The Ford Fiesta has proven to be a very successful small car wherever it's sold in the world. Ford has sold 12 million Fiestas over the vehicle's lifetime and the new-for-2009 model has moved half a million units already this year in Europe and Asia. It's a smash hit in spite of the fact that the Fiesta is not for sale in the U.S., a.k.a. the world's biggest car market. That all changes in the spring of 2010 as the Fiesta finally makes its way stateside.

Ford appears to be focusing its efforts in the U.S. small car market at exactly the right time, as consideration for B-Segment vehicles is at an all-time high and the trend appears to be upwardly mobile. And while Ford would love for us to believe that it was clairvoyant when deciding to bring the Fiesta to the U.S., it just isn't true. In fact, the Fiesta wasn't originally designed for the U.S. market, but the shock of $4 per gallon gas and a new-found interest in eco-friendly transportation led the Blue Oval to rethink its strategy. Ford didn't start readying the Fiesta for the U.S. market until many bits and bolts of hardware were already settled, so Team Blue had to go back to the drawing board to make its small car ready for Americans. The result is a U.S.-spec Fiesta that has only 60% of its parts in common with the Euro Fiesta. Will Americans be missing out? Follow the jump for everything you need to know about the Fiesta.

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General Motors' Saab brand has been given a one month stay of execution as the Detroit, MI-based automaker has announced that it will hold off on a decision regarding the brand's fate until the end of the year. GM's apparent non-decision comes just one week after it announced that Swedish specialty car maker Koenigsegg unexpectedly pulled out of the running for Saab.

While GM isn't commenting on any potential suitors at this time due to non-disclosure agreements with the parties involved, speculation is that Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Co. and Wyoming-based Merbanco Inc are in the running for the struggling Swedish automaker. BAIC appears to make some sense considering the Chinese automaker's desire to enter the U.S. market and the fact that it was also involved in a bid to purchase Opel from GM earlier in the fall.

Beijing Auto was also reportedly involved in the original Koenigsegg deal, which fell apart for reasons we may never know. GM said in a brief statement (available after the jump) that if no deals materialized by the end of the year, it expects to begin an orderly wind down of the global Saab business at that time."

[Sources: The Detroit News; General Motors | Image: Torsten Silz/AFP/Getty Images]

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Fritz Henderson's unexpected resignation may have taken top billing today, but it wasn't the only move announced by General Motors today. Michael Richards has been named the new General Manager of Buick GMC effective immediately, with the automaker looking from outside the company to fill the roll. Richards replaces Susan Docherty, who was named Vice President of US Sales in October. Richards joins GM after a short stint at Trilogy Automotive in Austin, Texas, where he led the use of digital and Internet-based solutions. Richards also worked as a consultant for JD Power where he launched tools for improved vehicle launch profitability and customer satisfaction.

The bulk of Richards' experience comes from cross-town rival Ford where he worked from 1981-2008. Richards was most recently the marketing brand manager for Lincoln Mercury from 2006-2008. Prior to that he worked as the general sales manager for Ford Customer Service from 2002-2006.

Regardless of where Richards received his management chops, Vice Chairman and Marketing and Communications chief Bob Lutz likes what he has with the long-time Ford man. "We are pleased to have Mike as a member of the GM family. His vast sales and marketing experience will be invaluable in his new role, as he leads the team building the Buick and GMC brands."

[Source: GM]

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For many auto enthusiasts, the 2009 North American International Auto Show was the official beginning of the US economic downturn. Nissan, Infiniti, Mitsubishi and Porsche didn't even bother to show up for the once-prestigious event and Honda chose not to unveil any new product. A couple months back, the NAIAS organizers gave us some hope for the 2010 extravaganza when they said that the show would be better attended this time around. Well it appears that the show will at least be marginally better.

NAIAS co-chair Doug Fox has reportedly told the Detroit Free Press that at least 54 automakers will take part in the show this year, up four from 2009. Fox also estimates that a couple more automakers may decide to join in on the fun, but nothing is official at this time. Also exciting is news that both Porsche and Nissan will participate in this year's show, though the extent of their presence isn't very clear. We do know that Nissan will, at the very least, participate in the Detroit show's 37,000-square-foot Electric Avenue exhibit, which features electric vehicles from 26 automakers. So far Porsche will only participate in a special event called "The Gallery," which will be held for holders of the American Express Centurion card. The invitation-only event will be held at the MGM Grand on January 10.

