2011 Ford Fiesta Priced at $13,995, Cheapest Hatchback Is $15,795

Nice. A beautiful little car. But I'd love to see them offer the hatchback in an S version as well.

Anybody doubt it will outsell the Fit?

Nope. Not I.

Made the huge mistake of showing my wife the Ford Fiesta site last nite. All I heard was "OH MY GOD IT IS SO CUTE...I WANT ONE" sigh......I really hope Ford dealers dont mark them up when they get them in this summer.

It's a Ford, it might outsell the Fit.
But it is much smaller than the Fit.
85.1 cu ft passenger vs 90.8 cu ft passenger.
10.4/34.5 cu ft cargo vs 20.6 / 57.3 cu ft cargo.

The Fiesta is more style, dynamics and less function. Think of it as a Fit Coupe.

Is it just me or it's funny that a Fiesta is topping out at $21,000 or more? Um, It's just a 119 horsepower engine. and for $21-22,000 you can get a 197hp Civic Si. With Ford charging this for the Fiesta and nearly $40,000 for the Taurus SHO. What's next? a $30,000 Focus? hahaha.. Maybe if Ford keeps this up we'll see them wanting a bailout too! sheesh

Mark, so if you option it up, it can cost as much as a similarly powered Mini?

The Fit is meant to be an econobox. The Fiesta is meant to be quite a bit more than that.

well fine brn, but seriously. When did a 119hp engine get to be more than $20,000? when a mazdaspeed3 isn't much more. Seriously, if Ford had priced it around $15-16,000 okay that would be competitive, fully loaded. But you have to admit that soon they'll be offer incentives to lower the price. If you think that's a good price at $20,000 then I shall laugh all day, no one will pay that.

I still laugh at a Taurus SHO for $40,000, come on Ford that's more than any Taurus has ever been. Not a good idea.

Mark.......Evidently Fords pricing is working. They are reporting strong sales for the Taurus with lower incentives, so they must be doing something right. Fords positive perception is growing....take a look at stories in the media. The US consumer likes the fact that Ford quality has pulled even with the imports AND Ford took no bailout money. The fact is that Ford is the premier American car company and folks are willing to pay for that.

A totally maxed out Fiesta is just about 20k but you can get a nicely equipped one for 16-17k and that is a good price compared to the Fit or Versa or that Toyota thingy at that price.

Mark, they did price it at $15-$16,000, as the headline indicates. You can option a Fit at $20K if you wanted to too.

I'm not saying you, but many people kept begging for Premium small cars from Europe to start showing up here. Now that the domestics are bringing those cars here, people are complaining about the price? You (they?) can't have it both ways.

The Fiesta is in a class above the Fit, hence it's going to cost more. If a European company were to have done it, people would be more accepting of the price. A European company like say BMW with the Mini and it's Playskool dash?

If you really use the emblem on the front of the car to determine it's value, there's nothing Ford can do to win you over.

well brn, must be nice to work for Ford, sure sounds like you're defending them. but congrats on getting paid by Ford. Instead of looking at the reality of the auto market right now. To price a vehicle that will be made in mexico that high doesn't really mean it's a "premium car from Europe" when made in mexico. And yes I think that the fit and other offerings at high of a price are crazy. Like I said before, what's next? a $30,000 focus? It's just getting ridiculous.

"what's next? a $30,000 focus?"

If the European Focus RS makes to the states, you probably will see them for around $30k. Maxing out the options on any car tends to push the price into the territory of its larger siblings, which is why most people buy the mid-level models. Remember, the Mini starts at $19,500 will offering similar power, and if you want one equipped like a top-level Fiesta, it'll be even more. Thing is, the Mini still sells well, and I believe the Fiesta will too.

"What's next? a $30,000 focus?"

That'd be a pretty cheap focus.
An Impreza costs $39,490, and a Lancer costs $44,312.
A $30,000 Focus would be a bargain.

A Focus RS actually _starts_ at $44,350 USD in the UK.
If they sell the Focus in the US for a mere $30,000, that'd be a fire sale steal!

"The Fit is meant to be an econobox. The Fiesta is meant to be quite a bit more than that. "

The Fit may have been meant to be an econobox but if you drive one you'll see it's much more. The Fiesta is also meant to be an econobox and I'm glad it's more then that too.

"Is it just me or it's funny that a Fiesta is topping out at $21,000 or more?"

I find almost all cars are like that these days. Car makers are well aware of the large percentage of people who love toys and trim and can't bear the thought that there might be an available option they don't have. Since options are where the big profits are, Ford would be foolish not to cash in on the frills.

$14K to $16K is the true price of the car.

Just looked up the Canadian prices for the Fiesta and they might have a problem. The Fit DX is a full $2000 cheaper then a Fiesta SE hatchback. The Fiesta has a few more options but it will be tough for Ford dealers to overcome that large a gap.

They really need an S version of the hatchback to compete.

I think the interior design / materials quality is going to play a role in what customers in this segment actually buy. And I don't think there's any question that Ford has Honda beat there.