Ford Aspire, Ford Festiva, Kia Avella - The International Car

by Jason Moore

Why do we call this Ford model the International Car? Well, this vehicle could actually be considered to be an automobile with a lot of international relations. And this is not because of its sales or performance in other countries, but because how this vehicle was formed took several automobile manufacturers from different countries working together. And this vehicle is the Ford Aspire.

The Ford Aspire is an entry-level compact car that was sold by the Ford Motor Company from the United States starting from 1994 and ending during the year 1997. The body of this vehicle was actually made by Kia Motors from South Korea. The engine and components that are in this vehicle come from Japan's Mazda. It was made available as a hatchback with an option of three doors or five doors.

The Ford Aspire was actually sold under different names. In Asia, it was known as the Kia Avella. However, in Japan and in Australasia, the Ford Aspire was known as the Ford Festiva. When this vehicle was replaced in Kia's line up by the Kia Rio, the relationship between Ford and Kia started to dwindle and break down. This vehicle essentially has an average fuel economy that has around thirty miles per gallon, although the manual transmission models of this car can get up to forty-five miles per gallon, yet this has not quite hindered the Ford Aspire to become a favorite among drivers for it is quite favored by drivers for parallel parking.

Mechanical breakdown is something that the Ford Aspires seem not to include in its language for they have been crafted to be quite resistant to this. Putting aside vehicle and travel nuisances such as defective fuel doors and gaskets that do not know how to stay put, the Aspires are have been tested and known to have the capability to run in excess of 200,000 miles without repairs other than the standard maintenance. The engine performance of the Ford Aspire is sufficient enough to daily driving. It is also worth looking at because of its low sticker price.

Standard for this vehicle were dual airbags and given as options were the anti-lock braking system. It had used a 63 horsepower engine with four cylinders. It also had a five-speed manual shift, or as an option, Ford Aspire had the 3-speed automatic transmission. Other options for the Ford Aspire were fog lights, a rear spoiler, and different seats and interior trim. In 1996 though, it lost its front spoilers. The window moldings and the center roof pillars were now body-colored. After a year, the Ford Aspire had minor changes done in that included new front and rear bumpers, headlamps, turn signals, tail lamps, and wheel covers.