HCMC - Ford Vietnam on Thursday celebrated the start of production for the all-new Fiesta, Ford Motor Company’s globally popular small car, during a ceremony at the company’s Hai Duong assembly plant.
By Quoc Hung - The Saigon Times Daily
Laurent Charpentier (L), Ford Vietnam’s managing director, introduces the first home-built small car Fiesta - Photo: Tuan Dung HCMC - Ford Vietnam on Thursday celebrated the start of production for the all-new Fiesta, Ford Motor Company’s globally popular small car, during a ceremony at the company’s Hai Duong assembly plant.
Volume production is scheduled to ramp up at the Hai Duong plant over the coming weeks, with Fiestas becoming available at Ford dealerships across Vietnam starting next month, said Laurent Charpentier, Ford Vietnam’s managing director.
Unlike other auto firms who import small cars, Ford can raise its competitiveness with the Fiesta, which is assembled in Vietnam, experts said.
The all-new Fiesta will be built at the plant, which has an annual capacity of 14,000 units and also assembles other Ford vehicles such as Everest, Escape, Focus, Mondeo and Transit.
Charpentier said: “Adding production of another global One Ford vehicle to our Hai Duong facility highlights the importance Ford places on the Vietnam market, as well as the confidence in our team to continue delivering vehicles with world-class safety and quality.”
Three Fiesta models include a 1.4L ‘Style’ 4-door with 5-speed manual transmission, and a 1.6L ‘Trend’ 4-door and 1.6L ‘Sport’ 5-door that both feature Ford’s new best-in-class six-speed PowerShift automatic transmission, according to the company.
The Fiesta also features several first-in-class technologies in the Vietnam market, such as PowerShift automatic transmission and a Connectivity package that includes voice control communications with Bluetooth.
“The new Fiesta will set a new standard for small cars in Vietnam, with its… fuel efficiency and smart technology,” he said, adding “We are absolutely confident in the Fiesta’s success in Vietnam.”
There are some 300 Vietnamese customers who have already registered to buy the car, according to the company.
The new 1.4L Fiesta Style 4-door model is priced at VND542 million. The new 1.6L Fiesta Trend, 4-door with PowerShift automatic transmission is VND568 million. The top series 1.6L Fiesta Sport is VND606 million.