After eight generations and 47 years, Ford has announced that it will be axing the iconic Fiesta supermini, citing waning demand as the main cause. Production of the Ford Fiesta at its factory in Cologne, Germany, will stop by the end of June 2023.
Aside from the Fiesta, the American carmaker will also be axing both the Ford S-Max and Ford Galaxy by the end of April 2023. Both MPVs are currently produced at Ford’s plant in Valencia, Spain.
As reported by Autocar UK, Ford released a statement earlier today which read: “At Ford in Europe, 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 production of S-Max and Galaxy in Valencia, Spain, in April 2023 and 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.”
It’s a sorry state for the Ford Fiesta, especially considering how the model, especially in the ST form, is so adored amongst the enthusiast crowd. According to data from Jato Dynamics, sales for the Fiesta in Europe as of August were down 45% compared to the same period last year, and in August alone, it’s struggling to even break top 50 in terms of sales.
The latest-generation Ford Fiesta, despite making its global debut back in 2016, also isn’t even being sold here in Malaysia.
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With the Ford Focus also confirmed to be axed in 2025, it seems like it’s the end of the road for Ford’s signature hatchbacks… at least for now. Will the new wave of EVs change that? Well, with the whole world basically only buying SUVs these days, we’re not too sure.
The company previously announced that it expects to sell 600,000 EVs annually by 2026.
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