It’s official – Ford’s Verve SUV is on the way. Auto Express first broke the news of the blue oval’s plans to build an all-road version of its next-generation Fiesta.
And now it has been officially confirmed that the car will make an appearance in concept form at the Detroit Motor Show in January – although not by Ford itself.
Organisers of the exhibition have released a newsletter which provides details of the new models which will be making their debuts. It states: “Ford will reveal a small concept vehicle for the US market that will share the underbody with a concept which was unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show in SepĀtember.” That model was the Verve, and it seems like the obvious basis for an SUV-inspired show car.
The new off-road-biased model will share its underpinnings with the next Fiesta, which in turn is based on the same platform as the latest Mazda 2 supermini.
The SUV will have small-capacityturbocharged units giving strong performance plus decent economy and emissions. Early indications are that the Fiesta off-roader could go on sale early in 2009.
Tell us about your car in our Driver Power survey.
For more breaking car news and reviews, subscribe to Auto Express magazine. We'll give you 6 issues for £1 and a free gift!