While it's nice to see that Porsche and Nissan are going to be active at NAIAS 2010, we're a bit disappointed at the level of participation. At least the show will top the down year that was NAIAS 2009, but it looks like we may still be a ways away from the grandeur of shows gone by.

[Source: Detroit Free Press]

According to The Detroit News, the Supreme Court has let stand a ruling that Ford Motor Company is at fault for a 2002 rollover crash involving a 1997 Ford Explorer and the Dearborn, MI-based automaker must pay $55 million in punitive damages. Benetta Buell-Wilson's Explorer rolled over four-and-a-half times after she swerved to avoid debris. When the roof collapsed on her neck, it severed her spinal cord and left her paralyzed.

Ford unsuccessfully argued that it shouldn't be punished due to the fact that the Explorer complied with federal safety standards when it was built. Buell-Wilson was originally awarded $369 million in damages, but a pair of California courts cut down the total value of damages to $82.6 million.

[Source: The Detroit News]

The Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 Polizia is a very capable police cruiser that just happens to also be an extremely desirable Italian exotic. How many police cruisers can go 200 mph while toting a vital organ in its specially made refrigerated storage? While Lambo and the Italian State Police thought of all kinds of neat amenities to make the LP560-4 the perfect cruiser, they neglected to install an idiot detection device and now they're paying the ultimate price.

One of two Gallardo LP560-4 Polizias is ready for the scrap heap after a careless Seat Ibiza driver pulled out of a gas station without first looking for $200,000 police car. The undoubtedly surprised driver of the Gallardo swerved to avoid the oblivious one and smashed into a row of parked cars. The wedge-like Gallardo hit the cars so hard that one vehicle actually ended up on top (see above) of the ultimate Pig-mobile, crushing the front end. Luckily, the police officer and his passenger were unhurt in the incident. Ironically, the police issue Gallardo was on its way home from a safe driving seminar when the accident occurred.

What a bummer. The cop driving the car was one of 20 officers specially trained to handle the Gallardo's awesome V10 power. Now that the world's neatest police cruiser is scrap-worthy, he'll likely have to go back to driving a Fiat. Thanks for the tips, everyone!!



[Source: Guardian | Image: YouReporter.IT]

Last week Toyota publicly announced that it was recalling 3.8 million Avalon, Camry and Lexus ES 350 models on account of fears over unintended acceleration. The fix for Toyota's sudden acceleration issue includes the reshaping and/or replacing of accelerator pedals, with replacement pedals reportedly arriving in April. As you'd probably guess, the massive recall has led to many customers calling dealers for additional info, but unfortunately dealers weren't exactly prepared to respond.

Wards Automotive is reporting that Toyota didn't inform its dealer body of the proposed changes, which apparently includes the reconfiguration of the floor of some models, before the announcement was made. The industry trade journal says that a Toyota spokesman told them that the severity of the situation meant there was no time to inform dealers first, though all dealers have been informed by now.

Wards spoke to a couple dealers who sound more than a little frustrated by the situation. Earl Stewart of Earl Stewart Toyota of North Palm Bay, FL reportedly called the situation "confusing" and "embarrassing," adding that his dealership has been fixing floor mats the past few months without getting paid by Toyota for their work.

While we agree that Toyota was right in getting this information out to the public as quickly as possible, we're surprised it didn't first alert its dealer body. After all, the dealership is the public face of the company, and if customers call and dealers don't have answers, it looks like the situation is anything but under control. The official recall notices for the Avalon, Camry and ES are expected to come by year end, while five other models, including the Prius, Tacoma, Tundra and Lexus IS 250/IS 350, will receive similar notices sometime in 2010.

[Source: Wards Automotive, sub. req'd]

When navigation systems started showing up in the center stacks of luxury vehicles, the new (at the time) tech typically would set owners back a couple grand or more (and still does). As we gear up for 2010, mapping tech is everywhere from the most expensive luxury sleds to economical hatchbacks, but there is still one problem. If you want an LCD screen with navigation capability, the option will still set you back from over $1,000 to above and beyond $2,000 in most cases. The only exception is Suzuki, which includes its TRIP nav system as standard equipment on the sub-$20k SX4.

