► It’s official: Ford’s Fiesta ends production
► Fiesta’s been a consistent best-seller
► Electrification push kills Galaxy/S-Max, too
The final Ford Fiesta will be built today, officially ending 47 years and eight generations of one of Europe’s supermini icons. It’s a symbolic changing of the guard, reflecting how the car market is changing in the onslaught of electrification.
The Fiesta has been one of the bestselling models in the UK and Europe for decades, but the Blue Oval is busy reviewing its current car line-up as it is forced to invest in electric cars. Flick through the Fiesta’s greatest moments in our gallery.
Despite continuing to clock decent sales numbers, the Fiesta dropped out of the top 10 bestselling cars in the UK in 2022, according to the Society of Motoring Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). Its position at the top of the sales charts has been taken by its taller, more zeitgeisty sister, the Ford Puma crossover, which was Britain’s most popular car in the first half of 2023.
Ford said: ‘We are accelerating our efforts to go all-in on electrification with our passenger vehicles being fully electric by 2030 – and all vehicles across our Ford portfolio by 2035. As we get ready to transition to an electric future, we will discontinue Fiesta production in Cologne, Germany by end of June 2023.
‘We will introduce three new exciting electric passenger vehicles and four new electric commercial vehicles in Europe by 2024. We plan to sell more than 600,000 electric vehicles in the region by 2026, and the electric passenger vehicle production at the Cologne Electrification Centre will reach 1.2 million vehicles over a six-year timeframe.’
More on electric Fords
Why Ford axed the Fiesta
Small cars of this size have incredibly small margins, and Ford is busy reprioritising its car line-up in order to get the biggest bang-for-its-buck in the cars that remain on sale while it invests in electrification.
It’s already made a similar decision in the North American market, killing off cars like the Focus and Fusion in favour of SUVs, pick-up trucks and the Mustang. Interestingly, as well as the Fiesta, Ford confirms that it will also discontinue the S-MAX and Galaxy in 2023.
In order to speed up its electrification plans, the brand has partnered with Volkswagen to get access to its MEB battery-electric platform, for example, and jointly developed the new Ranger and Amarok with VW, too. The brand has dipped its toe in the EV waters with the Mach-E, and has already outlined its plan to introduce new EVs by 2024.
It’s a massive moment for the UK and European car industry that such a big seller is being pulled from forecourts. How has the Fiesta shaped your automotive life? Let us know in the comments, or get in touch on social media.