Ford Fiesta Coming Back to U.S. in 2010

The Ford Fiesta has a long — if not exactly storied — history in the U.S. Its small, boxy shape was a hallmark of disastrous 1970’s-era car design, and its long-standing execution problems mean it’s not a car many consumers feel nostalgic about. In a century of car manufacturing, it wasn’t one of Ford’s high points.

That hasn’t stopped the company from busting out the old Fiesta name and slapping it on its Verve concept, which debuted at the Frankfurt auto show last fall. The Fiesta is officially Ford’s long-rumored small car, set to hit U.S. shores in 2010. We were amped about the Verve — so much so that we called its looks “stunning” — and we still are, but we can’t help but think it’s a mistake for Ford to brand the production model “Fiesta.” Without context, Verve is just a better name for a car. With context, Fiesta reminds us of the clunky ‘70s go-carts, a piece of Ford’s long history the company might do well to ignore.

U.S. will get little Ford Fiesta in 2010 (Detroit News)