VW Golf Tops European Sales Chart in First Half of 2009, Ford Fiesta Finishes Second

Despite the heavy competition from the new Ford Fiesta that increased its sales in Europe by a hefty 34.2 percent to 243,340 units in the first half of 2009, VW's Golf continues to dominate the sales charts in the Old Continent with sales up 12.7 percent to 254,023 units in the same period, according to data released by Jato Dynamics. The rest of the top five list was rounded out by the Peugeot 207 with 193,778 units (-20,6 percent), the Opel - Vauxhall Corsa with 181,751 units (-14.1 percent) and the Renault Clio with 144,512 units (-28.0 percent).

Notably, the first ten places were occupied exclusively by European automakers - okay Opel / Vauxhall (at least for the time being) and Ford are controlled by their American parent companies.

Volkswagen was also Europe's top-selling car brand in the first half of the year with 842,787 vehicles sold, up 0.7 percent over the same period in 2008. Ford finished in second place with 666,548 units, down 3.6 percent over last year, followed by GM's Opel - Vauxhall division with 557,739 units (-16.8 percent), Fiat with 542,115 units (-1.4 percent) and Renault with 520,763 units (-18.4 percent).

Data: Jato Dynamics

New Ford RS World Rally Car Shows its 2011 Colors

Ford Team driver Mikko Hirvonen lifted the covers of its 2011-specification Fiesta RS World Rally Car at the Autosport International Racing Car Show in Birmingham today, revealing the color scheme that will adorn the vehicle in the FIA World Rally Championship. In addition, the company also confirmed that the racing team's new name and logo by announcing that it will compete as the Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team.

"The preview version of the car we unveiled in September at the 2010 Paris Motor Show was dramatic in its blue and grey livery, developed specifically for the show by Ford of Europe's design team," said Ford of Europe motorsport chief Gerard Quinn.

"But now we have a fully finished car in a really eye-catching new livery plus a new team name, and excitement is building throughout the squad as we prepare for the opening round in Sweden next month.

The new racing model replaces the Focus as the firm's World Rally Championship challenger due to the new regulations. The Fiesta RS WRC comes with a four-wheel drive transmission and a 1.6-litre turbocharged engine, based on the EcoBoost road vehicle power plant.

Ford said the full specification of the car will be announced at the beginning of February. For the time being, the company will continue testing in Sweden next week ahead of the Fiesta RS WRC's championship debut in Rally Sweden, the opening round of the series, on 10 - 13 February.

Ford Fiesta Gets New Auto Transmission to Satisfy about 10 Percent of Small Car Buyers in Europe

In the U.S., the availability of an automatic transmission on any new mainstream model launched into the market is a must while a manual gearbox is considered more of a luxury. In Europe it's the other way around with only about 10 percent of small car buyers specifying an auto option. So it comes to no surprise that Ford has just introduced an automatic transmission for its UK market Fiesta range. The new Durashift automatic is matched to the Fiesta's 1.4-liter gasoline engine that produces 96-horsepower.

With this transmission option, the Fiesta Automatic sprints (we're being sarcastic now) from standstill to 62mph or 100 km/h in 13,9 seconds while delivering 43.4mpg UK (6.5lt/100km or 36.2mpg) and a CO2 rating of 154g/km on the EU combined driving cycle.

The Fiesta 1.4-litre automatic is offered in three trim levels - Style+, Zetec and Titanium, with prices in the UK starting from £13,195 on-the-road.

Ford Planning Fiesta Minivan Concept for Geneva Show, Production Model with Sliding Doors to Follow in 2012

Ford is getting ready to premiere a concept version of a Fiesta-based small minivan at the upcoming Geneva Salon next March. The design study will act as a pilot for the production vehicle that will follow in early 2012 and will replace the current generation of the European market Fusion, which is based on the previous Fiesta.

The news comes from a Ford source in Europe who told Automotive News that production of the Fiesta MPV will begin by the end of next year at Ford's factory in Craiova, Romania. A Ford of Europe spokesman essentially confirmed the news by telling the publication that “It is a B-segment vehicle and will go into full production early in 2012.”

The report said Ford has no plans to offer the car in North America.

In Europe, the car will compete in the small MPV segment against the likes of the Opel / Vauxhall Meriva, Citroen C3 Picasso and Kia Venga Kia. It is believed that Ford will drop the Fusion nameplate and use the B-MAX moniker as it will be smallest model in Ford's range of MPVs that includes the Focus-based C-MAX and Grand C-MAX, and the Mondeo-based S-MAX and Galaxy.

The unnamed Ford source told the publication that the B-MAX will be a five-seat minivan with rear sliding doors. The 2011 Geneva Salon will run from March 3 to 13.