Now that the Ford Fiesta has officially launched in the U.S., the automaker’s breakthrough “Fiesta Movement” social media campaign has moved on to new challenges—and so have the vehicles involved. In fact, Ford recently donated 43 of them to the Team O’Neill Rally School in Dalton, N.H., to kick off the only manufacturer-supported learning opportunity of its kind in North America: The Ford Racing Fiesta Rally Experience.
One- and two-day sessions will be available, for beginner and advanced students, with the focus on actual in-car, on-course learning experiences in rally-prepped Fiestas. It’s a perfect fit according to Jamie Allison, Ford’s director of North American Motorsports, because of the “Fiesta’s nimble driving dynamics and precise handling attributes.” And Allison isn’t just reading from an ad agency’s press release. The Fiesta is so agile and responsive that Ford Racing is campaigning it in the elite World Rally Championship series, where the company won manufacturers’ titles in 2006 and 2007, as well as in this year’s Rally America.
“Ford has always been very active in the rest of the world as far as rally goes. Driving the Fiesta is like driving an expensive German car. It is the coolest Ford I have ever driven and I have driven almost every Ford product in the world,” said Tim O’Neil, the five-time North American rally champ who oversees the O’Neil driving school. “To grow rally in North America, we need people who want to compete to have access to a light, reliable, strong car that is inexpensive, easy to maintain and easy to get parts for. I think Fiesta will be an affordable option for the clubs and drivers.”
Of course, the Fiesta will be an equally attractive option for owners who stick to the pavement, too. The all-new Fiesta starts with an MSRP as low as $13,320 and an EPA line as high as 29 mpg city/40 mpg highway/33 mpg combined—better than some hybrids—while offering impressive new technologies such as Ford’s PowerShift six-speed automatic transmission and the SYNC in-car connectivity system.
In other words, the new Ford Fiesta is an ideal choice for today’s customers regardless of whether they’re driving around the block or in training to become the next Ken Block.
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