A whole herd of intriguing small cars is on the horizon.

2011 Ford Fiesta

On sale: Summer 2010

Since their inception, subcompact cars have been designed to satisfy the left side of our brains: logical, pragmatic and functional. The 2011 Ford Fiesta may be the first to also satisfy our right brains' needs for artistry and style. The Fiesta looks good as both a five-door hatchback and four-door sedan, and we don't mean good for a subcompact, or good for a Ford, or good for whatever qualifier you care to mention. The same holds true inside, too. Yet Ford hasn't skimped on the left-brain stuff, either, offering up a sizable interior and cargo area, a 119-hp four-cylinder engine, and a price starting in the mid-teens. The Fiesta has been on sale now in Europe for a year, and the huge amount of praise at this point must be a little embarrassing. Early indications show that Ford is in for a little more embarrassment once the Fiesta goes on sale this summer.