Stupid review

Behold the Verve Concept, Ford of Europe's B-car concept that will debut at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show next month. Sketches of the car appeared yesterday, and judging from our gallery of high-res pics, they seem to have been accurate. Pegged as the precursor to Ford's upcoming redesign for the Fiesta, the Verve Concept blends "Kinetic Design" elements inspired by the Iosis Concept that have trickled down into production cars like the new Mondeo and S-Max. In this case, the cat-like slit headlights dominate the small car's front end, along with a rather oversized lower grille. The rear features taillights above the belt line, a center-mounted exhaust, and small lip spoiler above the hatch. We can also see that the Verve's roof is all dark-tinted glass. Aside from the out-of-proportion front grille, our only gripe with the Verve are those chrome plated wheels that look decidedly aftermarket, and not in a good way.

Clearly the new Fiesta will be toned down compared to the Verve when it arrives late in 2008, but this concept is not hiding much. The Fiesta will share a platform with the new Mazda2, and eventually cross the ocean to be sold in the U.S., as well. Considering Ford's current financial strain, and regardless of clashing design themes (Kinetic vs. Three-Bar), we expect the European Fiesta to arrive for sale in the U.S. with little alteration.