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The next-generation Ford Fiesta has been spotted testing for the first time ahead of its likely launch in 2017.
These first spy pictures, which show a modified chassis testing mule based on the current Fiesta, were taken on public roads in southen Europe. An older Focus RS mule can also be seen, which has prompted rumours that this mule could be a disguised prototype of the long-talked about Fiesta RS.
A revised front-end design on this test mule reveals new shapes for the grille and air intakes for the next-gen car. The rear of the prototype is also disguised, while the model appears to have a wider track than that of the current Fiesta, suggesting the seventh-generation car will be larger than today's hatchback. The current Fiesta is 3969mm long and 1709mm wide, with a height of 1468mm.
Ford is likely to take some styling inspiration for the new Fiesta from the facelifted Focus, which went on sale in the UK in November.
The current sixth-generation Fiesta, which received a facelift in 2013 and was launched in 2007, will be due for replacement towards the end of 2016, meaning a launch in 2017 is likely.
The new Fiesta will have to keep pace against increasingly adanced rivals - such as Volkswagen's Polo and the new Vauxhall Corsa - in the hope of retaining its title as Britain's best-selling car. A total of 131,254 Fiestas were sold in 2014, underlying both the model's importance to Ford and to the UK's new car market.
Officials have been quick to deny any rumours of a Fiesta RS, with Ford Performance director Dave Pericak saying the company is more than happy with having the ST as its Fiesta range-topper.
"The ST plays a really important role in the portfolio, in that it provides our ability to many buyers," he told Autocar at the recent Geneva motor show. "Could you do something with the ST? Of course. Should you do something with it? We're pleased with where the ST is now, so not for the foreseeable future."
Talk of a Fiesta RS first surfaced early this year. Engineers refused to deny that a go-faster RS was planned, saying a business case for the model was "theoretically" possible.
The success of the ST in its current form, however, is understood to have made the business case for a go-faster RS model untenable.
Text Source: AutoCar
