and off of a bunch of low ramps -- while filling the circuit with smoke.The car does 0-100km/h in 1.9 seconds, and Block puts that acceleration potential to good use in raising the madness bar and managing to one-up himself again in No 6.Watch Ken Block's Gymkhana 6 video on our desktop site here.www.motorauthority.com