On sale for 46 years, the Ford Fiesta has been a veritable icon of the supermini segment. It spans seven generations and has taken many forms, including three- and five-door hatchbacks, a sedan, and even a van. It would seem the subcompact model is sadly not long for this world, according to a worrying report published today by Auto Express. The British journalists claim an announcement from the Blue Oval about the Fiesta's demise is imminent.
Citing sources close to the company, AE has learned Ford will tell "select parties" production of the Fiesta will come to an end as early as the middle of next year. When contacted by the magazine, the automaker refused to comment about the car's possible discontinuation: "We are accelerating our efforts to go all-in on electrification and therefore review our vehicle portfolio in line with our business strategy. We do not comment on speculation and will share more information in the coming months."
2022 Ford Fiesta
The Fiesta is made at the Cologne factory in Germany where Ford plans to build EVs based on the Volkswagen Group's MEB architecture. It should be mentioned the Puma small crossover rides on the same platform as the Fiesta and will get an electric version in 2024 that will be assembled in Craiova, Romania alongside the ICE model.
Ford has already simplified the Fiesta’s lineup by axing the three-door model, echoing similar decisions taken by the VW Group and Stellantis with their subcompact hatches in light of declining sales of the less practical body style.
AE cites Ford of Europe and Chief Transformation and Quality Officer Stuart Rowley hinting the B-segment hatch could return one day: "This will not be the end of the journey. We'll only sell electric passenger cars by 2030. We look forward to developing future plans."
More than 16 million Fiestas have been sold since its inception in the mid-1970s, thus making it one of Ford's best-selling products ever. A facelift for the Mk7 was introduced last year with matrix LED headlights and a bit more torque for the ST hot hatch. It would seem these tweaks haven't rejuvenated sales in a market that continues to be obsessed with crossovers.
As a final note, the bigger Focus is also on its deathbed as Ford has confirmed production will end in 2025.
