One Millionth Ford Fiesta Produced In 33 Months

The incredible demand for the current gen Ford Fiesta has resulted in yet another production milestone. They’ve just produced the one millionth unit of this lovely hatchback in 33 months since they first started making this model. The cumulative number since they started making Fiesta 1979 has now reached 6 million.

The Fiesta is Europe’s top-selling small car and Europe’s second best-selling car overall for March and the first quarter 2011. The car owes its success partly to its gear Kinetic design which looks alive next to the normal dreary hatchbacks in the market, partly to Ford reputation, and partly to its great value which is a result of its amazing features and fair price.

The Cologne assembly plant and the Ford Fiesta – facts: * The assembly line hall areas measure 14,000m2 in total * The volume of production in 2010 was 391,439 cars * 16 per cent of vehicles produced in Cologne leave the plant by rail, 41 per cent by truck and 43 per cent are shipped using waterways * The total area of the Cologne site equates 40 football pitches * The length of permanently installed suspension tracks is 11km.

Ford press release:

Ford employees today celebrated the production of the one millionth current Fiesta – just 33 months after the first car rolled off the line.

This production milestone coincides with two further anniversaries: 35 years ago this month, the first generation of the Ford Fiesta was introduced to the German market. And 80 years ago, on May 4, 1931, the very first vehicle rolled off the assembly line in Cologne – a Ford Model A.

Since Ford first began production of the Fiesta, more than six million have been produced. Today, Fiestas built in Cologne are exported to 71 countries. Key markets include Great Britain, France, Turkey and Russia, but the Fiesta is also sold to more remote markets including Mozambique, Morocco, Brunei and even Tahiti.

The current Fiesta has been manufactured in Cologne since 2008 and, since 2009, also rolls off the assembly line in Valencia, Spain. Ford also produces the Fiesta in China (Nanjing), Thailand (Rayong) and Mexico (Cuautitl?n), where the Fiesta is manufactured for customers in the US and Canada.

Since the current Ford Fiesta went on sale in October 2008, more than 1,350,000 units have been sold globally. In the first quarter of 2011, JATO records show that 102,859 Ford Fiestas were sold in Europe, making it the top-selling small car and second best-selling car overall for
March and the first quarter 2011 in Europe

“We are pleased with the Fiesta’s continued success, not only because it’s our highest volume model in Europe, but also because it’s now being produced and sold around the world to great acclaim,” said Roelant de Waard, vice president, Marketing, Sales and Service, Ford of Europe.

Thanks to its excellent efficiency, the Fiesta-producing plant in Cologne ranks highest of 52 evaluated automotive production sites in Europe. In 2006 the factory was presented with the “Automotive Lean Production Award 2006”, a highly sought-after international commendation.

The plant was also honoured for its leading role in the automotive industry by “Agamus Consult” under the leadership of Otto Wolff von Amerongen, former Honorary President of the German Board of Trade “DIHK”, after comparing the progressive production processes in Cologne with automotive factories throughout Europe.

Ford’s Cologne facility is the production centre for both the Ford Fiesta and the Ford Fusion, with an average output of 1,770 cars per day. The Cologne plant’s annual capacity is 400,000 cars and 17,300 employees from more than 50 countries make this output possible, with 4,200 employees working in each of the three production shifts.

The construction time for a Ford Fiesta model currently stands at only thirteen hours – a five hour reduction compared with a decade ago – thanks to ongoing improvements and investment at the plant. A total of ?100 million was invested in the Cologne site in 2010 alone.