The Ford Fiesta was axed as the brand “needed the space in the factory” in its switch to electrification.
Martin Sander, general manager of Ford’s Model E electrification division in Europe, told Autocar that the decision was “not one we did light-heartedly, but we have to do something” if the Ford business was to change.
“We decided to build our first high-volume electric vehicle here in Cologne,” said Sander. “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.”
Sander said that when Ford was reviewing its European factories a few years ago, Cologne was “the best place and most natural place to make this major investment” in electrification. Making Cologne an electric car plan has come with a $2 billion investment. In co-ordinating its new factory line-up, “as a consequence, the Fiesta had to go”.
As for whether the Fiesta name would return, Sander said that there were “no concrete plans” but “I don’t want to rule anything out” for the longer term future.
Ford has gone all-in on electric cars in Europe, and is entirely overhauling its model range to facilitate. Gone will be names not only like the Fiesta, but also the Ka, Ford Focus, Ford Mondeo, Ford S-Max and Ford Galaxy. It is well known that Ford’s traditional passenger car business has never been consistently profitable, which is why the company is so dramatically overhauling its model range, and sees the rise of electrification to fundamentally change its business.
The Ford Puma will become the entry point to the range, and a new Ford Puma EV will be launched in 2024 after a summer 2023 unveil.
In March, Ford will reveal a new electric C-segment crossover based on the Volkswagen Group MEB platform that will go on sale by the end of 2023. This will be followed a few months after by a different body style version of this car. Both will be built in Cologne, as part of the $2bn investment.