Proof that the world is changing: this is the all-new Ford Fiesta sedan, which we'll be getting in North America in 2010. It just made its world premiere. No, not at the Detroit Auto Show, or even at the Los Angeles or New York or Toronto or Chicago show, but ... at the Guangzhou Motor Show in China.
The Fiesta is a "global" car, and will be sold worldwide in its basic configuration, with some changes for each market and with production relatively close to home in each case. Cars for the Chinese market will be built in that country, while ours in North America will be made in Mexico.
I have to admit, looking back on the days when it was the Big Three and a few upstart Japanese companies on these shores, I never thought I'd see this day. Come to think of it, I never thought I'd ever see such a shift in the global balance of power, either. These are interesting -- and often scary -- times indeed.
