Last Ford Fiesta to be built today after 12 years as Britain's favourite car
Ford will manufacture the last ever of its much-loved Fiesta car today - marking an end to its 47-year production run.
One of the reasons why Ford is scrapping the model, which has amassed 4.8million sales in the UK and around 20million sales globally, is due to its "accelerated" efforts to go electric.
It comes ahead of a ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars in 2030.
The soaring costs of car parts and a surge in the popularity for SUVs are also thought to be contributing factors behind the decision.
The final examples will emerge from the brand's Cologn factory in Germany today - according to reports by This is Money, the company plan to keep the last two Fiestas coming off the line today.
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One is to remain in Germany as part of its international fleet while the final right-hand-drive model will be kept by Ford UK as part of its heritage collection.
The first Forst Fiesta model was manufactured in the summer of 1976 in the UK in Dagenham, Essex (Mirrorpix)The news was confirmed by the company's general manager of Ford Model e Europe Martin Sander in a tweet last year.
He said: "As one era ends next summer, another is just starting.
“#FarewellFiesta, it’s time to say goodbye to the little car that has touched us all – thanks for all the memories.
“But honestly, I can’t wait to show you what we’ve got coming. #EVs #ElectricVehicles Stay tuned!”
It's not just the Ford Fiesta which has seen the axe, in April the manufacturer also discontinued production of the S-MAX and Galaxy in Valencia, Spain.
It has also already axed its Mondeo and the Ford Focus will no longer be manufactured from 2025.
The Ford Fiesta was initially developed in response to the 1973 oil crisis, which saw the price of fuel rocket and motorists needing a more economically efficient car.
The Fiesta was later produced in Germany, although the first model was manufactured in the summer of 1976 in the UK in Dagenham, Essex.
The car quickly took the hearts of Brits and continued to over the next few decades.
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The model was named the best-selling car in Britain for 12 years in a row, from 2009 to 2020 and with over 1.5million registered keepers on record in 2022 according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) it is the most common car on UK roads even today.
Going forward Ford is to only produce electric cars by 2030 and all vehicles it makes are to be electric by 2035.
In a statement, Ford previously said: "We will introduce three new exciting electric passenger vehicles and four new electric commercial vehicles in Europe by 2024."
“We plan to sell more than 600,000 electric vehicles in the region by 2026, and the electric passenger vehicle production at the Cologne Electrification Centre will reach 1.2 million vehicles over a six-year timeframe.”
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