TOP SELLING FIESTA HAS A HEART OF STEEL

While most buyers of the UK's best selling car are swayed by its stylish looks and technology-laden interior, the Ford Fiesta hides an important secret under the skin.

At the heart of the Fiesta’s appeal is an advanced steel bodyshell which combines light weight with outstanding strength and durability.

Light weight means better fuel economy and performance, while the strength of the structure is reflected in the Fiesta’s five-star Euro NCAP safety rating.

To achieve this impressive combination, Ford engineers turned to new metals for the body.  Over 55 per cent of the structure is made from ultra high strength steel – helping to make the Ford Fiesta 40kg lighter than the model it replaced.

Bernd Liesenfelder, Ford body engineering manager, said:  “Small cars like the Fiesta need to be as light as possible without sacrificing any strength in a crash.  By using these advanced new steels, we have been able to give Fiesta owners the protection of a robust safety cell, combined with excellent fuel economy from a lightweight body.”

The Fiesta bodyshell features a range of different high-strength metals, including boron steel – one of the strongest weldable materials available.

Sophisticated computerised design tools allow Ford engineers to locate the high-strength steels exactly where they are required to provide maximum protection in a crash.

High-strength steels can be used more efficiently than normal steels without reducing strength, allowing components to be lighter.

This light weight helps to reduce fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions across the Fiesta range, including for the exceptionally frugal ECOnetic model, which achieves combined fuel economy of 76.3mpg* and 98g CO₂/km emissions for road tax-exempt motoring.

HIGH-STRENGTH LIGHTWEIGHT STEEL BODYSHELL
What is it?	Advanced bodyshell design which uses special steels to combine maximum strength with minimum weight.
How to get it	All new Ford Fiestas have a bodyshell which uses over 55 percent of high-strength and ultra-high-strength steels.
What's the cost?	No additional cost.

* Note: Fuel economy figures quoted are based on the European Fuel Economy Directive EU 80/1268/EEC and will differ from fuel economy drive cycle results in other regions of the world.