Ford Discontinues Fiesta for Electric Explorer

Ford’s Last Fiesta Production in Cologne on July 7

In October 2022, Ford Motor Corporation declared that its beloved and long-running Fiesta subcompact hatchback, a favourite among European customers, would no longer be available from summer 2023.

The epoch has approached whereupon the past Ford Fiesta automobile will discontinue from the Cologne manufacturing facility’s installment series on July 7, according to a message from Autocar.

Ford has announced that the Fiesta will be discontinued in order to make way for the electric Ford Explorer SUV, which will be produced at the Cologne Electric Vehicle Center. On June 12, the center officially opened its doors. Martin Sander, the general manager of Ford Model e Europe, declared to Autocar in December 2022: “We decided to build our first high-volume electric vehicle here in Cologne.”

The Cologne EV Centre, Ford’s initial carbon-negative facility, is supposed to begin production of the electric Ford Explorer SUV this year following a hefty $2 billion expense.

Constructed atop Volkswagen Group’s MEB platform specifically for electric automobiles, the mid-size SUV with two rows of seating – according to European dimensions – shall be Ford’s inaugural fully electric passenger vehicle built in Europe and produced in sizeable quantities.

Although Ford has yet to reveal the specifics of its powertrain, the company has mentioned that the Explorer EV will feature “responsive and refined” rear-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive battery-electric powertrains. What’s more, DC fast charging times for the model are expected to be as low as 25 minutes from 10 percent to 80 percent.

The vehicle manufacturer is aiming for an initial cost beneath $49,150 (45,000 euros) when ordering gets underway later on this year in Europe.

Ford has announced plans to introduce nine electric vehicles in Europe by 2024, including the electric Explorer. This will be joined by a second MEB-based “sports crossover” model that is set to enter production in Cologne from mid-2024, and the Puma EV that will be manufactured in Craiova, Romania from 2024 alongside the E-Transit Courier and E-Tourneo Courier small electric vans.

Ford predicts it will market 600,000 electric vehicles every year in Europe by 2026 under its Model e branch. Prior to this, Ford had expressed that they would only sell electric-powered automobiles in Europe as of 2030.

Source: Autocar