The Ford Fiesta is the best-selling car of all time in the U.K.
We may regard Ford as an American automaker, but ask a Brit and they may tell you otherwise. The Blue Oval has, after all, been selling cars in the UK since 1903, and started manufacturing there as far back as 1911 when it began local production of the Model T in Manchester. Last year Ford ended 100 years of vehicle manufacturing in the UK when the last Transit van rolled off the assembly line in Southampton, but it’s still the biggest-selling automotive marque in Britain.
The Ford Fiesta has become the best-selling vehicle ever in the UK, knocking the Escort from the top spot. Data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) shows that in total 4,132,294 Fiestas have been sold since the model first appeared in 1976. Ford meanwhile boasts that the Fiesta has led the small car segment for 27 of its 37 year life.
That’s quite a lot of zippy hatchbacks on the motorway. Ford launched the original Mk1 Fiesta in 1976 to compete in the rapidly growing super-mini class. It’s quite safe to say that Ford’s engineers succeeded. Its seven generations would go on to lead sales in the UK’s small car segment for 27 of its 37 years of production, taking the crown from the Ford Focus in 2009 and now topping Ford’s previous record holder in the UK – the Escort, which sold to the tune of 4,105,961 units from 1968 to 2000.
Although the Fiesta is no longer manufactured in the UK, the press continues to ogle over the pint-sized hatch, especially its acclaimed lineup of EcoBoost engines. The jewel in Ford’s fuel economy cap remains the 1.0-liter EcoBoost three-cylinder, named International Engine of the Year for a third consecutive year. Also unavoidable is the spicy 1.6-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder that pushes around the Fiesta ST with 197-horsepower at the ready. 26mpg in the city and 35mpg on the highway ain’t bad either for the hotted-up hatch either.
So long as Ford doesn’t change the recipe, the UK should see the Fiesta enjoy a long, long reign at the top. Read more about the story here.
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