Is the Ford Fiesta nearing the end of the road? Though the hatch has already been killed off in SA, a new report claims production will end for all markets in 2023…
The Ford Fiesta nameplate has been around for 46 years – spanning seven generations – but its time appears to be fast running out. According to a fresh report out of the United Kingdom, production of the Cologne-built hatchback is set to end by the middle of 2023.
Yes, Auto Express claims the writing is very much on the wall for the Fiesta, which traces its roots all the way back to 1976. Of course, the Blue Oval brand’s B-segment hatchback was discontinued in South Africa earlier in 2022 (along with the Figo), though the facelifted version of the seventh-generation hatch (including the ST version pictured above) has soldiered on in many other markets.
However, the British publication reports “select parties” will soon be informed of the Fiesta’s apparent demise as Ford continues to charge towards widespread electrification.
The last iteration of the Fiesta to be marketed locally was the pre-facelift seventh-generation model.
“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,” the Dearborn-based automaker told Auto Express when asked for comment.
Of course, there’s at least a chance the Fiesta badge will live on should Ford opt to affix it to a battery-powered vehicle in the future. Such a model would likely share much with the upcoming fully electric version of the Puma, which will start rolling out of Ford’s facility in Romania in 2024.
Ford previously announced plans to invest over $50-billion in electric vehicles through to 2026, while also aiming for more than half its global production to be electric by 2030. In addition, the company plans to be a fully electric brand in Europe by 2035.
The larger Focus (which was culled locally in the first half of 2019) is facing a similarly bleak global future, with production at Ford’s Saarlouis factory scheduled to end in 2025.
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