Ford announced today that it has commenced production of the new Fiesta ECOnetic. Available in Europe, the ECOnetic is powered by a 1.6-liter diesel engine with an output of 94hp (95PS) and a peak torque of 205Nm (105.2 lb-ft).

What makes this Fiesta special is that it returns an average fuel consumption of just 3.3 lt/100 km (equal to 85.6mpg UK and 71.3 mpg US) according to the European Fuel Economy standards, while emitting only 87g of CO2 per km.

Ford's engineers are busily testing the facelifted version of the Fiesta subcompact hatchback, which could be revealed as early as this fall at the 2012 Paris Motor Show.

The front end of the prototype was hidden under camouflage, but we can see that it features a re-sculptured hood – similar to the one found on the new Fiesta ST. You can also expect a newly designed bumper with a modified grille and different fog lamp housings, and possibly some minor tweaks to the headlamps.

After several appearances in concept trim on the motor show circuit across the world, it's time for Ford to present the final production version of the Fiesta ST on the eve of its 2012 Geneva Motor Show debut.

The hottest model of the Blue Oval's supermini series gets a 1.6-litre turbocharged EcoBoost gasoline engine rated at 180PS (178bhp) and 240Nm (177 lb-ft). It is matched to a six-speed manual gearbox that drives the front wheels.

With less than a week left for the grand opening of the 2012 edition of the Geneva Auto Salon, we're continuing our reports on the vehicles that will make it to Switzerland with the Ford brand.

Today we can confirm that aside from the world premiere of the production B-MAX small MPV that we've already covered extensively, the Blue Oval will debut the European version of the 2013 Escape as the new generation of the Kuga SUV and the production version of last year's Fiesta ST Concept 3d.

It is amazing how the new crop of internal combustion engines have become so much more powerful yet at the same time, more fuel-efficient and greener than their predecessors of past years.

Ford's new 1.0-liter EcoBoost petrol unit is a prime example of how far automakers have gone. Despite its small capacity and proportions, the three-cylinder engine that features turbocharging, direct injection and other technologies, develops up to 123bhp, which is an impressive number in itself.

They say Christmas is a time for giving, and Ford's European division did exactly that by inviting Joulupukki over from his home in Lapland to Hungary to take part in in a number of charity events over the coming days.

For those of you wondering, Joulupukki is not the Finnish version of Jalopnik but as we learned from the all-knowing Wikipedia, Finland's version of Santa Claus with the name literally meaning "Yule Goat" or "Christmas Goat".

Channel 9 may have put the brakes on Top Gear Australia after just four seasons on TV, but the magazine is alive and well.

For the needs of their November issue cover story, the crew from Top Gear Australia magazine brought together Ken Block and the local Stig.

The dynamic duo put out an impressive one-off Hoonigan show in Melbourne with two of Ford's finest, the Monster Rally Fiesta and the Falcon FPV that comes with a…tire-shredding, supercharged V8 engine. You can enjoy the show after the break.

At the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show in September, Ford previewed its upcoming Fiesta ST with a thinly disguised concept based on the three-door hatchback model.

Now, the Detroit-based carmaker is heading to this month's Los Angeles Auto Show with a five-door hatchback variant of the Fiesta ST that should give us a taste of the North American model.

“With the Fiesta ST Concept, we are demonstrating that our global performance plan has legs," says Jost Capito, Ford director of Global Performance Vehicles

"The Fiesta ST Concept shows in the most dramatic way possible that the qualities that define an ST are not limited to one model [the Focus ST]. The potential for delivering the ST experience to an even wider audience is laid bare by this exciting new concept," he added.

We're a little less than two weeks away from this year's edition of the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, which means it's time for major carmakers to begin teasing their bespoke creations.

Ford promises to have a little something for everyone at the show, from "mild to wild" and "old to new" though the company will pay a whole lot of attention to its compact Fiesta and Focus models.

Sick and tired of watching Ken Block flashing around his very expensive automotive toys? The crew over at YouTube channel "LeakingDuck" feels your pain so they created a little something to cheer you up.

LeakingDuck explains: "Let's do a little experiment : Do we really need a 600HP all wheel drive rally car driven by Ken Block to do a cool video ? Or any budget at all for that matter ? Let's see if it works."

You can see if it "works" for yourself by following the jump to watch the video.

Looking for a more special Fiesta supermini? Ford has you covered in the United Kingdom with the launch of yet another limited edition model, called the Fiesta Metal of which only 1,000 examples will be built.

