Ford stops production of the Fiesta in Europe to make way for electric cars. The carmaker’s compact four-door vehicle will be the last combustion-engine vehicle to roll off its plant in Cologne, Germany, and will instead begin production of an all-electric Ford-VW crossover next summer (through Automotive News). Ford plans to invest $2 billion in the construction of new electric vehicles over the next six years, including 1.2 million.
Ford of Europe passenger car GM, Martin Sander, posted a solemn legacy video on Twitter celebrates the compact car and teases four-seat EVs as the ones taking the helm. One will no doubt be an all-electric version of the Ford Puma crossover, whose current combustion-engined version sold more than the Focus and Fiesta in Europe earlier this year – although it hasn’t. now sees its own sales decline.
Fans of the vehicle responded to Sander by pointing out that the subcompact category is one of the most successful cars in the region and that EVs are heavy and expensive compared to small, efficient and affordable gas cars. Unfortunately, the high demand and low inventory of EVs keep ownership constantly out of reach. They’re also marred by the fact that manufacturers are pushing behemoths like Escalades rather than gas-saving compacts like the discontinued Toyota Yaris and Chevy Sonic.
Ford’s EV plans in Europe also include the Mustang Mach-E, which has gained popularity in the US and is building at least two electric crossovers on VW’s MEB electric vehicle platform.
In the US, Ford announced the discontinuation of its Fiesta and Fusion sedans in 2018. Fast forward to today, the only Ford car you can get to the US now is the Mustang. In Europe, gas-powered compact cars like the Fiesta were still successful, but sales fell suddenly as market demand shifts towards electric and more utility crossovers.
The Fiesta was first launched in Europe in 1976 as a “supermini” subcompact car and had survived seven generations of redesigns. It was also sold in the US until it was discontinued in 2019. It also became a popular rally sports car and also had an ST trim model for consumer sports.
Last year, Ford invested $29 billion in electrifying its lineup. It set itself the target of offering only electric and plug-in hybrid passenger cars in Europe by 2026 and ultimately building exclusively EVs by 2030. the case of Norway.
