| Ford Festiva | |
|---|---|
_5-door_hatchback_(26631967204).jpg) 1992 Ford Festiva (WA) 5-door hatchback (Australia) | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Kia Mazda SAIPA |
| Production | 1986–2002 |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Subcompact car |
| Layout | Front-engine, front-wheel drive |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | Ford Fiesta |
| Successor | Ford Fiesta Mazda 121/Mazda Revue/Autozam Revue (Japan) |
The Ford Festiva is a subcompact car manufactured by Mazda and marketed by Ford for model years 1986-2002, over three generations in Japan, the Americas, and Australia as the Festiva — and notably, as the Aspire in its North American second generation.
Designed by Mazda using the DA platform and B series inline-four engines, the Festiva was manufactured in South Korea by Kia, under license.
Kia began marketing the first generation in South Korea under license — as the Kia Pride. Australasia and Europe received the first version between 1987 and 1991 as the "Mazda 121". After 1991, Australasian sales began under the "Ford Festiva" name, while European sales continued as the "Kia Pride". Kia ended production of the Pride in 2000.
Ongoing production of the first generation overlapped its second generation, introduced in 1993 and marketed prominently as the Ford Aspire in North America and as the Kia Avella in South Korea and other markets. The second generation was marketed for model years 1993-2000, and a third generation was sold between 1996 and 2002 in Japan as a badge-engineered version of the Mazda Demio.
The "Festiva" namelplate derived from the Spanish word for "festive".