Less than a week after rolling its last combustion dependent Fiesta off its assembly lines in Europe to make room for its EV future, Ford is already flirting with the idea of keeping the party going – just without those pesky emissions clouding up the dance floor. Ford’s boss in Europe shared the company has eyes on Volkswagen’s ultra-compact ID.2all EV and the modular MEB platform it sits atop.
The Fiesta had existed as a major nameplate for the blue oval brand for nearly fifty years before the Ford inevitably decided to cut the music and put the house lights up on its assembly lines in Cologne, Germany in order to make way for EV production.
Ford first shared plans for the $2 billion revamp of the European production facility back in 2021, detailing that Fiesta manufacturing would cease and be succeeded by an EV version of the Explorer. The Cologne facility will also be Ford’s first-ever carbon neutral plant and will assemble EVs based on Volkswagen Group’s MEB platform under a deal signed in 2020.
German Chancellor Olaf Sholz described the Cologne plant as a “fresh start” for Ford in Europe, as it is expected crank out 250,000 EVs per year by 2026. This will include models like the Puma, and Mustang Mach-E in addition to the Explorer and another medium-sized crossover to be named.
Although Ford nixed all its small car models in Europe due to stricter emissions standards and weakening profits, but ultra-compact EVs present a new avenue for profits – keeping the hope of a Ford Fiesta rebirth alive.
Ford considers Fiesta EV as its lineup gets larger in Europe
Based on Ford’s ongoing relationship with Volkswagen overseas and the latter’s growing lineup of small and ultra-affordable EVs, Ford Europe’s boss of passenger cars Martin Sander said the company is not ruling out the possibility of a battery-electric Fiesta.
In an interview with Automotive News Europe, Sander was asked point blank if Ford was intending to develop its own version of an EV based on VW’s small MEB platform. He said Ford has “a very constructive and positive cooperation with Volkswagen and we are possibly exploring opportunities to take that to the next level. Nothing has been decided, but I don’t want to rule that out.”
Volkswagen introduced the ID.2all concept in March, which is similar in size to a Golf, and expected to cost around $27,000. Consumers should also see an all-electric Golf and Tiguan, in addition to an ultra-affordable compact called the ID.1 starting around $20,000. Its MEB platform recently surpassed 1 million EVs built.
While Ford Europe is keeping its tab open on a Fiesta EV, its main priority is still the development of its own platform to support a separate manufacturing facility in Spain. As previously mentioned, much of Ford’s upcoming EVs in Europe will be much larger and “unapologetically American.”
Europe has a bigger appetite for smaller EVs than Ford’s home in the US, but those vehicles don’t offer the margins the automaker is hoping to achieve overseas in its electrified rebirth. Per Sander:
Smaller vehicles are smaller margin. We do not have the scale of the Volkswagen Group or Stellantis in Europe. Small vehicles like Fiesta are not the heartland of Ford Motor Company.
While Ford is not entirely ruling out a Fiesta EV, it does not feel like a top priority at the moment. A similar rumor recently circulated about an all-electric version of the Beetle, but Volkswagen quickly squashed it, stating some models are better left in the past. Ford may have yelled last call on the combustion model Fiesta, but we may one day see a price-friendly EV version… just probably not anytime soon.
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