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Ford Festiva Manufacturer Kia Motors (All LHD models including North America) Mazda Motor Corporation (all Japanese and RHD models) Parent company Ford Motor Company Also called Ford Aspire Mazda Festiva Mazda Aspire Production 1986–1997 Assembly Sohari, South Korea Class Subcompact Body style(s) 3-door hatchback Layout FF layout Related Mazda 121 Kia Pride

First Generation Production 1986–1993 Engine(s) 1138 cc SOHC, 56 hp (42 kW), 65 ft·lbf (88 N·m) 1324 cc SOHC, 71x83.6 mm, 65 hp (48.5 kW), 77 ft·lbf (105 N·m) 1290 cc DOHC, 88 hp (66 kW), 72 ft·lbf (98 N·m) Transmission(s) 3-speed automatic 4-speed manual 5-speed manual Wheelbase 2295 mm (90.20 in.) Length 3475 mm (140.50 in.) Width 1605 mm (63.20 in.) Height 55.30 in (1405 mm). Curb weight 725 kg (1598 lb) Fuel capacity 10 US gal Related nasim , saipa 141 , New P.K

Second Generation Also called Ford Aspire Production 1994-1997 Platform DA platform

The Ford Festiva was a subcompact car sold by the Ford Motor Company in North America, Asia and Australasia, introduced in 1986 in Japan. The car was manufactured by Kia in South Korea, which at the time was part-owned by Ford, and was derived from the Kia Pride, while Japanese, European, New Zealand and Australian models were manufactured by Mazda in Japan.

It was based on the Mazda DA platform, using Mazda's B Series engines.

The Festiva was sold in North America from the 1988 to the 1993 model years. It was also sold in Europe and other markets (probably to avoid competition with the Ford Fiesta sold in these markets) as the Mazda 121 from February 1988 until 1991, when it was replaced by a rebadged Autozam Revue. It was sold as the Kia Pride in some regions. It replaced the Ford Fiesta in North America. Nasim and newer Saipa 141 in Iran and Syria.

In 1986, the subcompact Festiva was introduced to the world market, and it was introduced to North America in 1988. This Festiva sold well, and it fit into Ford's new marketing agenda of selling better built cars. Early in its life, it faced tough competition from the Yugo, which was slightly larger, and only cost $3,990 USD, but the Yugo quickly fell due to alleged reliability problems. Initial sales were good, but by the 1990s, Festiva sales started to fall.

In 1990, Chuck Beck of Special Editions and Rick Titus took seven Festivas, gutted the interiors, and mounted Ford SHO 3.0 L V6's behind the front seats in mid-engine rear wheel drive configuration. There were substantial cosmetic and mechanical changes, including relocating the gas tank to the front of the car, structural bracing and improvements to the chassis, adding wider wheel arches to accommodate a wider stance and larger tires, and a complete redesign of the suspension. These changes resulted in a car that could travel the ¼ mile (0.4 km) in 12.9 seconds at 100.9 mph (162 km/h), and could achieve a lateral acceleration figure ranging from .95 to 1.04 g [1]. Of the seven, Jay Leno owns the silver one, which is number 003 [2].

Main article: Ford Aspire

For 1994, the Kia Pride was redesigned, meaning Ford got a new Festiva. While it was sold in certain markets as a second generation Festiva, Ford renamed it the "Aspire" in North American markets. The Ford Aspire was the first car in its class (in North America) to have standard dual air bags and optional 4-wheel ABS. This new Festiva was slightly longer, wider, and more aerodynamic.

For 1997, the Festiva/Aspire got a new front bumper with an oval grille, to keep up with the new Ford styling trend set by the Ford Contour and the redesigned Ford Taurus. The Aspire was dropped from the Ford range in the United States after 1997.

The second generation Festiva continued to be sold in Australia until at least 2001, but is no longer in the Ford Australia range. It is interesting to note that Australian second-generation Festivas have US side marker light cut-outs on each side of the vehicle (driver-side and passenger-side) at the front and rear. Instead of containing orange reflectors/lights at the front sides and red reflectors/lights at the rear sides, there are non-lit orange reflectors at all four locations. These redundant reflectors, coupled with the orange side indicator repeater (which is not required in the US, and was not included on the Aspire) make for a unique side profile appearance.

In Australia, the 1987-93 and 1994-1997 Ford Festivas were assessed in the Used Car Safety Ratings 2006 as providing "significantly worse than average" protection for their occupants in the event of a crash.[3]

• Consumer Guide Ford Festiva Review
• Consumer Guide Ford Aspire review

• Ford Festiva.Com
• Ford Aspire.com - Aspire/Festiva online forum
• Archive of a writeup on the SHOgun from the Wayback machine
• Used Car Safety Ratings - Ford Festiva
• Ford Festiva Mailing List at Yahoo! Groups