SPY PICS: Ford Fiesta ready to party

Ford's next Fiesta, due in 2017, is a new design but remains based on the same platform as the current car, which first saw the light of day in 2007.

The car pictured here is a true pre-production model, unlike the mule snapped late last year, wearing the same body panels as the current car.

While the new car will be a little wider, it is expected to stick with the current model's dimensions otherwise. It's been reported in Europe, however, that the new Fiesta will move upmarket to leave more room for the tiny Ka underneath it.

In the repositioning of the Fiesta, Ford designers are believed to be concentrating their efforts on trim materials, interior design and more sophisticated comfort and convenience features. Foremost among the latter will be SYNC3 interfaced through a larger touch screen. Advanced safety systems for the new Fiesta will include lane departure warning, blind spot monitoring and traffic sign recognition.

It's speculated that the new Fiesta will migrate to the three-cylinder turbocharged EcoBoost engine exclusively, and basic trim levels will be dropped to vacate the field for the Ka to compete directly with competitors priced below the Fiesta.

Even if the new Fiesta makes its global debut early next year, Ford Australia is unlikely to introduce the new car until it goes into production in Thailand. That could mean we won't see the new Fiesta until late in 2017, or even early 2018.