End of the road for the iconic Ford Fiesta: Britain's most popular car to be axed after 46 years and 4.8million sales as brand plots shift to electric vehicles

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Britain's most popular car, the Ford Fiesta, is expected to be scrapped by the company after 46 years of production and 4.8million sales, according to an insider.

Ford is instead opting for more electric models, as the UK government's ban on new petrol and diesel car sales is set to be introduced in 2030.

The manufacturer has no plans for an electric version of its £19,000 hybrid 2022 Fiesta, meaning the latest model could mark the end of the road for the iconic supermini, the Sun reports.

This means the five door hatchback is likely to be withdrawn from sale in the coming years, with the three-door vehicle already scrapped in the spring. 

Pictured: 2022 Fiesta. The five door hatchback is likely to be withdrawn from sale in the coming years, with the three-door vehicle already scrapped in Spring this year

Henry Ford II pictured standing alongside a Fiesta S in 1976, the year the car was first launched to the market

An insider described the move as a 'strategic decision' by the company to move its style more towards crossovers as it embarks on its electric future.

A briefing is expected to be held this week among select parties to discuss the demise of the Fiesta with an official announcement said to be imminent.

The brand's electrification of its model line-up could see the car removed from showrooms as early as the middle of next year, according to some reports. 

In October 2020, Ford confirmed it had culled all diesel-engined versions of the Fiesta from its line-up for good as demand for oil burners continued to decline following the dieselgate scandal in 2015. 

Fiestas are widely considered Britain's favourite model and had 12 consecutive years as the number one bestseller from 2009 to 2020.

It was knocked off the top spot last year by the Vauxhall Corsa, with Ford opting to prioritise its commercial vehicle production on the back of higher demand during parts supply shortages resulting from the Covid pandemic. 

DVLA records for last year showed that of the 39.2million licensed vehicles of all types on the road in Great Britain, 1.54million were Fiestas. The larger Focus was second with 1.3million on UK roads in 2021.

A 1977 advert for the Fiesta. One of the biggest selling points to potential customers was the fact it could carry a chest of drawers if you lowered the rear bench seat

by 1979, Ford had produced its one millionth Fiesta for worldwide sales. The two millionth example followed well before the second-generation Fiesta arrived in 1983

The Design Council awarded Ford in 1979 for making a 'detailed and calculated attempt to reduce the maintenance and repair costs' of the Mk1 Fiesta   

A 1982 Fiesta Bravo II manual. Neither the Fiesta nor the Ford Focus have appeared in the list of best-selling cars in the UK this year

There have been seven generations of the popular car since it was launched in the summer of 1976.

The same year, a Fiesta appeared alongside Roger Moore in James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me.

Other celebs associated with it include two-time Academy award-winner Renee Zellweger, who is said to drive one, and Idris Elba, who worked on the Fiesta plant for two years before he found fame.

Fiesta Mk1 - 1976: Pictured, a first-generation Ford Fiesta being test driven by former Daily Mail motoring correspondent, Michael Kemp

Fiesta Mk2 -1983: The second-generation Fiesta was the first to be available with a diesel engine. In October 2020, the brand made the decision to cull diesel engines from its range as demand for oil burners continued to decline

Fiesta Mk3 - 1989: The third Fiesta offered a longer and wider body, more interior space and anti-lock brakes - a first for any small car. It was also the first Fiesta to be sold with five doors

Fiesta Mk4 - 1996: The fourth version had new rounded looks and an oval grille. Dual airbags came as standard for the first time in the small Ford. Pictured: An employee of the Kolner Ford plant Niehl in 1996, when, every 40 seconds, a new Fiesta would leave the assembly line

Fiesta Mk5 - 2002: Idris Elba worked on the Fiesta plant in Dagenham for two years before he found fame as an actor. Pictured: The fifth-generation Fiesta (pictured) was the first not to be built in the UK as of 2002

Fiesta Mk6 - 2008: The seventh-generation Fiesta proved a massive hit after it came to market. Sporty looks and styling made it the best-selling car every full year it was produced until it was succeeded by the latest model that arrived in 2017

Fiesta Mk7 - 2017: The current Fiesta continued predecessors' success, being the most-bought new car in Britain until 2020. However, Ford's decision to prioritise outputs of commercial vehicles - and the rise in popularity of the latest Vauxhall Corsa - means it is no longer the best-selling new model in the country

The car was built at a plant in Dagenham until 2002, before production moved to Germany. 

But SUV-style cars are becoming increasingly popular in the UK, with the British-manufactured Nissan Qashqai rising up car sales to a close second behind supermini Vauxhall Corsa.

Ford appears to be increasingly seeing larger models as the way forward commercially, as sales of SUVs reached a record high of 45 per cent of global car sales last year.

A surge in electric car sales has also taken place, with a record 28 per cent of car sales battery-powered last year.

TV presenter and glamour model Nell McAndrew pictured during Ford's 30-year anniversary celebrations for the Fiesta

Fiestas are widely considered Britain's favourite car and had 12 consecutive years as the number one bestseller. Last year, some 1.54m licensed examples were on the road, which is more than any other passenger car 

A Ford spokesman said: 'Ford is changing and we are looking at all possibilities for our future portfolio of all-electric vehicles'

Ford is certainly going green, with four new battery-powered cars and five vans set to come in by 2024. 

The Mustang Mach-e is already on sale while a Puma EV and two mid-size crossovers are expected to follow - though electric Fiestas have reportedly been ruled out. 

New electric models will be produced as part of Ford's recent partnership with German powerhouse Volkswagen, which will see the two automotive giants work on joint projects for electric cars and vans.

