When the European Ford Fiesta is refreshed for the 2013 model year, it will get an optional 1.0-liter EcoBoost inline-three engine and a six-speed, dual-clutch automatic transmission. The two aren't set to be available on the same car, however, at least initially.
The six-speed will also make it into the engine bay of the Ford B-Max, which isn't due for U.S. consumption anytime soon, AutoCar reported. In the Fiesta, the new gearbox will make its debut mated to a 1.6-liter gasoline engine rated at 103 horsepower. It will replace a dated four-speed automatic that could be had in a Fiesta with a 1.4-liter gasoline engine.
The new transmission is said to be 33 lbs lighter than the four-speed, but it won't be aimed at sporting drivers and thus won't have steering wheel or column-mounted shift buttons or paddles. Manual gear selection will instead be done thanks to a dedicated button on the gearshifter itself. Instead, the focus will be on smoothness.
Ford engineers and product planners are discussing bolting the transmission to other available engines in the range as well.
The 1.0-liter EcoBoost, which is now available in European Focus models, will make it to a U.S.-bound vehicle, though which one isn't yet official, according to Automotive News. Whether the high-performance Fiesta ST will feature it isn't known and not likely, as engineers say it would require shift paddles in order to reflect its performance-oriented nature. Doing so just for the one model isn't cost-effective, however.
Either way, the source expects the updated Fiesta to arrive in North American showrooms sometime in 2014. Other than the updated styling that includes a trapezoidal grille and laser-cut headlamps with LED daytime running lights, the small engine and dual-clutch gearbox may also arrive at the same time.
