The Ford Fiesta is a small front wheel drive supermini car designed by the Ford Motor Company and built in Europe, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Venezuela, China, India and South Africa. The model is marketed worldwide, including Japan and Australasia, and the sixth generation Fiesta will be available in North America in 2010. It is one of Ford's most successful cars with over ten million sold across six generations since 1976[citation needed].

In the early 1970s, European demand from consumers for superminis was rising. Even Ford's smallest model, the Escort, was a conventional front-engined, rear wheel drive car; yet competitors were launching smaller, front wheel drive cars, like the Fiat 127 and the Renault 5. The effects of the 1973 energy crisis was also increasing demand for smaller cars.

BMC (which had since merged into British Leyland) had entered the mini-car market with its Mini in 1959, while the Rootes Group had launched the ultimately less successful Hillman Imp in 1963, but times had moved on and people looking for small cars now wanted practical hatchbacks instead of conventional saloons. GM had entered the modern supermini market with its conventional Opel Kadett City/Chevette three-door hatchback twins early in 1975. The original plans for the "Bobcat" specified a desire that the new car cost US$100 less to produce than the Ford Escort.

In addition, the car was to have a wheelbase longer than that of the Fiat 127, but with overall length shorter than that of Ford's Escort. The final proposal was put together by Tom Tjaarda at Ghia.

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