2009 Ford Fiesta mass production starts at Cologne plant

Production of an all-new 2009 model of the Ford Fiesta, first of a generation of new global small Ford cars, has been kicked off at Ford’s Cologne plant in Germany.

2009 Ford Fiesta photo

Investment to the tune of 455 million Euros will be pumped into the restructuring and modernizing of the Cologne plant.

The new Ford Fiesta will be developed by the European subsidiary of Ford’s global product development team. By the end of 2008, Ford aims to roll out 148,000 Fiestas.

Operating at full capacity, 1900 Ford Fiestas and Fusions will be manufactured in three shifts at the Cologne plant.

The new 2009 Ford Fiesta is expected to hit dealerships before year 2010, though a progressive roll out might start well before that date.  Post-Cologne, it is expected that the new Ford Fiesta would be manufactured from Valencia in Spain, in January 2010.

Production facilities for the new Ford Fiesta outside of Europe will be in Nanjing in China, Rayong in Thailand and Cuautitlan in Mexico. These production facilities will begin to produce the car for their respective regions from late 2008 through early 2010.

The Cologne plant is the first Ford assembly facility in the world to build the new Ford Fiesta. The new Ford Fiesta will be sold progressively in Europe, the Americas and Asia, between 2008 and 2010.  The all new Fiesta will be developed with each region in mind when it finally rolls out of Cologne.