Remember the Ford Fiesta hatchback? It was one of Ford’s most popular models, not just here in the Philippines, but in some parts of the world, as well. In fact, Ford Philippines used to offer a sedan version of this beloved small city car. But due to changing market demands (a.k.a. SUVs) and the global automotive trend’s apparent shift to electrification, Ford decided to retire it in 2023.
This was a bitter blow for fans of the Fiesta, but there seems to be something brewing in Europe that could see its return in about a couple of years. However, here’s the catch – it could come out of retirement as a Volkswagen-derived electric vehicle (EV).
This is stated as per Automotive News Europe’s latest report. It stated that Ford is expanding its model lineup in Europe by 2027 with help from the Volkswagen Group. This was relayed to ANE by Christoph Herr, who leads Ford’s operations in German-speaking countries.
According to Herr, Ford’s board of directors has approved long-term investment in the European passenger car business, marking a significant shift after several years of product cuts and declining market share. Among the possibilities being floated is a battery electric Fiesta, potentially based on Volkswagen’s next-generation small EV platform, the same one expected to underpin the forthcoming ID.1 and ID.2 models.
In relation to this, ANE also mentioned Martin Sander, the head of Ford’s passenger vehicle division in Europe. Sander shared that as early as 2023, a Fiesta successor using VW underpinnings was “not ruled out,” further implying that the next-generation Ford Fiesta could come with Volkswagen-developed tech and battery electric power.
This latest development isn’t surprising at all. It can be recalled that the two automakers already share technologies through their collaboration on the MEB (Modularer E-Antriebs Baukasten, or Modular Electric Drive Matrix in English) platform, which supports the Ford Explorer and Capri EVs.
In some markets, the Fiesta used to serve as Ford’s introductory model to attract new buyers and those just starting their car ownership journeys. Seeing the global shift to electrification, an electric Ford Fiesta, with technological backing from VW, could reestablish the model as one of Ford’s potential best-sellers.
