'This vehicle represents the core DNA of the company,' Jim Farley, Ford's chief marketing officer, told journalists gathered here for the European launch of the Fiesta last week. 'This vehicle is a catalyst for change.' It also is a lot of fun to drive. The nimble Fiesta eats up the narrow, twisting roads of the Tuscan hills with relish and its economical engine provides plenty of pep. What is most surprising, however, is the interior. Rarely have production vehicles been so true to the concepts that inspired them. Just like on the auto show stand, the Fiesta sports an ber-modern two-tone design. Soft-touch surfaces are the norm, something surprising in a car of this class. But it also is quite comfortable, even for an American-sized adult. But Americans will have to wait until 2010 for the Fiesta, which needs to be modified to meet U.S. government requirements. 'We recognize that we're late, with this car, to market,' said Derrick Kuzak, Ford's head of global product development. 'So, it really has to stand out. It has to stand out in its design. It has to stand out in how it drives.' So far, it appears to be doing all that and more. European journalists are already short-listing the Fiesta for 2009 car of the year. 'In terms of the styling, the design, the overall execution of the vehicle, it's phenomenal,' said analyst Erich Merkle of Crowe Horwath. Add to that anticipated gas mileage of 31 miles per gallon in the city and 39 mpg on the highway, and it sounds a lot like what many American consumers want. The troubling thing about the Fiesta is that it speaks to Ford's past just as much as it does to Ford's future, some analysts say. Ford is an automaker that has, time and again, escaped financial Armageddon on the strength of one really good car. The Model A saved the company after Henry Ford allowed the Model T to linger too long without a replacement. The Mustang pumped new life into the company. And the Taurus saved it from the Japanese. Farley acknowledges that counting on one car is a fundamental flaw in Ford's culture. But he says it is an issue the company is working hard to exorcise. The Fiesta is not a product of that thinking, he said, because it is just the first in a big lineup of compact and subcompact automobiles. He expects that Ford will sell about 75,000 Fiestas a year in the United States, a figure Merkle thinks is achievable. And while Fiesta pricing will start for a lot less, Farley believes that there is 'small but significant' number of American consumers who would gladly pay $17,000 or $18,000 for a nicely equipped model. You can reach Bryce Hoffman at (313) 222-2443 or [email protected].