The Ford Fiesta will grow in size when it is redesigned for the 2018 model year, new spy photographs show.
The Fiesta has been criticized for a cramped interior relative to its competitors, and the upcoming redesign aims to address that and other concerns.
Sources have said the Fiesta, along with the 2018 Focus, likely will lose the dual-clutch transmission that has damaged Ford’s third-party quality ratings in recent years.
The Fiesta hatchback spotted this week has a longer wheelbase and a new silhouette with a nose that looks less rounded than that of the current model. It’s expected to arrive in the U.S. by mid-2017. The taillights move from a vertical orientation to a horizontal look that extends onto the tailgate and gives the car a wider look.
The seventh generation of the Fiesta will mark the first full redesign for Ford’s smallest U.S. car since the 2009 model year. A 2013 freshening included new front and rear fascia.
