Ford Says Ford Fiesta Could Return as an Electric Vehicle

Ford  (F) - Get Free Report has plans to transition its inventory of vehicles from internal combustion engines to all-electric in Europe by 2035 but has not said when it will be all-electric in the US. At the same time, General Motors'  (GM) - Get Free Report CEO Mary Barra has committed to phasing out all internal combustion engines in GM vehicles by 2035.

The Dearborn, Mich., automaker might find it difficult to discontinue all of its internal combustion engine vehicles as its Ford F-Series ICE pickup truck has been America's best-selling vehicle for 41 years and the best-selling pickup truck for 46 straight years. The Ford F-150 Lightning electric vehicle is only the No. 2 best-selling electric pickup truck, as Rivian  (RIVN) - Get Free Report sold the most electric pickups in 2022.

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Tesla  (TSLA) - Get Free Report is well ahead as the leading overall EV seller in the US, while Ford had been the No. 2 seller of EVs in the US with its three models, F-150, Mustang Mach-E and E-Transit electric van. GM, however, surpassed Ford in the first quarter of 2023.

You can be sure Tesla will begin to have something to say about the top-selling electric pickup in America after it delivers its new Cybertruck pickup at the end of the third quarter, most likely in September.

GM is keeping the pressure on Ford as it is ready to begin selling its new Chevy Silverado EV, which will offer both 450-mile range and 350 mile range models, in upcoming weeks.

Stellantis will enter the EV truck market in the fourth quarter of 2024 with its all-electric 2025 Ram 1500 REV, its first battery electric light-duty pickup truck that will be built in the US.

Ford Says Goodbye to ICE Vehicles

Ford reluctantly will bid farewell to several ICE vehicles in Europe and the US in the years ahead. Ford Fiesta was a huge success in Europe and continued being sold since its introduction in 1976. The Fiesta was introduced in the US in 1978, received a bad reception and was discontinued in 1980. Ford tried the Fiesta again in the US in 2011, but it was discontinued again in 2017.

Ford, however, discontinued the Ford Fiesta in Europe on July 7 and exited the ICE small car market in Europe, since the strict emissions standards did not make economic sense to the company. While Ford has adopted a plan to transition to all electric and carbon neutral in Europe by 2030, it still wants to tap into the huge popularity that the ICE subcompact Fiesta had in Europe. 

Ford has given hope to fans of the discontinued Fiesta as the company has said that its evolution to an all-electric inventory could allow it to bring back the retired vehicle's nameplate in Europe in the future.

Ford Might Revive Popular Vehicle

Martin Sander, head of Ford Europe's passenger cars, told Automotive News Europe that the auto manufacturer has not ruled out making a battery-electric version of the Fiesta for the European market, InsideEVs reported.

Sander said that a Ford Fiesta EV would likely be a version of Volkswagen's low-cost small EV coming to market. He said the company has "a very constructive and positive cooperation with Volkswagen and we are possibly exploring opportunities to take that to the next level."

Ford currently has an agreement with Volkswagen to build the Ford Explorer SUV and a sports crossover on its modular electric drive matrix or MEB platform, to be manufactured at the German automaker's Cologne, Germany, plant. The SUV is expected to be delivered in Europe next year with a starting price under $50,000.