We’ve known for some time now that the Ford Fiesta was on its way to being discontinued, with production of the subcompact model at the Cologne Assembly plant – now known as the Cologne Electric Vehicle Center – set to end this week as the automaker prepares to build the all-new Ford Explorer EV at that facility. However, after five decades and 22 million units, The Blue Oval recently said farewell to the Ford Fiesta in a very special way, at least.
After the very last Ford Fiesta rolled off the assembly line in Germany last week, the final three models produced were signed by the workers that built them, after which the new Explorer EV made a special appearance, ushering in a new era to replace the outgoing one. At the same time, the very last ICE engine was built at the Cologne Engine plant, which has produced 28 million powerplants since it began operations in 1962. As a special thank you, employees at the plant received a power bank imprinted with “Energy for the future since 1962.”
As Ford Authority previously reported, FoMoCo is in the midst of transitioning its entire European passenger vehicle lineup to electric vehicles by 2030 or sooner. The automaker will launch seven new all-electric models in Europe by 2024, including a Puma EV, the Explorer EV, another crossover riding on Volkswagen’s MEB platform, and electric versions of the Transit Courier, Tourneo Courier, Transit Custom, and Tourneo Custom.
FoMoCo ultimately invested a grand total of $2 billion in the Cologne plant – which originally opened way back in 1930 – to transform it into an efficient, high-tech facility capable of churning out more than 250,000 all-electric vehicles each year. It’s also Ford’s very first carbon-neutral assembly plant, helping the automaker further its mission to become completely carbon-neutral in Europe by 2035.
We’ll have more on the Fiesta soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for more Ford Fiesta news and ongoing Ford news coverage.
Comments
I guess this is the final goodbye! Goodbye to fun little hatchbacks with manual transmissions! I guess we’ll all have to look elsewhere for these little gems.
It’s tragic that Ford has handed the keys over to VW in Europe.
What a crime.
Lol.
Screw this planet I’d rather it burn than lose the Ford Fiesta.
This is all about keeping the Cologne plant open at the expense of the top selling Fiesta.
They will be lucky to sell 10000 of that ugly electric Explorer a year let alone 250000.