These are the latest pictures of the new Ford Fiesta, caught testing in Germany at the Nürburgring.

Sharing most of its technical parts with the new Mazda2, the Fiesta will be the second car built on the new B2E platform. The platform eventually will spawn a replacement for the Fusion sedan as well.

The 2008 Fiesta - likely a 2009 model for the U.S. market - will feature a design flavored by Ford of Europe's styling themes. That look will carry over to the U.S. , too: the Stateside Fiesta will look almost the same in Europe as it will in the U.S.

From these pictures, we can make out a trapezoidal grille below the license plate and headlamps that run back to the front wheel arches. The wheel arches will be more pronounced both in the front as well in the back, and the car features a smooth side-window design and a rounded rear glass.

The new platform is lighter and slightly smaller than the old one, and therefore the new Fiesta probably will be lighter in total compared with the old one. Light weight and great crash safety have been two of the most important goals for the new Fiesta, along with good fuel economy.

The photos show prototypes of the five-door model and for the first time, the three-door variant