Pre-sale demand for the car in China has exceeded Ford’s expectations, with several thousand Chinese consumers placing orders ahead of the official launch.

Designed and developed in Europe for sale across Ford’s global markets, the new Fiesta is the first in a series of fuel-efficient new small cars developed through Ford’s global product development process. The Fiesta was Ford’s second best-selling vehicle in Europe’s main 19 markets in 2008. It became the top-selling Ford European vehicle in January 2009, and is the number two seller in Europe behind the Volkswagen Golf. The China market variant has been customized and tailor-made to suit Chinese consumer tastes and requirements. Production of the new Fiesta for China began at the Nanjing plant on 15 January 15.

In addition to the Fiesta built at the Nanjing plant for the China market, Ford and Mazda’s joint-venture facility, Auto Alliance Thailand, will begin producing the new Fiesta next year. In Europe, the new Fiesta is produced at Ford’s plant in Cologne, Germany, as well as the plant in Valencia, Spain, for European markets.

Fiestas built in Cologne are also on sale now in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. In January, Ford’s assembly facility in Valencia became the second European plant to start production of the new Fiesta.

Ford’s plant in Cuautitlan, Mexico, will build the new Fiesta for the United States and other North American markets. Construction of the integrated stamping facility and retooling of the assembly plant is underway.

In North America, the new small car will be offered in two models: a sporty hatchback and a sedan, beginning in early in 2010.