The NADAguides Car of the Month for May was announced this week and taking the honors is the 2011 Ford Fiesta.

NADAguides lauded the car for high-quality engineering throughout the vehicle, its driving comfort, fuel-efficiency and overall values. The company also found the vehicle’s features to be “above and beyond what is expected in its class.”

The Fiesta certainly has gained some traction on NADAguides.com, with traffic for the vehicle climbing almost 55 percent sequentially during the first quarter.
This surge was also instrumental in the vehicle being selected.

What’s more, NADAguides anticipates that interest in the Fiesta will only continue to grow given current gas-price dynamics and the model’s potential highway fuel economy of 40 mpg.

“The exterior of the Fiesta has an aggressive, sporty and edgy look with modern lines sure to give the foreign sub-compact makers a scare in the design department,” said Troy Snyder, NADAguides director of product development.

“As for performance, sub-compact vehicles usually leave you feeling like you got what you paid for, but not the Fiesta — it is impressive and delivers a vehicle above expectations, setting a new bar for the competition,” he continued.

John Felice, general manager of Ford Lincoln marketing, added: “We believe the 2011 Fiesta sets a new standard in the small car segment so it is rewarding to see it researched to such a high level by car buyers.

“This recognition is a further sign of the momentum we have built with our range of fuel efficient, technologically advanced new products that customers want to learn about and own. It is successful and popular new products like Fiesta that will continue to differentiate Ford Motor Co. as a leader,” Felice shared.

Ford is unveiling its dramatic new B-MAX vehicle at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, providing an early preview of exciting innovations from Ford in the European small car market.

The B-MAX showcases a unique new body design which eliminates the traditional B pillar and features twin rear sliding doors.  This innovative format – which has already been engineered for production – promises best-in-class access to the cabin, together with unmatched convenience and flexibility.

Developing themes from the 2009 iosis MAX design study, the dynamic and stylish new
B-MAX illustrates how Ford’s kinetic design language can be translated to a unique new vehicle format.

The innovation continues inside the cabin, where the interior offers exceptional space and versatility for such a compact vehicle.  The use of high quality materials highlights the vision that small, practical cars can also be comfortable and well-equipped.

“With its highly popular S-MAX and Galaxy, and more recently the all-new C-MAX and Grand C-MAX, Ford has a proven history of bringing innovation and style to the multi-activity vehicle market,” said Stephen Odell, Chairman and CEO, Ford of Europe.

“The new B-MAX signals that Ford is ready to bring the same bold thinking to the small car market.  With its unique door format and dynamic design, the B-MAX sends a strong message that customers looking for a compact, stylish and versatile vehicle will soon have an exciting new choice.” he added.

When many shoppers look for a customizable affordable small car, the Mini Cooper’s racing stripes and fun, retro colors come to mind. However, in the near feature, shoppers may start adding the Fiesta, one of Ford’s most popular and well-liked vehicles to that list. For 2012, the Ford Fiesta is getting personal.

Ford is expanding its offerings by adding three packages that all allow shoppers to tweak the Fiesta’s looks to suit their personal tastes. With the sport appearance package different components, such as the side mirrors, headlamps, license plate header and upper hatch spoiler will be blacked out. The package also adds 16-inch alloy wheels. Ford says this package enhances performance when shoppers choose a manual transmission.

“‘The Fiesta customer loves accessories and personalization. These packages extend the desire the customer has to make the car more tailored to his or her own personal tastes,’” Lew Echlin, Ford’s Global Car marketing manager states in a press release. “‘Personalization has been key since the Fiesta launched, and with the new packages we’re featuring the latest design trends so customers can do even more with their car.’”

Ford also adds two premium interior packages. These will only be available on higher trims, the SEL and SES. Ford says that “the packages feature high-contrasting interior accent colors in Oxford White or Race Red that are strategically placed throughout the interior of the vehicle, similarities that can be seen in the latest collections in fashion and home design.” The colors will carry throughout the interior, and accent the seats and door panels.

The automaker hasn’t released pricing information, but according to Inside Line, pricing will be announced closer to the 2012 Fiesta’s fall debut. But keep in mind that you won’t pay any less than $16,320, which is the base price for the SEL sedan.

Shopping for a 2011 Ford Fiesta? Check out the U.S. News rankings of this year’s best cars. Then, look for a great deal on a new car by checking out this month’s best car deals.

Well, we all know that Ford is not one to stop within the R&D and product promotion arenas, so it’s no surprise the ground pounding photographers are catching glimpses of the forthcoming 2013 Shelby GT500.  What’s most exciting is the GT500 could prospectively pump out well over 600 horsepower.  Carroll, do we need a name change on aisle 5?  Perhaps…

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Many sources are pointing to the fact the trusty supercharged 5.4-liter V8 will be bolstered to 5.8-liters (whoa, 351!) and the Eaton M112 will make its curtain call, leaving room for the next-gen TVS unit while providing more power, less noise, and more efficiency overall.

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Ford’s not really playing with matches here; rather, a blow torch.  The current release found in the 2012 Shelby GT500 pumps out an incredible 550hp, shreds to 60 in 4 seconds flat, and easily floats in the low 12s when stripping the 1320.

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Along with the changes to the power plant, Ford is also seeking to update the body styling to become more modern-esque by kicking some of the retro throwbacks and gravitating toward tech.  LED lighting, interior updates, and a new suspension on the live rear axle are just a few hot improvements upon this year’s tech found on the Shelby GT500.

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So, with a price tag rumored to be around $60K and some marked improvements, will you put your name on the list for one?