The most "Euro-centric" version of the 2011 Ford Fiesta, the 5-door could get American motorists back into hatchbacks.

For a small car, the new 2011 Ford Fiesta has a big mission ahead of it.

Fiesta is the European-designed small car that has garnered a slew of awards for the automaker since its introduction, two years ago.  It’s also the first serious attempt to translate Ford’s Continental design and engineering into a vehicle that meets the needs and desires of American motorists.

In years past, the automaker would likely have developed separate products for the U.S. and Europe – if it brought out such a small car in the States, at all. That’s one reason small cars like Fiesta have been big money losers in this country.  But by spreading out costs on a platform that could eventually account for 1 million sales, worldwide, Ford is betting it will actually make money on Fiesta – and also be able to pass some of the savings to consumers in the form of a car that breaks from the traditional mold of boring, stripped-down Detroit econobox.

What’s clear is that U.S. buyers are becoming much more open to small cars, which have seen their share of the market surge from just 14.0% in 2004 to 21.6% for the first 10 months of 2008.  The problem for Ford is that Japanese and Korean imports, such as the Toyota Yaris and Honda Fit, have dominated the various small car segments.

The 2011 Ford Fiesta sedan is likely to appeal to more traditional American buyers.

“To succeed, we really have to bring the global strengths we have as a company,” declares Ford President Mark Fields, which means a mix of strong styling, good driving dynamics and plenty of creature comforts, among other factors.

The 2011 Ford Fiesta certainly doesn’t look like such classic bland-mobiles as the Escort, or for that matter, the old 1976 Fiesta.  Quite the contrary.  The 4-door version, developed primarily for American consumption, is crisp and stylish, with a decidedly up-market feel.  It features the trademark 3-bar Ford grille, and those familiar with the European version of the car will notice some distinct tweaks, such as the larger bumpers, meant to meet U.S. safety regulations.

Even more striking is the 5-door, which has the sleek lines of a rally car.  It shares a distinctive light bar, set into a bright chrome trim piece, on the front fenders, and which replaces European foglamps.  The 5-door is a “little more Euro-centric,” explains Moray Callum, Ford’s chief designer, yet it should give American motorists good reason to rethink their long resistance to hatchbacks.

The interior of the 2011 Ford Fiesta has undergone significant changes to comply with U.S. safety standard but maintains a decidedly up-market feel.

The interior of the vehicle has gone through more changes than the exterior, again to help Fiesta comply with safety standards, yet the overall theme remains, which is to create a space that almost has a sort of smartphone feel, and which is trimmed and finished far more lavishly than one would expect in a price segment where hard plastic panels are the norm, not leather and stylish fabrics.

“We’re trying to change the mindset with this car,” explains Callum, adding that with higher volumes, “the economies of scale allow us to put more content into the vehicle.”

That includes such things as automatic climate control and an auxiliary input for using MP3 players with the standard audio system.  There’s the optional SYNC voice-activated infotainment system and push-button start.

On the safety front, the vehicle features seven airbags, including frontal, side and head curtain restraints, as well as a knee bag for the driver.  The Safety Canopy system kicks in when there’s a rollover.  Electronic stability control is standard – a big shift for a segment where many vehicles didn’t even after anti-lock brakes at the beginning of the decade.

Ford claims to be making a serious effort to deliver a much better NVH package than is the norm for small cars.  That stands for Noise, Vibration and Harshness, and the 2011 Ford Fiesta gets extensive padding behind the instrument panel, for one thing, as well as foam baffles in the car’s pillars, a primary source of noise.  Ford is claiming Fiesta will have the lowest wind noise levels in its segment.

The 2011 Ford Fiesta offers a number of features not normally available in the econo-car segment, such as 7 airbags, stability control and voice-activated SYNC infotainment system.

Fuel economy is a particular concern for small car buyers and the automaker is estimating highway mileage of up to 40 mpg with Fiesta’s 1.6-liter DOHC inline-4 powerplant.  It makes 119 horsepower and 109 lb-ft of torque.  Like the new 3.7-liter V6 in the 2011 Mustang – which will yield 30 mpg Highway – the Fiesta I-4 uses Twin-Independent Variable Cam Timing, a technology that improves both fuel economy and performance.

The standard transmission is a 5-speed manual, but Ford also will offer the all-new 6-speed PowerShift, a single clutch electronically-shifted clutchless manual.

Fuel economy is further enhanced by the switch to electric power assist steering, or EPAS.

Fiesta isn’t the first Ford “world car.”  The company has tried a variety of programs, over the decades, including Focus.  But initial indications are that the 2011 Fiesta is hitting the mark.  The challenge will be convincing consumers who are used to the stripped-down stone ponies of decades past.

Ford has taken numerous steps to get the word out about its new approach.  Among other things, it signed on a variety of so-called “Fiesta Agents,” potential customers from around the country, who got a chance to drive the European version of the Fiesta for half a year.  In return, folks like Hilary McHone, a Los Angeles photographer, were asked to help spread the word – and give feedback to Ford to help it finalize the development of the U.S. Fiesta.

“It’s so similar to the car I’ve driven for six months, I love it,” McHone gushed during a preview of the American Fiesta, which will have its formal introduction at this week’s Los Angeles Auto Show.