Ford's Cologne Factory Produces One Million Fiestas in 33 Months

Ford employees at the Cologne plant in Germany celebrated the one millionth current Fiesta just 33 months after the first car rolled off the line. The production milestone coincides with another Fiesta anniversary, as 35 years ago this month, the first-gen model was introduced to the German market.

In addition, some 80 years ago, on May 4th,1931, the first car rolled off the Cologne assembly like - a Ford Model A.

Since the Blue Oval introduced the popular compact 35 years ago, over six million have been produced and sold, and 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 or even Tahiti.

“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.

The current Fiesta has been made in Germany ever since 2008, but it is also manufactured in China (Nanjing), Thailand (Rayong) and Mexico (Cuautitln), where the Fiesta is manufactured for US and Canadian customers.

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 are to thank for this output, with 4,200 employees working in each of the three production shifts.