LISTEN: Last Ford Fiesta marks historic day for motoring world

Last week marked a historic moment in the motoring world when the last Ford Fiesta rolled off the assembly line.

The final Ford Fiesta departed the Cologne assembly plant in Germany on 7 July. That meant the end of a production run of 47 years which saw 22 million units sold worldwide.

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In this week’s edition of the Pitstop podcast, The Citizen Motoring‘s Jaco van der Merwe, Mark Jones and Charl Bosch discuss the significance the discontinuation of the last compact hatchback in the Ford stable.

The Cologne facility is set to become a key player in Ford’s electric vehicle (EV) strategy for Europe.

“There comes the point where we need the space for construction. Because we are turning the Fiesta plant into a fully battery-electric plant. This is why we had to make a decision that we have to stop Fiesta production,” Ford of Europe’s GM Martin Sander was quoted as saying last year.

Ford stopped selling the Fiesta locally last year already as the Blue Oval’s product line-up continues to decrease. Ford does not play in the hatchback or compact hatchback locally at all anymore. This strategy from a carmaker that once produced the Sierra, Laser, Fiesta, Focus and Figo seems almost unthinkable.

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All-electric Ford Fiesta?

However, there is a possibility that Ford could still revive the Fiesta nameplate for an EV offering in future. It has been rumoured that the Blue Oval could partner with Volkswagen for such a project. This Fiesta is likely to share a platform with the all-electric VW ID.2all, which is set to replace the Polo.

Sander was reported as saying Ford of Europa is “exploring opportunities” of producing an EV that could replace the Fiesta.

“Small vehicles like the Fiesta are not the heartland of Ford Motor Company. We have a global approach,’’ Sander told Automotive News Europe.

“Our first question is: How can we build products that work globally for Ford in North America, Europe and other parts of the world? This is the exercise we are doing now.”

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