Ford Discontinues the Fiesta Globally to Focus on EVs

A basic budget car is saying farewell after more than four decades on the road. Ford is discontinuing the Fiesta and converting its Cologne, Germany, factory into one that will manufacture electric vehicles as it moves to become an EV-only brand in Europe(Opens in a new window) by 2035.

The Fiesta, which launched in 1976, has been a popular choice for Europeans(Opens in a new window), where drivers are more inclined to purchase small cars than their American(Opens in a new window) counterparts. Budget pricing—$14,000 to $20,000 depending on the trim—didn’t hurt either. In 2021, however, the Puma topped the Fiesta to become Ford’s best-selling passenger car in Europe, Automotive News Europe reports(Opens in a new window).

In a Fiesta farewell video, Ford teased the upcoming Puma EV, which is set to launch(Opens in a new window) in 2024.

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Fiesta sales stopped(Opens in a new window) in the US in 2019, but they’ve continued in Europe, including a new 2022 model, until now. “So now we say thank you, little car, for all that you’ve done,” Ford says in the goodbye video. “Here’s to the journey and all that’s to come.” The video ends with a grandfather tucking his grandson to sleep as the words “Goodnight Fiesta” appear.

Fiesta drivers from around the world wrote teary-eyed comments under the video: “That’s so sad but beautiful. Love our little Fiesta” and “We salute you, little trusty car.”

2022 Ford Fiesta, available in Europe.
(Credit: Ford)

Battery-powered vehicles are nearly twice as popular in Western Europe as the US, made possible by a wider range of affordable options.

“Europe is much more proactive in terms of putting out products across price spectrums – from the [20,000 Euro] Fiat 500e, which is one of the best-selling cars in Europe,” says Michael Dunne, CEO of ZoZoGo(Opens in a new window). “We just don’t have the equivalent in America, where electrics are still a premium product. China also has a couple companies that put out $5-6,000 EVs and sell tens of thousands of them.”

An electric version of the Ford Puma will replace the Fiesta in the European market.
(Credit: Ford)

Ford does not yet have a full electrification commitment for the US yet, though it has made significant investments(Opens in a new window) in the past few years with the battery-powered Mustang Mach E and Ford F-150 Lightning pickup truck. Ford also invested $500 million in EV pickup truck startup Rivian.

Large pickup trucks and SUVs still rake in most of the cash for Ford’s US business as it pursues a dual battery- and gas-powered portfolio.