AFF Technical Resources - Ford Fiesta Sales Reach 1 Million In Europe

February 24 2011

COLOGNE, Germany, Feb 24, 2011

European sales of the latest-generation Fiesta have reached one million.

The landmark was achieved just 28 months after the popular Ford small car – Ford's No.1 top-selling car in Europe – went on sale in Ford dealerships across Europe.

When it first drove out of Ford dealer showrooms in October 2008, the award-winning Fiesta championed a new era in small car design, performance and functionality.

The Fiesta shot up the sales charts and became the No. 2 best-selling car in Europe in early 2009, a position it has retained ever since.

"To reach the one million sales mark is a significant achievement, but there is much, much more to come as the Ford Fiesta continues to appeal to customers and goes from strength-to-strength in markets throughout Europe," the chairman and CEO, Ford of Europe, Stephen Odell, said.

The Fiesta is produced in Europe at Ford's state-of-the-art assembly plants in Cologne, Germany and Valencia, Spain.

It is one of the most successful European-made light car nameplates in Europe, with cumulative sales totalling 14-million since the car was first launched in 1976.

For the past 35 years, the Fiesta has been synonymous with economical, practical and dependable motoring. Today, it continues to appeal to a new generation of motorists, with research showing it is attracting younger, more affluent buyers who are choosing higher trim levels with more features and options.

Ford Fiesta Facts

* The new Fiesta RS World Rally Car scored an impressive 1-2-3 in last week's Rally Sweden on its first competitive outing.
* Ford Fiesta has gained a five-star safety rating in China, with similar maximum ratings in Europe and Australia/New Zealand. In Australia, the Fiesta offers a driver's knee airbag – standard on the LX, Zetec and ECOnetic – and available as an optional safety pack in the CL. The LX, Zetec and ECOnetic achieve a five-star result while the CL, with the optional safety pack, is also a five-star car.
* More than 55 per cent of the Fiesta body structure is made from ultra-high strength steel.
* Key European markets for the Ford Fiesta are France, Germany, the UK, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Netherlands and Turkey.
* Last year the Ford Fiesta was the top-selling car in Greece and the UK.
* Ford Fiesta is built at Ford plants in Cologne, Germany; Valencia, Spain; Nanjing, China; Rayong, Thailand and Cuautitlán, Mexico, and is sold globally in more than 100 markets.
* Ford Fiesta has been the best-selling small car in Europe for the past two years.
* Total global sales of the latest-generation Ford Fiesta are 1,140,000.
* The Fiesta ECOnetic model comes with ultra-low 3.7 l/100 km* and 98 g/km CO2 emissions.

Fiesta is available in Australia in five-door hatchback and four-door sedan body styles and a range of fuel-efficient petrol and diesel power-trains.

*Note: Fuel economy figures quoted are based on controlled tests conducted to Australian Design Rule 81/02.