VANCOUVER - Canadians love their small cars, with slightly more than one out of two vehicles purchased slotting into the compact and subcompact categories.
So Ford Motor Co.'s decision to introduce its European-designed Fiesta subcompact to the Canadian and U.S. markets next summer doesn't seem like much of a gamble.
But it's not a sure bet either, especially in America, where many people still like to buy their cars by the pound.
Ford and the other Detroit automakers have tried occasionally to transplant Euro-market cars to North America but they've often lost something on the trip overseas.
Safety equipment and convenience accessories added weight, and attempts to make them feel more like domestic models turned the performance and handling flabby.
Ford promises this won't happen with the Fiesta, which revives the name used on a Euro import in the mid-1970s.
Eric Trepanier, Ford of Canada's car marketing plans manager, says 90 per cent of the German-built Fiesta he showed to some reporters recently will show up in the Mexican-produced version coming here.
"This is a no-compromise small car," he says.
"What makes a strong competitor in the B (subcompact class) car is the driving dynamics, the packages that are available. You will find that in the North American version of that vehicle."
Subcompacts are generally viewed here as A-to-B conveyances for young people or those needing a second car.
In Europe they're more mainstream and heavy competition means style is important, something reflected in the Fiesta's "kinetic design" first seen on Ford's Verve show cars a couple of years ago.
The complex lines of the exterior are meant to convey a sense of motion while standing still.
The interior continues the high-style theme, including a centre console that suggests a mobile phone -- though one wonders if in a few years it might look as dated as an old cellphone.
Fiestas come with a range of engine and transmission choices in Europe, and three body styles.
North Americans will get the five-door hatchback and four-door sedan, both powered by a 1.6-litre, 120-horsepower four-cylinder engine with either manual or automatic transmission.
A few hours behind the wheel of a Euro-spec Fiesta suggest that if it arrives uncompromised next year it should be a hit with those looking for something more than a transportation appliance.
For what it's worth, a middle-aged man driving a Ford Taurus station wagon gave the Fiesta a thumbs up as he went by.
The Fiesta's emphasis on style sacrifices some roominess to competitors like the Honda Fit and Nissan Versa, especially for taller occupants.
While the engine is responsive, the Fiesta's five-speed manual transmission keeps it turning at relatively high revs on the highway, which hurts fuel economy. When it's suggested a sixth gear would be useful, Trepanier bites his lip. Don't be surprised if a six-speed is offered.
There are no quibbles when it comes to handling. The Fiesta coped with rain-slicked freeways and twisty back roads, greasy with crumbled wet leaves, with equal poise.
The Fiesta is certainly not a make-or-break model for Ford, which is surviving the auto slump better than its Detroit-based competitors.
But Ford is taking a head-on run at a very competitive, low profit-margin part of the market where it hasn't been present since 1993, when it stopped selling the Korean-sourced Festiva.
In the United States, where small car sales swing with fuel prices, Ford is trying to create advance buzz through something called the Fiesta Movement, giving cars to 100 people who'll blog and tweet about them on social networks.
There's a more modest effort in Canada called Follow the Fiesta, with a fleet of cars going to cities to test response from people on the street.
What the industry calls the B-car segment traditionally accounts for about 18 per cent of passenger car sales in Canada.
The segment took a disproportionately big hit during the recent slump, sliding more than 25 per cent, compared with the overall car market's 14 per cent drop, as its mainly young target demographic held onto their money.
It doesn't faze Trepanier, who has faith sales trends should be back to normal by the time the Fiesta hits showrooms.
"The B-car segment still remains about eight per cent of the total car industry, so about 16 per cent of the car market," he says. "That hasn't changed."
The Fiesta will bring new life to a segment that has seen few new recent entries, except perhaps the boxy yet hip Kia Soul and Nissan Cube, Trepanier says.
It is getting pretty crowded in there, though.
Besides the Soul, Kia has the more conventional Rio sedan and Rio5 hatchback and its sister company Hyundai has two versions of the Accent. Nissan offers the price-leading Versa, Toyota the Yaris and Suzuki the Swift, while Honda's stylish but practical Fit hits the sweet spot the Fiesta is aiming at.
Next year Mazda is also expected to introduce the Mazda2, which shares a lot of the Fiesta's underpinnings, and there is talk Volkswagen may bring its Polo subcompact over from Europe.
Trepanier says Ford will price the Fiesta to compete with those cars, which range from $12,500 to $17,000.
In Europe, Fiestas start at about 8,500 euros to above 15,000 euros -- about $13,500 to $24,000 at current exchange rates.
The model to be sold here will be comparable to Europe's upper-level Titanium edition.
