Ford plans to make an ‘affordable EV’ that could replace the discontinued Fiesta and Focus – and reveals three ‘key’ benchmarks

FORD is set to produce a new range of smaller, more affordable electric cars that could replace the soon-to-be-discontinued Fiesta and Focus.

The car giant, which recently revealed the new all-electric Capri model, is said to be working on a new platform that could allow it to build a series of new EVs.

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According to CarThe new program is in its “engineering stages” but could see the brand offer electric motors that rank below the Explorer, Mustang Mach-E and new Capri in its electric car hierarchy.

Last year, Ford removed the evergreen Fiesta from production after 47 years and seven generations, and quietly announced that the Focus would suffer the same fate in mid-2025.

Currently, Ford’s Puma crossover has proven itself to be something of a replacement for the Fiesta and was the best-selling engine in the UK in 2021 and 2023.

But looking at the futurethe Blue Oval wants to make new small EVs that will likely be its entry-level model.

Marin Gjaja, chief operating officer of Ford’s Model E division, said: “We’re spending a lot of time at the corporate level talking about affordability.

“We know we need to do this and it’s a muscle we need to build over time.

“If you look at our lineup globally, right now we don’t have much in the affordable segment.

“The key for us is to be accessible, differentiated and profitable.

“We remained in the affordable segment for a long time, either at the break-even point or losing money.”

Gjaja adds that Ford is dealing with the challenges of offering affordable electric vehicles to regular customers and struggling with the low-cost options that can be produced by Chinese brands.

He said: “The question is, how do you compete in this segment, especially if you have a very low-cost manufacturing location like China that produces affordable vehicles?

“That’s the dilemma. There’s no doubt that if we want to be a true mass brand, we want people to upgrade to a vehicle like the Explorer, but where do you start?

“That’s what we’re doing in the US with an accessible platform, and there’s no reason why that platform shouldn’t be able to create products for Europe as well.”

Gjaja added that the first car based on the new platform will arrive in “late 2026 or early 2027” and will be launched in the US first.

The Puma is currently Ford’s smallest and most affordable engine, costing £25,650 – and it also comes as a hybrid with an all-electric Puma Gen-E, which will arrive in late 2024.

But the Blue Oval has failed to directly replace the affordable Fiesta, with drivers turning to small hatchbacks from other brands such as Dacia’s Sandero, MG 3 and Kia’s Picanto.

The country’s favorite Ford

The Ford Fiesta is the UK’s best-selling car of all time and despite being axed by the Blue Oval in June last year after a 47-year run, it remains a firm favorite with second-hand drivers.

Ford has sold 4.8 million units in almost 50 years of production and has seen the model claim the title of most popular car in the UK for 12 consecutive years between 2009 and 2020.

The Fiesta was developed in response to the 1973 oil crisis, which saw the price of fuel soar and British drivers needing a more economically efficient car.

Since it was launched in 1976, more than 22 million Fiestas have been sold worldwide. Of these, 4.8 million were in the United Kingdom.

Its final iteration, launched in 2017, was the seventh-generation Fiesta and was notably larger, more spacious, safer and more efficient.

A 2013 survey by The Sun found that the Fiesta was the most popular car for sex, The Sun said.

Gjaja suggested that little EV models are apparently on Ford’s horizon, adding: “Our sense is that the adoption of electric vehicles will be smaller vehicles over time.

“That’s where you’ll see the most acceleration because this is the group that will be most sensitive to fuel costs – because the more affordable the vehicle, typically, the more the driver focuses on cost.

“And they don’t have as much emotion associated with the size of the vehicle or how luxurious it is.”

Ford’s newest model, the updated Capri starting at £48,075, was finally unveiled last month and seen in action for the first time at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Elsewhere, Wheeler Dealers host Mike Brewer recently talked about the Fiesta and how a certain iteration of the popular hatchback could one day be a future classic.

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