KINGSTON Industrial Garage (KIG), local dealers for Ford Motor Company, recently introduced the new Ford Fiesta in an effort to ride on its international success and capture market share in the subcompact category.

One year after its debut, Ford is reporting that more than half-a-million customers have purchased the new Fiesta, marking an important milestone for the US motor company.

According to a Ford release, Jamaica is one of its key markets in the Caribbean region and the expectations are high for an encouraging consumer acceptance here.

“The demographic we are catering to are young professionals, when we compare the introductory price to other models from our competitors the prospects are very good,” Dawn Green, marketing and public relations manager at KIG, told Auto.

KIG introduces the Fiesta, a five-door hatchback, at $2.45 million.

The new Fiesta is the first in a wave of stylish vehicles being brought to world-wide markets under the ONE Ford plan and made its debut in Germany in October 2008.

Ford reports say that the Fiesta quickly became the second best-selling car for all markets in Europe and the leader in the European small car segment. The new Fiesta has also been a key driver behind Ford of Europe’s market share gains, which are up 0.5 percentage point this year through September to 9.2 per cent, the highest since 1999.

After its European introduction, the Fiesta was launched in South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and China. Global retail sales of the car reached 470,000 units through September of this year, with 430,000 sales in European and 40,000 in the Asia Pacific region. Continued strong demand for Fiesta through October has pushed the total number beyond 500,000, according to Ford.

“Customers around the world are recognising that the new Fiesta delivers on the global Ford DNA — eyecatching design, innovation, outstanding driving dynamics and great value, “said regional director of Ford in the Caribbean and Central America, Larry Prein.

Customers so far have been drawn to higher end models of the Fiesta, with more than 40 per cent to European buyers choosing the Titanium and Ghia trim levels. According to Ford, the variety of colours that the Fiesta offers is also proving to be a hit.

So far this year customers in the UK and Germany, Ford of Europe’s two largest markets, drive off in a ‘Panther Black’ Fiesta more than any other colour. Drivers in Italy, Switzerland, Netherlands and Greece are also among those countries that favour black.

However, buyers in Spain, Austria and Russia are selecting ‘Hot Magenta’ as their top colour.

With the Fiesta’s introduction to Jamaica it will feature bold colour choices, including ‘Bright Magenta’ and ‘Lime Squeeze’.

The vehicles are manufactured in both five and three-door versions, however KIG will sell only the five-door model.

Within five years, Ford expects to build about one million vehicles worldwide annually off of the new global B-car platform, the basis for the new Fiesta.

Since its redesign the Fiesta has copped numerous awards internationally, according to Ford more than 11 awards in just two years on the market.

Included in its roster are:

• The prestigious ‘red dot’ award for international product design — Germany’s Essenbased Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen

• Car of the year 2009 by Britain’s What Car? Magazine

• 2009 Car of the year — Croatian Car Association

• 2009 Hellenic Car of the Year — Journalists from Autobild, Drive Autocar

• Women’s Car 2009 — Hachette Filipacchi Editorial Group

• 2008 Scottish Car of the year — Association of Scottish Motoring Writers

• The Best of the 2008 Geneva Show — Autoweek, Top Gear, Car, Car & Driver and 4 Wheels magazines

• 2008 Croatian Car of the year — Croatian Car Association

• 2008 Best Supermini — What Car? magazine “With fuel efficiency between 38 mpg and 40 mpg and advanced safety features, I think it will do very well,” Green remarked.