The first of the two new crossovers It will be built at Ford's new electric-only state-of-the-art manufacturing centre in Cologne, Germany, and should be in production and on sale from next year.

The Fiesta has been a star on the track as well as the road. Pictured, an M-Sport Fiesta in action at the WRC Vodafone Rally Portugal 2016

The Fiesta has for years offered up-and-coming racers an affordable way onto circuits with single-make championships. Pictured, a Fiesta Cup Racing battle tacking place at Germany's Norisring circuit in 1991 during a DTM touring car weekend

The Ford Fiesta hasn't only been popular among the public but also the police, with the car used by the police through various generations

If you haven't owned a Ford Fiesta, millions of Britons likely would have learned to drive in one

Ford promises it will have a full-charge battery range of 500km (311 miles) and its name will be revealed later in 2022. VW's ID.4, with the 77kWh Pro Performance battery, has a claimed range of 320 miles.

The second EV model - also produced in Cologne - will follow in 2024, which is being described as a 'sports crossover' - likely a coupe version of the SUV arriving a year before.

The Ford Puma EV - a fully-electric version of the existing compact SUV - will arrive in 2024 and be built at the brand's manufacturing plant in Craiova, Romania

There is already an electric version of Ford's iconic Transit vans, with a smaller E-Transit Custom coming soon and another two battery-only commercial vehicles to arrive in the next two years.

Ford's electric push: The US brand confirmed earlier this year that it will launch seven new EVs in Europe by 2024, taking its zero-emission line-up to nine cars by 2024. The Mustang Mach-E and E-Transit are already on sale

Three of the new EVs launched in the next two years will be cars, which will join Ford's Mustang Mach-E SUV (pictured) as part of its expanding electric line-up

The Cologne factory, where the Fiesta is currently produced, will become an electric-only state-of-the-art manufacturing centre (pictured), spelling the endo of the petrol-powered supermini

Ford. which is the UK's most popular car brand, has committed to its entire passenger vehicle line-up in Europe being electric or plug-in hybrid by mid-2026 and in 2030 will be all-electric only

The company axed its Mondeo model earlier this year and production will cease on the popular Ford Focus family hatchback in 2025.

A spokesman said: 'Ford is changing and we are looking at all possibilities for our future portfolio of all-electric vehicles.'

Ford has faced major supply chain issues in recent months and was even forced to temporarily stop Fiesta orders in June due to supply chain issues.

The Fiesta's reign as Britain's most-bought new car ran from 2009 to 2020. It is still the most commonly bought used model in the UK today

While the Fiesta was the sixth best-selling new car in September, it hasn't amounted enough registrations to break back into the top 10 most popular models of 2022

An insider described the move as a 'strategic decision' by the company to move its style more towards crossovers. Already, the Puma SUV (right) - which shares its platform with Fiesta (left) - is outselling the supermini and is the third most-bought new car in 2022

When the pandemic struck and caused a short supply of semiconductor chips, Ford opted to prioritise its commercial vehicle production on the back of higher demand for delivery services. This saw the Transit Custom van (background) out-sell not just the Fiesta but every passenger car last year

A shortage of semi-conductors hit the car manufacturing industry this year, with widespread supply chain difficulties also exasperated by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Neither the Fiesta nor the Ford Focus have appeared in the list of best-selling cars in the UK this year. However, the Puma SUV - which shares a platform with the Fiesta but is higher off the ground - is the nation's third most-popular new passenger car with 27,680 registrations by the end of September, which is around 1,500 fewer than the Corsa in the number one spot.

Meanwhile, Ford’s Transit Custom remains by far Britain’s best-selling vehicle, with more new versions hitting the road in 2022 than even the Corsa. 

Some 33,564 Transit Customs have been bought this year compared to just 29,342 examples of the Vauxhall supermini. A further 25,178 units of the larger one-tonne Transit have been registered this year. 

In 2016, Ford celebrated 40 years of the Fiesta by inviting owners of all generations to meet at the Dagenham factory where the model was previously produced and travel in convoy 

Ford currently sells three different versions of the Fiesta: the conventional five-door hatchback (left); a higher-riding Fiesta Active crossover; and the Fiesta ST hot hatch, which is regarded as one of the best affordable performance cars you can buy

But while it might not be the most in-demand new car, the Fiesta is still Britain's most popular used motor. 

Official records help by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders show that 71,429 examples of the supermini changed hands in Britain last year - more than any other model. And the South East of England bought the most second-hand examples of the car.

So far this year the plucky little Ford has appeared in 108.000 adverts on leading online vehicle marketplace, Auto Trader marketplace. This is followed by the Volkswagen Golf with 86,000 advertisements and then the Ford Focus with 85,000.

On average, car buyers on Auto Trader have a choice of 10,726 Ford Fiestas for sale at any one time, it says, and in the last month there have been over 43million advert views of second-hand listings on the site.

There have also been another 700,000 advert views of new Fiestas in the same period.

Erin Baker, editorial director at Auto Trader described the Fiesta's expected demise as a 'shame to see', describing the model as one of Britain's 'iconic cars'. 

'Our data shows that the Fiesta was the most advertised car on our marketplace this year with over 100,000 listings. In fact, since 2019 we’ve seen over half a million Fiestas advertised on our platform, which really does highlight just how beloved it is,' she explained. 

'Interestingly enough, we identified a Fiesta capital of Britain when looking into the data, it shows that the people in the South East of England have a particular soft spot for this car. 

'Although it’s sad to see such an icon disappear from the market, it should enable one of the biggest car brands to really knuckle down on EVs and make them more accessible to more car buyers, which is a very positive step in the right direction.'