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Ford’s all-new Fiesta is guaranteed to wow the crowds when the wraps come off at next month’s Geneva Motor Show with its FUN-loving and fashionable, sensational and safe. Taking much of its exterior and interior design from the striking Verve Concept, the next generation of Britain’s best-loved small car promises to shake up the supermini scene at its global premiere.

More than 12 million Fiesta models have been sold since its introduction in 1976, and the arrival of this latest Fiesta opens another chapter in the story of Ford’s most successful small car. Following the company’s ‘kinetic design’ philosophy introduced on all the latest models, the 2008 Fiesta marks a major leap forward in terms of style, craftsmanship, quality of materials and model choice.

Behind the innovative design, however, lies a car that remains true to Fiesta fundamentals of practicality, affordability, agility and safety. The compact congestion-busting dimensions remain yet the head-turning looks wrap a structure that’s both lighter and stronger than before.

Thoroughly modern and designed to meet every need and desire of today’s supermini buyers, the sixth generation of the Fiesta family will be offered in both three and five-door bodystyles. The prominent coupé-like profile of both versions indicates how deeply the spirit of the Verve Concept has been carried into production. Make no mistake about it – this is a small car with a big presence.

It’s a similar story inside. A Verve Concept interior – the futuristic, mobile phone-inspired, human-machine interface technology of the instrument panel centre stack – will be a core feature of the new Ford Fiesta when it hits the road.

The Ford Convers+ system – already available on the Ford Mondeo, S-MAX and Galaxy models – will also feature, representing a major step forward for the small car buyer. It is just one of several new features and technologies, including keyless vehicle technology symbolised by the distinctive ‘Ford Power’ button on the instrument panel.

Connectivity is another new Fiesta strength. The new centre console features a convenient tray for MP3 players complete with built-in sockets for an auxiliary (AUX) audio and USB cables, along with the traditional 12 volt outlet. This allows the car’s audio system to control and charge the MP3 player. Bluetooth® connectivity with voice control is also offered in the new Fiesta, along with more big-car technologies.

Powering the Fiesta to global success is a mix of efficient petrol and diesel engines. The 1.25-litre (60 and 80PS) and 1.4-litre (91PS) Duratec petrol units are joined by a new Duratec 1.6-litre Ti-VCT (115PS) option. This advanced powertrain provides an additional 15PS over the outgoing model but, thanks to variable valve timing, with no fuel consumption penalty.

For the ultimate in economy, Ford’s TDCi common-rail diesel engines will continue to be offered in 1.4-litre (68PS) and 1.6-litre (90PS) guises. Later in 2008 a Fiesta ECOnetic with CO2 emissions of less than 100g/km will become available.

From launch, all Fiestas will be equipped with the slick Ford Durashift five-speed manual transmission, and a four-speed automatic transmission will be available on selected models.

Throughout each generation, the Fiesta badge has always been synonymous with agile, entertaining handling and this remains the case. The bold new design may be tougher and safer but this isn’t at the sacrifice of driving enjoyment. New Fiesta retains the MacPherson strut front suspension and twist-beam rear suspension layout that has been one of its traditional strengths, but the new suspension and steering system has undergone significant development.

Ford’s acclaimed dynamics engineers worked hard to enhance Fiesta’s ride comfort and isolate road, wind and powertrain noise from the cabin. The result is an impressively quiet drive for a small car.

Electric-Power Assist Steering (E-PAS) is introduced in the Fiesta for the first time. E-PAS provides the right balance of low-speed assistance and excellent feel and responsiveness.

Summing up the latest Fiesta ahead of its Geneva debut Martin Smith, Executive Director of Design for Ford of Europe said: “All the vital elements of ‘kinetic design’ have been translated into the new Fiesta to create a dynamic spirit of fun and energy.

“New Fiesta evokes an instant emotional response that says ‘I want one’ which extends the traditionally practical values of the Fiesta to appeal to a new, style-conscious generation of small car buyers.”

Full technical details and UK trim levels for the new Fiesta range will be released closer to the launch of the production model in autumn 2008.

The Morgan LifeCar Concept with hydrogen fuel cell will be unveiled at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show. Spending more than two years working with Oscar Automotive, Cranfield University, QinetiQ, Oxford University and Linde AG, Morgan has develop the LifeCar concept for auto world. Based on the Morgan Aero Eight, the Morgan Lifecar Concept powered by a QinetiQ fuel cell, which converts hydrogen – and oxygen (taken from the air around it) into electrical energy.

The purpose of Morgan Lifecar concept is to demonstrate that a zero emission vehicle can also be fun to drive. With combination of performance, range and fuel economy will allow a sporting driver of the future to demonstrate a concern for the environment. It will demonstrate that a new step in vehicle architecture is enabled by the use of a fuel cell hybrid power train, going far beyond the incremental adaptation of traditional car designs as seen in current hybrid vehicles. The approach is one of whole system design in which the architecture is generated from the characteristics of the fuel cell, in a light-weight vehicle coupled with a high hybridization level.

With this combination the fuel cell cost will be minimized and will providing the fuel economy for a 200 mile range. An objective of the project is to lower the entry barriers for a vehicle powered by a hydrogen fuel cell. Core to the success of the project will be collaboration between partners to achieve system-level innovation in the design.

The MIT E-Motion hybrid concept car has been revealed by Swiss firm Mindset. Although the car is still only a scale model, but the designer will hope to market a production version from as early as next year. As featured in German magazine Auto Motor Und Sport this week, the MIT E-Motion hybrid concept car is a low-slung gullwinged two-door with a chopped-off rear end and upright tailgate, apparently created by Murat Guenak - former Volkswagen designer.

The E-Motion hybrid concept car only has weighs about 800kg despite a length of 4.2m, because it was built around an aluminum spaceframe with plastic body panels. However, tt has a similar powertrain system to GM’s E-Flex, which will debut in the production Chevrolet Volt.

The MIT E-Motion hybrid concept car has designed with a tiny petrol engine (24bhp) serving only to supplement the drive from the lithium-ion batteries which power the motors under most conditions. The range between refueling and recharging is said to be 100km, with a roof-mounted solar panel topping up the electrical energy sources.

Mindset is planning production of up to 10,000 cars a year, and says it could start building them to order as early as next year. Projected price for an The MIT E-Motion hybrid concept car is about €50,000 or $73.000.