Swindon & Wiltshire News
Goodbye Ford Fiesta – production ends of UK’s all-time bestselling car
The last Ford Fiesta has rolled off the production line in Cologne, marking the end of an era that sold 4.8 million vehicles in the UK and 22 million globally.
The Fiesta has been a motoring staple for almost 50 years – it was launched in 1976 after the oil crisis three years earlier sparked demand for smaller cars.
The Fiesta was Britain’s most popular car every year from 2009 and 2020 – and there are still 1.5 million on UK roads, according to the latest figures.
It was the last model to be built at Ford’s Dagenham plant in Essex. In 2002 production moved to Spain.
One of the last two Fiestas will be shipped to the UK, where it will reside at the Ford Heritage Centre in Dagenham.
The Fiesta is being replaced by the electric Puma small SUV which has already become the UK’s new bestselling car – replacing the Vauxhall Corsa.
In a statement the manufacturer said: “At Ford in Europe, we are rapidly transitioning to an electric future. As part of this transition, production of the Fiesta in Cologne, Germany, will be discontinued on 7 July, and a new era at the Cologne electric vehicle centre will begin.”
Inset image: A 1980 Ford Fiesta at a classic car show, by Kieran White published under Creative Commons licence
