Ford has already revealed the first pictures of its new three-door Fiesta, but has now published the first pictures of the five-door version.

Ford of Europe president John Fleming revealed that the debate over whether or not to keep the Fiesta name was a heated one.

The alternative was Verve, which has been used on a number of concept cars that have pointed the way toward the Fiesta – even as recently as the Detroit Show in January, where a four-door version was shown.

But ultimately, tradition won the day. Fleming said: "There was a lot of discussion over the name, but the Fiesta name builds on 30 years of history – and it's a good history, so it's very fitting for the name to continue."

He conceded that Verve was also a good badge – indeed, Ford has registered it worldwide, and it could appear on a future model.

Fleming also revealed a quick video of the new Ka at a press dinner the night before the Geneva Motor Show opened.

The new Ka is made by Fiat in Poland alongside the Fiat 500 – and the video revealed, inevitably, a slight family resemblance. But the car's 'face' is very different, and the side profile has a window-line that looks more like the Vauxhall Corsa than the little Fiat.

Fleming said the new Ka would succeed a much-loved model. “Many of us will be sorry to see the old Ka go,” he said. “It still looks as modern and edgy as it did when we launched it 12 years ago.”

Full technical details and UK specifications for the new Fiesta will be released closer to the launch of the production model in autumn this year.