In 2018, Beijing Hyundai unveiled for the first time the Chinese name of its new coupe, LAFESTA, at the Shanghai Auto Show: Fiesta. And it was completed after 1 month, as a blockbuster product of Beijing's modern product rejuvenation route, this car caused great controversy due to its exterior design. Being called "catfish face" by netizens may become a key reason for affecting its sales.
However, the product sales were unexpected by netizens, and the average monthly sales of 8,000 units in 2019 did show that this car has gained a firm foothold in the market. But in 2020, the average monthly sales fell to 3,000 units, a decline of more than 50%, making people begin to question the stamina of Pfister, of which product reputation also occupies the dominant factor. Fast forward to 2021, and Festa's monthly sales have fallen to about 1,000 units. During this period, user complaints about the Fiesta transmission have not stopped...
On December 8, some media obtained the declaration map of the new Festa, and the new car was adjusted to a certain extent in appearance, especially the design of the front grille and the surrounding part, which was a complete farewell to the "catfish face". In this way, the product will also be more in line with the aesthetics of today's young consumers. The tail is equipped with a huge spoiler, which looks very sporty with the through taillights. The two-sided exhaust is a bit of an exaggeration in my opinion, but I think it's a good design as long as consumers like it.
The new car has a dimension of 4690/1790/1425mm and a wheelbase of 2700mm. It is still the figure of a standard compact family car.
In addition to the above product design, the new Fiesta also has another design scheme, no spoiler, no red brake calipers and no bilateral exhaust design, making this version of the scheme look more low-key, but cancel the tail of the spoiler, it looks less layered, the style of the whole design is not very attractive.
The information on the interior is not yet available, and here we do not press the table. I believe that everyone will be more interested in its drivetrain, the current market for sale festa is equipped with a 1.6T engine, matching a 7-speed dry dual-clutch transmission. This gearbox is also the root cause of the big head of many Festa owners. Especially for motorists in congested areas, the experience of dry dual clutch is simply terrible.
The new Fiesta has a new powertrain, and according to the declaration information, it will be equipped with a 1.5T engine with a maximum power of 200 horsepower. The engine is currently applied to the modern Tucson L, and the only current complaint about this engine is the case of "high fuel consumption" (Tucson L's complaint). On the transmission system, some netizens hope that Beijing Hyundai can adopt the solution of THE gearbox. However, I personally speculate that there is a high probability that it will still match the 7-speed dry dual clutch, and yes, it is the shared power solution with Tucson L, which can greatly save costs.
Returning to the original question, three years later Fiesta said goodbye to the "catfish face", which is a progression in aesthetic taste. However, the gearbox that really gives consumers a headache is still a dark cloud hanging over Fiesta's head, and if Beijing Hyundai can't solve this problem, then the new Festa will be difficult to recreate its former glory. Finally, I would like to say that there is no technical problem with dry double clutching, its problem is that it is not suitable for congested domestic urban road conditions, which Beijing Hyundai should have figured out earlier.