Ford has confirmed that the final Fiesta has rolled off the assembly line, effectively ending manufacture of Britain’s best-selling car of all time. With the last model constructed at Ford’s Cologne plant, the facility will soon undergo a makeover to produce all-electric vehicles.GO

The Fiesta was originally produced in 1976, and its demise follows a pattern of other businesses discontinuing their supermini models due to dwindling market share and low profit margins. Due to dwindling demand, Ford discontinued the three-door variant in early 2022, but announced the discontinuation of the remaining five-door type in October last year.

Ford sold a total of 20 million Fiestas during this period, spanning 47 years and seven models. While the base Fiesta has become a fixture of British motoring over the years, evo will miss the fettled range-toppers the most.

It’s the longest running hot hatch we’ve seen, from the XR2 to the RS Turbo, Zetec S, and the introduction of the ST nameplate for the Mk5 Fiesta. Those years of experience shone through with the outstanding Mk7 ST200 and most current Mk8 ST establishing themselves as two of the best hot hatches in recent times.

While the Renault Clio, Peugeot 208, and Volkswagen Polo remain viable alternatives, the standard Fiesta provided a class-leading chassis that contributed to it being one of the most accessible driver’s vehicles on the market. The loss of the range-topping ST, which was one of the most fun hot hatches money could buy, is also important for the performance car market.

There will be no direct replacement for the Fiesta, with the next-generation Ford Puma EV serving as its spiritual successor.