The next-generation Ford Fiesta may not be coming to the United States because you didn’t buy enough of them. Apparently, the seventh generation Fiesta will be developed for Europe, the Middle East and some African countries where it’s actually selling well—but not us. Buy a Ford Fiesta ST while you still can?
Take this with a grain of salt until it’s confirmed, but the news does come from an actual Ford executive—B-segment vehicle program manager Robert Stiller, who spoke with Romanian car publication 0-100.ro.
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Stiller told 0-100.ro, as translated by Autoevolution:
The previous model was a global Ford product, and with the new generation, we are targeting only Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. In North America, especially the U.S., China, and Latin America, the demand for such vehicles [subcompact] is declining, and we are reacting accordingly.
If true, this sucks for those of us who love small cars, but Stiller is depressingly not wrong. United States sales of the Fiesta peaked in 2013 at 71,073 Fiestas, and have dropped 31 percent since then down to just 48,807 Fiestas, Autoevolution notes. Meanwhile, in Europe, they routinely sell around 300,000 Fiestas a year.
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When Jalopnik asked a Ford U.S. representative for comment on Stiller’s remarks, they were non-committal about the future of the Fiesta here:
Fiesta continues to play an important role in our portfolio. We’ll have more to say about Fiesta in markets outside of Europe at a later date.
That… doesn’t sound promising, honestly.
Regardless of where it’s going, the new Fiesta will still be produced in Cologne, Germany, in three-and five-door hatchback versions, Stiller told 0-100.ro. However, the infamously ugly-for-America three-box sedan won’t be developed at all.
Trim levels will get streamlined as well, with the entry-level Ambiente version going away and the off-road-inspired Active trim being added.
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Saddest of all, no new Ford Fiesta would also mean no Fiesta ST, which is the biggest loss of them all. How on earth do you expect me to pretend to be Ott Tänak on every dirt road I encounter if you won’t sell us the most high-powered roadgoing version of Tänak’s rally car?!
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Autoevolution notes that we have gained a subcompact crossover in the EcoSport, which is more in line with the United States’ inexplicable demand for crossovers.
America, your taste in cars is sad.
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