'We'll see a bigger smaller car segment,' he said, adding that Ford thinks it can begin to charge the sort of premium prices it is already commands for small cars in Europe if it gives American consumers the same comfort and quality that it offers in its smaller vehicles over there. 'That's a big revenue opportunity.'

American buyers have generally viewed smaller cars as econoboxes, and U.S. carmakers have met those low expectations. But Fields said tastes are evolving.

Making money off compacts 'will require exciting designs, best-in-class fuel-economy, excellent craftsmanship and innovative new infotainment technologies,' he said.

Ford has already raised the average transaction price of its existing compact, the Ford Focus, by about $1,000 since debuting Sync last year. Developed with Microsoft Corp., Sync lets drivers control mobile phones, portable music players and navigation systems by voice commands.

Fields hinted that Ford will announce even more high-tech offerings today.

Ford needs to make money on smaller vehicles as more buyers eschew the big trucks and SUVs that were the source of much of the firm's revenue until recently.

While it has been selling more small cars, Ford is still hard-pressed to make even $100 off of every Focus it sells. By comparison, it used to make more than $20,000 off of its largest pickups.

Fields said Ford has cut its expectations for the new F-150 pickup it is launching later this year, and he wouldn't rule out the possibility of the truck launching with incentives because of ongoing weakness in that segment of the market. Industrywide truck sales are down 18.9% through July, Autodata Corp. reports.

In addition to giving buyers more of what they want so that it can charge more for its small cars, Ford is leveraging its global operations to further reduce costs and hike margins. Fields said a new pact with the United Auto Workers union expected to save millions in retiree health care costs will also help improve the equation for small cars.