Production of the Ford Fiesta will officially end on July 7, marking the end of one of the world’s most popular superminis after 47 years on the market.
With consumer preferences continuing to move to SUVs, as well as the growing popularity of EVs, the writing has been on the wall for the Fiesta for quite some time. Indeed, we’ve known about its impending death for more than eight months after Ford confirmed it needed to free up space at its factory in Cologne, Germany to build the Explorer EV.
Autocar has revealed that Ford will keep the final two examples of the Fiesta, with one of them to reside within the firm’s international heritage fleet while the other will join the UK heritage fleet.
Read: Ford Confirms Fiesta’s Demise In 2023, Will Be Replaced By An Electric Puma
“We decided to build our first high-volume electric vehicle here in Cologne,” Ford Model e Europe general manager Martin Sander said last year. “There comes the point where we need the space for construction, because we are turning the Fiesta plant into a fully battery-electric plant. This is why we had to make a decision that we have to stop Fiesta production.”
The Ford Fiesta is one of the company’s longest-running nameplates and since its introduction in 1976, more than 18 million units have been sold worldwide. It will be indirectly replaced by an electric version of the Puma SUV, although it remains to be seen if that vehicle will be able to capture the same loveable essence as the Fiesta.
The UK is particularly fond of the Fiesta with almost 5 million examples sold there since its introduction. Indeed, it was the nation’s highest-selling new car every year between 2009 and 2020.
Unfortunately, the Fiesta isn’t the only iconic Ford hatchback being axed in the electric age. The automaker has also confirmed that production of the Focus will cease in 2025.
