The Ford Fiesta and Focus names are destined to be relegated to the history books for now, as there are no current plans for battery-powered replacements.
Ford Fiesta and Focus hatchbacks will not be replaced by electric cars after the current models reach the end of the road, an executive has confirmed.
As reported by Ridethe Party city hatch and bigger Approach they were phased out in Australia earlier this year, before being discontinued globally in 2023 and 2025 respectively, as buyers shift from traditional small cars to SUVs.
Unverified foreign media reports speculated that the hatchback’s iconic nameplates could return as electric vehicles, however, Martin Sander, head of the European branch of Ford electric car division – has dashed those hopes in an interview with Italy Quattroruta.
“We have no plans for an electric Fiesta and Focus. After all, the market is changing and the days of sedans and trucks are over,” the executive told the publication (translated).
Ford has a history of rebooting old and iconic nameplates as it brought the 1990s back to life Cougar Sports coupe, based on the Fiesta of the time, as an urban SUV for the 2020s, supported by the latest Fiesta.
But the continued decline of traditional hatchbacks, and the ease of packing electric car batteries under the body of an SUV, as the passengers (and the car) sit taller, mean they’re unlikely to form. plans for any electric Fiesta or Focus in the near future.
Ford’s confirmed electric car plans are slated for it to focus on a range of upcoming battery-powered SUVs, including an electric Puma to be launched in 2024.
As reported, sales of the petrol-powered Ford Fiesta and Focus have declined rapidly in Europe and Australia over the past decade as buyers gravitate towards SUVs and electric cars grow in popularity.
In 2009, Ford of Europe reported 456,000 Fiesta cars and 309,000 Focus cars sold. By 2021, it had fallen to 82,000 and 101,000 respectively.
In Australia, 12,286 Fiestas and 19,180 examples of the Focus were reported to have been sold in their prime showroom years, 2011 and 2013, but by 2021, due in part to severe stock shortages, sales of both cars were hundreds.
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