The new car is based on the three-door variant and is powered by a 1.6-liter Duratec petrol engine that generates 134-horses at 6,700rpm and 160Nm (118 lb-ft) of torque at 4,250rpm allowing it to complete the 0-62mph (100km/h) sprint in 8.7 seconds.

There are concepts you know beforehand, no matter how marvelous they look, that are never going to roll their wheels on the road, but there others that are essentially production ready with minimal disguise previewed just months before the actual launch. The Fiesta ST Concept displayed at Ford’s stand at the Frankfurt Motor Show definitely belongs to the second category.

Ford states that “the possibility of a Fiesta ST joining the Focus ST would bring Ford performance to drivers in to major segments.” Come on, stop pretending: the Fiesta ST is ready to enter production tomorrow morning, if needed. We've even spied it testing at the Nordschleife.

Back in August, Ford revealed to us that when the doors open to the 64th IAA International Motor Show on September 13, it will be ready to exhibit four world premieres.

Since then, the Detroit-based automaker has told us about the EVOS sport concept and final production version of the performance Focus ST with 250-ponies, so if you do the simple math, there are two more cars left.

We're still working on the last one but we learned that the third world premiere will be the performance Fiesta ST, thinly disguised as a concept study.

The new B-Max small MPV isn’t the only Fiesta-based model that Ford is currently developing. Our spy shooters captured a fleet of small crossover prototypes while resting on a parking lot in Pikes Peak Country in Colorado, USA.

The baby CUV is based on the platform architecture of the latest Fiesta and it is believed that it will utilize a similar engine range to the subcompact model enhanced with Ford's newest EcoBoost powerplants such as the upcoming 1.0-liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine.

Hybrid cars are the readily available solution to drastically reduce fuel consumption and, thus, CO2 emissions. But they are also much more expensive than regular vehicles powered only by internal combustion engines. And the truth is they are not the only solution as some carmakers would have you believe.

Ford will introduce its ECOnetic range in Europe with the Focus and Fiesta, proving that an internal combustion-engine powered car can be as “green” as a hybrid. The company says half of all Ford cars sold in Europe by late next year will carry the ECOnetic Technology badge, increasing to two-thirds by 2013.

While it may not be the car most dream to own, the low $10,990 ($11,750 including destination) entry level price tag of the 2012 Nissan Versa sedan seems to have piqued the interest of U.S. buyers looking for a cheap new ride.

According to data released by Nissan today, in August, the first full month of availability of the new Versa sedan, the subcompact model sold of 8,566 units beating all of its theoretical competitors, including the Chevrolet Aveo, Ford Fiesta, Honda Fit, Hyundai Accent, Mazda 2 and the soon to be replaced, Toyota Yaris.

Ford is putting the final development touches on the production version of its Fiesta-based B-MAX small MPV that was snagged with a funky color scheme and very few parts covered up while testing in Europe.

The subtle camouflage does little to hide the fact that the B-MAX's design is very close to the original concept displayed at the Geneva Salon earlier this year right up to the sliding rear-doors.

The only noteworthy changes over the Blue Oval's concept study concern the addition of door handles and the much smaller alloy wheel and tire combos. From these pictures, we can't be sure if Ford has equipped the tall five-door model with B-pillars.

If you haven't heard, Ford is celebrating its 100th anniversary in Britain this year. The first Ford to be manufactured in the country was the legendary Model T in 1911.

To celebrate the event, Ford is launching a new special edition version of the Fiesta called the Centura and like the original Model T, it too will be available exclusively in a black finish.

ECU tuning specialist Superchips has released a new software upgrade for the UK market Ford Fiesta Zetec S. In factory tune, the Ford's 1.6-liter Ti-VCT twin independent cam timing engine delivers 120-horsepower.

After Superchip's engineers optimize the engine control unit (ECU), the four-cylinder powerplant gains an additional 10 bhp at 5,986 rpm and 13 Nm of torque at 4,390rpm.

Building on the success of the European market Fiesta Sport + (called the 1600S in the UK and Sport S in Germany) that was launched this past February, Ford has unleashed a new Sport Special Edition that includes further enhancements inside and out.

The latest sporty Fiesta is available with two engine options, the most potent of which is the 1.6-liter Duratec Ti-VCT petrol unit delivering 134-horses and 160Nm torque at 4,250rpm.