Ford Fiesta to debut at L.A. Auto Show

Ford will unveil the North American version of its popular Fiesta compact at the L.A. Auto Show in December.

The five-door hatchback won’t look much different from the handful of German-built Fiestas that have been in the hands of a few select U.S. drivers since May. There will be a four-door model just for the North American market.

The Fiesta will be the first of Ford’s next-generation small cars to hit these shores. It’s the No. 2 selling car in Europe, according to Ford, where the current 2010 model debuted to positive reviews last year.

The North American Fiesta will be in showrooms next summer and will carry a 2011 model year designation.

Americans may remember the Fiesta from the Carter years — a three-door hatchback version was sold in the United States from 1978-1980.

Ford designed an innovative marketing campaign around the Fiesta launch that included doling out cars to select drivers who auditioned for the honor by posting short videos on YouTube. The automaker said more than 50,000 people applied.

The L.A. Auto Show is scheduled to run Dec. 4-13 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

-- Martin Zimmerman

Top photo: 2010 Ford Fiesta (Photo credit: Ford Motor Co.)

Bottom photo: 1979 Ford Fiesta (Photo credit: .Robert. via Flickr)

A Silver Mustang and Ol' Blue Eyes

Some people think of the Mustang’s soundtrack as rock 'nroll. Lee Iacocca doesn’t. And since he’s the father of the Mustang, and was buddies with the Chairman of the Board, he gets to play a different tune. 

Iacocca has brought a customized 45th anniversary special Mustang to the market. There are only 45 copies of the sleek silver beast to be produced. 

A special car deserves a special commercial, and that’s where a favor was likely called in. Frank Sinatra’s “Fly Me To The Moon” plays while the car winds it’s way from the mountains, through downtown Los Angeles to the Pacific. Don’t miss the smoky automotive choreography in the middle of the video. 

The 2009 1/2 Iacocca 45th Anniversary Edition Ford Mustang has a body designed by Michael Leone and was built by Gaffoglio Family Metalcrafters. The modified front end has dramatically sunken headlights along with other body modifications. Ford Racing parts supply the fast. 

There’s even a cameo at the end when you see who’s driving it. And no, it’s not Steve McQueen.

-- Doug Stewart 

YouTube video credit: Ford

Camaro beats Challenger and Mustang in a muscle-car face-off

Ah, the irony of automotive product timing....

In an era of unemployment and green-car technologies, we find Ford, Chrysler and GM offering up retro-styled, modern-day muscle cars with big engines and attitudes. It's like dangling a pricey chocolate bar in front of a recently diagnosed diabetic.

That said, any car buff worth his or her Hurst shifter is probably wondering: Which is better, the Chevy Camaro SS, the Dodge Challenger R/T or the Ford Mustang GT?

According to the testers at Edmunds.com, the Camaro is the clear winner.

Comparing the three cars by stats alone, you can see that GM made sure it could muscle its way to the top with more horsepower, but Edmunds gave the Mustang props for better handling and Challenger got points for retro attitude and styling.

The proof was on the track, where, according to Edmunds engineering editor Jason Kavanagh, the Camaro SS hit 110.9 mph in the quarter mile. That was good for a time of 13.0 seconds, "a half-second quicker than the next-quickest Mustang and nearly a full second quicker than the Challenger."

2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS
MSRP: $35,380, Edmunds.com True Market Value (TMV): $35,425
As tested: equipped with an eight-cylinder, 426-horsepower engine and six-speed manual transmission.

2010 Ford Mustang GT
MSRP: $35,625, Edmunds.com True Market Value: $35,625
As tested: equipped with a eight-cylinder, 315-horsepower engine and five-speed manual transmission.

2009 Dodge Challenger R/T
MSRP: $36,710, Edmunds.com True Market Value: $35,324
As tested: equipped with an eight-cylinder, 376-horsepower engine and six-speed manual transmission.

See the full review here.

-- Joni Gray

Related stories:
2010 Camaro SS: Subtle it's not
Should American automakers (re)make muscle cars?

Photo of (from left) Challenger, Camaro and Mustang: Edmunds' Inside Line

CORRECTION -- At the time this article was published, there was a mistake in the 2010 Ford Mustang GT Edmunds.com True Market Value: $25,625. It has been corrected to reflect the actual $35,625 price.