Only the other day, on a staff day out to that Jewell on the North East Coast that is Scarborough, it was as if the Gods were shining down as we were greeted by a display of late eighties and early nineties classic cars lined up on the promenade. Pick of the bunch was debated long into the night but we eventually settled on the pair of immaculate XR2s squeezed in between an RS Escort and a 2.8i Capri. A tough, tough choice then and one that highlights just how much a classic Ford means to us over here at MotorMartin Towers as we are all fans of that iconic blue oval.
News then that production of right-hand drive Fiestas – the UK’s best-selling car – has begun in Cologne, Germany has therefore caused quite a stir up on the top floor as we all hold our breath to test how good this latest Fiesta will be.
“We have taken this iconic small car’s lovable, fun and sporty-to-drive character to the next level, with a greater choice of models than ever and with advanced technologies and features that small-car customers could only have dreamed of just a few years ago,” shared Jim Farley, executive vice president and president, Europe Middle East and Africa, Ford Motor Company with MotorMartin recently.
The all-new Fiesta, Ford say, highlights Ford’s derivative strategy, with sporty ST-Line version, and sophisticated Vignale and Titanium variants available in the UK in the next few months – plus the Fiesta Active crossover and Fiesta ST coming next year.
And Ford have explained to MotorMartin that they are investing around €293 million in new production processes at their Cologne facility to build the car – already recognised as one of the world’s most efficient vehicle production plants – and where a new Fiesta will roll off the line every 68 seconds. Impressive.
The all-new Fiesta will be in dealerships in the UK in July and MotorMartin certainly can’t wait.
Where will you go?