Ford Fiesta axed in the US, Australian prospects still unclear
American fans of the Ford Fiesta will have to keep their current-generation vehicles, as the company’s North American arm has announced that the US won’t be getting any versions of its little hatchback – not even the hot ST model.
Speaking with CarBuzz at the Frankfurt motor show, Leo Roeks, Ford Performance of Europe director, said low demand in the US is to blame for the Fiesta’s demise.
“It’s simply a matter of a lack of interest in the B-segment in America. It doesn’t make sense, nor is it possible financially speaking, to import a single trim level (the ST), and a niche one at that,” he said.
Powered by a new 1.5-litre three-cylinder Ecoboost turbo, the new-generation Fiesta ST (pictured) punches out a meaty 147kW of power and 290Nm of torque. Ford claims its little hot hatch can sprint from 0-100km/h in 6.7 seconds, and it also features cylinder deactivation which should see fuel use drop to around 5.2L/100km.
Meanwhile, the Australian future of the Fiesta range is also under a cloud of doubt, with the local arm still to confirm whether it will offer any version of the light hatch here.
Earlier this year, Graeme Whickman, CEO of Ford Australia, hinted to CarAdvice that slowing sales of light vehicles locally could see the Fiesta dropped from the line-up, though he wouldn’t confirm either way.
For now, the statement remains the same, with Damion Smy, product communications manager for the Blue Oval’s local division, telling CarAdvice that no decision has been made yet,
“We have no announcements on Fiesta at this stage, and will make announcements in due course,” he said.
Do you want to see the new Ford Fiesta offered locally?
MORE: 2017 Ford Fiesta ST revealed
MORE: Ford Fiesta’s Australian future unclear, Focus cloudy too
MORE: Ford Fiesta news, reviews, comparisons and video
MORE: Everything Ford