Recapture Small-Car Buyers

Ford Fiesta

Detroit desperately needs sassy new models like the European-built Fiesta, due in the U.S. in 2010, to woo small-car buyers who have fled to imports like the Honda Civic. The new Fiesta is shown above at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show.

All three domestic automakers need to recapture small-car buyers who have fled to imports like the Honda Civic that offer better quality and cachet. The European-built Fiesta, due in the U.S. in 2010, will make the case with crisp styling and gas mileage in the mid-30s. Ford could also import the C-Max and Kuga into the U.S. from Europe. If they succeed, "the impact of all three of these Euro Ford vehicles will be huge," says James Bell of Intellichoice.com.