Ford has announced that its once incredibly popular subcompact Fiesta is set to be culled from all markets, with the last one scheduled to roll off the production line in 2023.
The announcement follows the Fiesta’s removal from other markets, with the likes of North America and New Zealand having already confirmed the nameplate’s departure.
The Fiesta is not alone, with Ford also confirming that it will be discontinuing the S-Max and Galaxy; a pair of people movers not offered in New Zealand.
In a statement, Ford says the culling of the various models is to make way for electric vehicle production.
“At Ford in Europe, we are accelerating our efforts to go all-in on electrification with our passenger vehicles being fully electric by 2030 – and all vehicles across our Ford portfolio by 2035,” they said.
“As we get ready to transition to an electric future, we will discontinue production of S-Max and Galaxy in Valencia, Spain, in April 2023 and discontinue Fiesta production in Cologne, Germany, by end of June 2023.
“We will introduce three new exciting electric passenger vehicles and four new electric commercial vehicles in Europe by 2024.
“We plan to sell more than 600,000 electric vehicles in the region by 2026, and the electric passenger vehicle production at the Cologne Electrification Centre will reach 1.2 million vehicles over a six-year timeframe.”
The Fiesta has been in production for 47 years, with Ford selling approximately 22 million units across 50 different countries.
In Europe, the Fiesta peaked in 2012; ending the year as the second best selling vehicle on the continent. By last year, the model had dropped to 44th, a result largely shaped by customer demand for larger vehicles.
The Fiesta’s spiritual successor is set to be the Puma, which makes use of the same platform and will get a fully electric model by 2024.