Nissan is looking to change the navi pricing paradigm by offering a $400 navigation system in some of its high volume 2010 MY products. That's $400, or the same price as Ford's LCD-less SYNC system. Or less than half the price of most options available in vehicles today. The nav system, which was developed by Nissan and Bosch, gives directions, integrates your tunes with USB and Aux inputs and has integrated Bluetooth connectivity for hands-free calling. The low cost system also connects with a backup camera and can help you save money by pointing out the route that will cost you the least fuel.

The Detroit News reviewed the nav system in 2010 Nissan Sentra and came away impressed with its overall operation, though the smallish five-inch LCD screen was reportedly a bit hard to read at times. We're hoping low cost navvies are here to stay, and with the ultra-competitive nature of the auto industry, we're thinking any automaker that doesn't follow Nissan's lead will be at a major competitive disadvantage.

[Source: The Detroit News]

Remember this past spring and summer's super speedy General Motors and Chrysler bankruptcies? If the billions in government loans and White House strong-arming is starting to slip into the recesses of your memory, your mind will likely be refreshed sometime in the future, at least according to Fitch Ratings. Fitch says that high fixed costs, perpetual over capacity and weak sales will lead to more bankruptcies that will mirror the misery of the airline industry.

Fitch gives plenty of reasons that the auto industry is far from out of the woods, chief among them is the continuation of weak sales. The ratings agency predicts 2010 car sales will rise by 7.8% to 11.1 million units, an improvement that is still far shy of the industry's peak sales of 17 million units. Another chief concern is GM and Chrysler's inability to access the credit markets for the foreseeable future. Credit markets are tight enough already, and Fitch doesn't see any bank lining up to loan money to any company fresh out of bankruptcy and still in restructuring mode. And if suppliers don't become more healthy or if gas prices spike again, Fitch sees the potential for more stress and ultimately more bankruptcies. And the Detroit 3 still have to contend with a high dollar union workforce and retiree obligations. Of the Detroit automakers, Fitch unsurprisingly sees the most stability at Ford. The Blue Oval still has access to bank loans and Fitch feels it has the strongest product lineup as well.

While we certainly agree that the auto industry is anything but out of the woods, we're also a bit skeptical of Fitch Ratings' foggy crystal ball. After all, Fitch didn't foresee much of the banking collapse that brought this country to its largest recession in decades until the collapse was painfully obvious, giving AA ratings to banks like Lehman Bros. only one year before that financial institution's dive into Chapter 11 protection.

[Source: Reuters | Photo by David Goldman/Getty]

When Koenigsegg pulled out of its agreement with General Motors to purchase Saab, many thought that General Motors would dump the Swedish automaker much like it did the Saturn brand. But it appears that The General is still willing to look for another interested party, and speculation is that two perspective buyers are at the front of the line. The Swedish press is reporting that China's Beijing Automotive (BAIC) and Wyoming-based merchant bank Merbanco have shown renewed interest in perennially cash-poor Saab.

Saab spokeswoman Gunilla Gustavs reportedly told Automotive News that there were 27 suitors interested in the Swedish automaker prior to Koenigsegg becoming the preferred bidder and confirmed that there are now other bidders interested. "We have a close dialog and close contact with several who have expressed interest in buying Saab Automobile," Gustavs says.

if another bidder does win the opportunity to purchase Saab, they'll inherit an automaker that expects to lose $427 million in 2009 and a similar amount of cash in 2010. That buyer will also run into plenty of resistance when trying to get its hands on GM's technology assets. One issue that reportedly derailed the Koenigsegg bid was GM's reluctance to share its tech for new products like the new Saab 9-5. On the upside, the aforementioned 9-5 sedan has just begun serial production, the 9-3X allweatherwagon is ready to go, and the 9-4X looks to be just around the bend, too.

Earlier in the week, GM released a statement stating that it would "take the next several days to assess the situation and will advise on the next steps next week." Thanks for the tips, everyone!



[Sources: Autocar; Automotive News; Auto Motor und Sport]