Just when we thought it was out, they could be pulling it back in. Ford says that it will not rule out an all electric return for the beloved Fiesta, thanks to its collaboration with Volkswagen. Unfortunately, it isn’t exactly a sure thing, either.
A victim of Ford’s decision to exit the small car market in Europe, the Fiesta became uneconomical for the American company as a result of stricter emissions standards, and was discontinued on July 7. However, the Cologne, Germany, plant that produced the small car has now been retooled to make electric vehicles on Volkswagen‘s MEB platform.
Asked whether its partnership with the German automaker could result in it making an electric equivalent to the Fiesta, Ford’s head of passenger cars for Europe, Martin Sander, told Autonews that it has “a very constructive and positive cooperation with Volkswagen, and we are possibly exploring opportunities to take that to the next level.”
Read: Ford Fiesta Production To End July 7, Final Two Cars Heading To Brand’s Heritage Fleets
He was quick to add that no decisions have been finalized, but the fact that he didn’t “want to rule that out” offers a glimmer of hope for fans of the Ford Fiesta. Volkswagen already makes a small car, the ID.3 on the platform, and plans to make an even smaller one, the ID.2, soon. It claims that it will be able to sell the VW Polo/Ford Fiesta-sized EV for less than €25,000 ($28,098 USD at current exchange rates).
However, Sander said that even if an electric Fiesta is given the green light, Ford’s first priority is preparing its second-generation EV platform and localizing it for Europe. More to the point, he said that since the automaker doesn’t have the scale of VW or Stellantis in Europe, it isn’t interested in making any vehicles that it can only sell on the continent.
“It’s easy to spin off a derivative with very limited investment in order to make it a little more suitable for a certain part of the world. That is clearly part of our plan,” Sander said. “But we will not create a [passenger] vehicle only for Europe.”
As part of its cooperation with Volkswagen, Ford has unveiled the all-electric Explorer in Europe. It will be followed by another electric crossover, based on the same platform, that will have a sportier feel.
