Ford confirms that Britain’s favourite car the Fiesta will be axed after 46 years

FORD has today confirmed the UK's favourite car the Fiesta has been axed.

The motor firm confirmed it won't include an electric version of the £19,000 supermini in its future plans, as The Sun exclusively reported on Monday.

A spokesman said: "At Ford in Europe, we are accelerating our efforts to go all-in on electrification with our passenger vehicles being fully electric by 2030 – and all vehicles across our Ford portfolio by 2035.

"As we get ready to transition to an electric future, we will discontinue production of S-MAX and Galaxy in Valencia, Spain in April 2023 and discontinue Fiesta production in Cologne, Germany by end of June 2023.

"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."

Ford has sold 4.8million Fiestas in 46 years and it had 12 consecutive years as the No1 biggest seller from 2009 to 2020.

The next most popular was the Ford Cortina, with 4.3million sales from 1962 to 1982.

Ford could engineer a final petrol Fiesta before the 2030 ban on new petrol and diesel cars.

But cost, shrinking sales owing to the rise of baby SUVs and what sources call a “reset of Ford’s portfolio DNA” means it will not.

Instead, bosses are focusing on an all-electric future and have promised four all-new, battery-powered cars and five vans by 2024.

They will be a Mustang mach-e, a Puma EV and two mid-size crossovers but nothing Fiesta-shaped.

Transit already has an electric version and a smaller E-Transit Custom follows soon.

An insider previously told The Sun: “This is a strategic decision to make way for a ‘new’ Ford.

"Fiesta has been a beloved icon and a faithful friend for millions of drivers but tastes are changing.

“People want high-riding crossovers — and we play to win.”

Fiesta was launched in the summer of 1976.

It cost £1,856, and was built at Dagenham, Essex, until 2002.

Today’s models are made in Cologne, Germany.

Ford axed its Mondeo earlier this year and Focus will stop in 2025.