New Sparkle For 2006 Ford Fiesta And Fusion

Britain's favourite small car range, the Ford Fiesta and Fusion, is getting a full designer make-over for 2006.

Distinctive new exterior styling, fresh new interiors, vibrant new colours and an impressive list of cutting-edge technology and features are set to keep the Fiesta and Fusion on the UK's "most-wanted" list.

On sale from November, the 2006 Fiesta and Fusion range will offer many features usually only found on larger cars. These include rain sensing wipers, automatic 'home safe' headlamp mode, air conditioning with automatic electronic temperature control, satellite navigation, on-board computer, one-touch-down driver's door window, power folding heated door mirrors, MP3-compatible stereo systems and voice-controlled hands-free phone connection.

"More than 100,000 people bought Fiesta and Fusion models in Britain last year," said Paul Thomas, managing director, Ford of Britain. "And with so much more in the way of style, colour and technology for 2006, we're confident our dealers will be just as busy next year," he added.

Distinctive new exterior and new 'designer' interiors

Each vehicle range will get a fresh new look inside and out. The exterior changes include new bumpers and grille, new headlamps, new rear lamps, thicker body side mouldings and body coloured handles and mirrors on selected models.

Inside, a redesign concentrates on improving the feeling of quality and space. Highlights include a stylish new fascia with easier to read instruments and a soft-feel upper section to the instrument panel.

A selection of modern new seat fabrics and fascia colour combinations gives the 2006 Fiesta and Fusion interior an exciting, trendy feel. With more than a dozen to choose from on Fiesta alone, customers can be as stylish, distinctive and original as they like. New vibrant exterior colours for Fiesta and Fusion include "tango red", "amethyst", and shocking "sublime". Each range is also assigned a unique colour - "apple" for the Fiesta, and "Spanish olive" for the Fusion.

New cutting-edge features

Large car technology has been applied to the Fiesta and Fusion’s electronic systems. Each vehicle features a Controller Area Network (CAN) that can circulate specific data throughout the car, as required.

Although much of this technology is working out of the driver's sight, there are visible examples such as the duplication of the radio station name and tuning information in the instrument cluster ahead of the driver, and the automatic speed-related volume control. Additionally, the hazard warning lights operate automatically under emergency or heavy braking above 62mph.

The 2006 Fiesta and Fusion range goes on sale in the UK in November, with full prices and specifications available in October.