The shutters have finally come down on Ford Fiesta production, with the last car rolling off production lines in Cologne, Germany today.

The Ford Fiesta MkI began production in the Valencia factory in 1976, followed by Dagenham

It’s an end to the UK’s best-selling car of all time following seven generations and sales of more than 22 million units globally.

Created originally as a more fuel-efficient, small car in the wake of the 1973 oil crisis, the Fiesta began production in Spain in 1976 followed by Dagenham.

It launched in the UK in 1977 and over the next four decades accounted for more than one in every 20 cars sold.

Even in later years, it’s retained its appeal; latest SMMT figures show that it was still the ninth best-selling car for the first half of 2023, with some 15,359 units sold.

As with the Mondeo, the Fiesta bows out due to changing customer demand alongside Ford’s plans for its passenger vehicle line-up in Europe to be all-electric by 2030 and the need to free up factory space. Ford is also ending Focus production in 2025.

The final two Fiestas will be given a fitting send-off though; one will remain in Germany while the other will head off to Ford’s heritage fleet in the UK.