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Mazda

Or perhaps "joins the Fiesta" would be more appropriate, and I don't mean just because I'm feeling a bit bilingual today.

Here's the deal: As most people with even the slightest interest in the industry already know, the Blue Oval is launching its successful global subcompact, the Ford Fiesta, early next year in the U.S. The car has been on sale overseas for about a year now, moving more than 500,000 units since its debut and becoming the second-best seller in Europe for 2009.

Needless to say, Ford is expecting big things from the little car in America. It's supposed to give the company instant credibility in the subcompact segment, where Ford hopes it will pull customers from rivals like the Honda Fit, Toyota Yaris, Nissan Versa and Chevrolet Aveo. And it should, as it is expected to offer the same kind of fuel efficiency but in a more stylish package that also offers some impressive driving dynamics. Plus, as Ford's first mainstream global product launching in the U.S. — the Ford Transit Connect isn't exactly aimed at retail buyers — it will also be a serious test case for whether American customers are ready for a European driving experience.

And while European-spec models already have been prowling our roads for a few months courtesy of the Fiesta Movement, the excitement has been growing over the U.S. version's official debut at the Los Angeles auto show next month. You know, the same event at which the Mazda MAZDA2 (overseas model shown above) will be launched.

Now, the brief for the MAZDA2 probably sounds a bit familiar to Fiesta supporters: The Mazda is a well-established global subcompact that aims to bring style and "zoom-zoom" driving dynamics to the segment in this country, while still achieving serious mpg numbers.

The MAZDA2 also happens to be built on the same platform as the Ford Fiesta, which makes perfect sense once you remember that Ford had a controlling interest in Mazda right up to about this time last year.

This kind of cross-company platform sharing has worked out pretty well for the Ford Fusion and the Mazda MAZDA6, but those two mid-size sedans are really aimed at different parts of the market. Well, different enough, anyway.

The Ford, despite the presence of the Fusion S sport version, works the more family-oriented Toyota Camry/Honda Accord side of the street, while the Mazda6 relies on that aforementioned "zoom-zoom" stuff to set itself up as the choice for more enthusiastic, style-driven customers.

But the MAZDA2 and Ford Fiesta (UK model pictured near right) are going to be much more similar, and their battle for market share is likely to be much more contentious.

Kind of like the situation with another Ford model slated to debut in L.A., the 2011 Ford Mustang. The current-generation retro-look Mustang has already been the recipient of a subtle-but-extensive exterior redesign for the 2010 model year, and the focus in Los Angeles is likely to be on powertrain and handling improvements — and a rumored 600-hp EcoBoost engine for the next Mustang GT500.

But even that might not be enough to win today's muscle-car sales wars, as Ford has to battle against the surprisingly popular Chevrolet Camaro. The Chevy has outsold the Ford for five consecutive months, and some analysts (e.g., those who work at GM) are thinking the Camaro could end up ahead of the Mustang by the end of the year.

The Camaro, to my admitted surprise, has become a flat-out hit. Not only is it outselling its chief rival from Ford, but it was also the fourth best-selling car overall from the General in October, trailing only the Chevrolet Malibu, Chevrolet Impala and, uh, Pontiac G6, which was still good for 8,358 October sales.

Coincidentally, that's about the same number of vehicles that HUMMER has sold all year, which is about what you would expect from the dead brand. What you might not expect, on the other hand, is that HUMMER thinks it can triple that number in 2010.

This might be a bit optimistic, but if the the current crop of U.S. muscle cars can find more than 100,000 customers a year — a number already exceeded in 2009 by combined sales of the Mustang, Camaro and Dodge Challenger — there's no reason to think off-road enthusiasts can't support both Jeep and HUMMER.

Rumors are percolating through the blogosphere about upcoming HUMMER products, too, with a new H4 and possible H5 getting most of the play. These would be smaller — and more fuel-efficient — than the current H2 and H3, with the H4 aimed at the Jeep Wrangler and the H5 slotting under that. These vehicles are still years away, at best, but it's worth noting that GM had already begun work on the former before killing off the brand, and that Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery will get the associated engineering plans as part of its deal to purchase HUMMER.

Assuming, of course, the deal actually goes through.

Select photos via Mazda and Ford

With Ford set to introduce its 2011 Fiesta in North America next summer, Mazda didn’t want to miss the opportunity to release its own subcompact car that shares its underpinnings with the Ford hatchback. Taking advantage of the “green” publicity given to the Los Angeles International Auto Show, Mazda plans to take the wraps off its 2011 Mazda MAZDA2 early next month. Like the Ford Fiesta, the Mazda MAZDA2 has been a big hit in automotive markets around the world, but Mazda announced that the North American-bound production model of the MAZDA2 would be unveiled on December 2 with sales commencing late next year.

Although Mazda has yet to release the full details or any images for the North American MAZDA2 (the overseas version is pictured below), it did show off a single teaser picture showing a close up of the rear driver’s three-quarter view. From this shot we can’t really tell too much about the car other than it will have different taillights as is usually the case with the Europe to North America translation. As for the rest of the car, we expect similar changes to take place as we saw on the Ford Fiesta that include mostly regulatory changes to the front and rear fascias, the hood and side mirrors. While a five-door hatchback is teased in the picture, expect a MAZDA2 sedan and three-door hatchback to join the lineup following the car’s initial introduction.

“Mazda's lineup now spans the most significant product segments in the industry, and is the strongest, best-designed, best-built we have ever offered,” Jim O’Sullivan, president and CEO of Mazda’s North American Operations, said. “MAZDA2 will be true to everything that makes our cars stand apart from the competition: it will be stylish, fun-to-drive and a heck of a value.”

He went on to add that the MAZDA2 will complete the “bookends” of Mazda’s North American lineup in reference to the car’s small stature in comparison to the seven-passenger Mazda CX-9 crossover.

There have been numerous rumors in regards to what the MAZDA2 will use under the hood, but it is likely that it will use the same 1.6-liter inline-4 as the 2011 Fiesta along with the option of Ford’s dual-clutch Powershift six-speed automatic transmission. With the North American market shifting toward smaller, more fuel-efficient cars, the 2011 Mazda would likely get fuel economy estimates of around 30 miles per gallon in the city and at least 40 mpg on the highway. Further fuel economy improvements will be possible thanks to the engine’s twin independent variable cam timing (Ti-VCT).

Besides the Fiesta, the Mazda MAZDA2 will compete against subcompact cars such as the Honda Fit, Toyota Yaris and Chevrolet Aveo5. The addition of the 2011 Mazda MAZDA2 will give the Japanese automaker a total of 8 models, and it will likely build on the success of recent model introductions including the Mazda CX-9 crossover, Mazda MAZDA6 sedan and Mazda MAZDA3 hatchback.

Select photos via Mazda