• The New York Times, Friday, February 15, 2008 12 PM

Ford's new Fiesta small car--which was shown as a concept vehicle under the name Verve at recent auto shows--was formally unveiled yesterday. In a departure from recent marketing, it will go under one name in every market worldwide. Selling the same high-volume vehicle around the world has given a competitive advantage to Toyota and Honda.

The Fiesta goes on sale in Europe this fall, with introductions in Asia, Australia, and North and South America to follow. It will compete with cars like the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla, which sell for about $15,000. The Fiesta nameplate has been a fixture in Europe for more than 30 years, but has not been used in the U.S. market since 1980.

"This underscores how serious we are about leveraging our global assets," says Mark Fields, a Ford executive vice president. By building one car for world markets, Ford is also hoping to resuscitate its core brand with a global success story.

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