UK ends production of Ford Fiesta
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Ford has built the UK's bestselling car one final time at the Cologne factory to move towards electric cars.
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A lineup of Ford Focus vehicles seen on an assembly line at the Ford Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, Michigan, January 7, 2015. (AFP)
Ford has built the UK's bestselling car the Ford Fiesta one final time on Friday at the Cologne factory in an effort to move towards electric vehicles.
The Fiesta sold 22 million vehicles internationally as Ford reported that in Europe "we are rapidly transitioning to an electric future," adding that part of the transition the production of the Fiesta in Cologne, Germany, "will be discontinued on July 7, and a new era at the Cologne electric vehicle center will begin.”
The final two Fiestas are not for sale, as one will remain in Germany and the other will join Ford's UK history collection.
According to Erin Baker from AutoTrader, Ford's transition to electric vehicles will be emulated as the 2030 ban on new petrol and diesel car sales approaches.
Baker explained that “I think the end of the Ford Fiesta paves the way for what is likely to happen across the board as we head towards electrification and the 2030 cut-off."
This is due to the small profit margin in small, inexpensive vehicles. Fiesta is no longer feasible, and more brands will follow suit. “That said, it does mark the end of a truly iconic car. Given its huge success over the years, many people will, I’m sure, be disappointed with the move.”
The Fiesta was introduced by the Michigan automaker in 1976, as technical teams hurried to produce smaller, more efficient vehicles, and it has remained a contemporary classic during its 47-year reign on UK roads.
From 2009 until 2020, the Fiesta was the best-selling model in the world, with 4.8 million sales in the United Kingdom.
However, sales of smaller cars have declined in recent years as larger sports utility vehicles (SUVs) have surpassed them. The Fiesta was the tenth most popular new vehicle in the UK last year, with 25,070 units sold, while the top seller was the Sunderland-built Nissan Qashqai SUV, with 42,704 units sold.
According to the Driver and Vehicle Licencing Agency (DVLA), 1.5 million Fiestas were licensed for usage on UK roads last year, outnumbering other types.
