Ford Fiesta to end production after almost half a century: Report

After 46 years and seven generations, the Ford Fiesta subcompact hatchback is finally bowing out of the market. The automaker’s top management is expected to issue a statement within a few days announcing the model’s demise.

The Ford Fiesta is coming to an end in 2023 

BBC News reported that production of the long-running nameplate is scheduled to end by mid-2023. Ford executives are believed to be discussing the matter with dealers, suppliers, and staff ahead of the announcement. 

According to a Ford spokesman, the move is meant to accelerate efforts in investing resources towards electrification, as the company is reviewing its current model lineup. Despite the Fiesta’s popularity in the U.K., Ford said it had no plans to make an electric version even though the larger Puma crossover (which shares the same platform as the Fiesta) will be sold as a fully electric vehicle (EV) by 2024.

Released in 1976, it enjoyed immense popularity in the U.K.

Among the reasons cited for Ford nixing an electric Fiesta are cost, the popularity of crossovers, and what sources deem as a “reset of Ford’s portfolio DNA.” The Blue Oval brand will instead reportedly release four all-new electric cars by 2024, including the Puma EV and two midsize crossovers. Ford discontinued the Mondeo midsize model earlier this year, and the Focus compact car will follow in 2025. 

The Fiesta made its debut in 1976 as Ford Europe’s first multi-national front-wheel-drive car, the first to feature a transverse engine layout, and the first to meet with wide global success. Its name originally belonged to General Motors but was freely given for Ford to use.   

The sixth-generation model was sold in the Philippines from 2013 to 2019

Before its current production in Cologne, Germany, the Fiesta was originally manufactured until 2002 in England, where it enjoyed strong sales. The model topped sales charts from 1990 to 1991, 1996 to 1998, and every year from 2009 to 2020. In the U.S., the Fiesta had been a subject of customer complaints over faulty transmissions. 

The sixth-generation Fiesta came to the Philippine market in 2013, with the top-spec variant running on Ford’s award-winning 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine and Powershift dual-clutch gearbox. It sold for six years before being discontinued in 2019.  
   
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