BERLIN — Ford will cease constructing the Fiesta small automotive in Cologne, Germany, by subsequent summer season, a yr sooner than deliberate. Similtaneously Fiesta output stops, manufacturing of Ford’s new Volkswagen-based all-electric crossover will start, additionally a yr sooner than deliberate.

“The electrical automotive can be in-built Cologne from summer season 2023,” an organization supply accustomed to the plan advised Automotive Information Europe sister publication Automobilwoche.

The crossover will use VW Group’s MEB electrical platform that underpins the VW ID4, amongst different VW Group fashions.

The manufacturing change is not going to have an effect on staffing ranges and there can be extra jobs in Cologne on the finish of the ramp-up of the brand new mannequin than there are at current, the supply mentioned.

The Fiesta, which launched in Europe in 1976, has been one of many automaker’s hottest fashions however gross sales have been declining as consumers change from hatchbacks to crossovers such because the Ford Puma.

Fiesta gross sales in Europe fell to 39,395 via August from 72,302 within the first eight months, based on figures from Dataforce. The Puma is now the automaker’s best-selling passenger automotive within the area, with 91,604 models offered via August.

Ford ended manufacturing of the three-door Fiesta in the summertime amid falling gross sales.

Ford is investing to construct electrical automobiles on the Cologne plant, together with a brand new battery meeting facility scheduled to start out operations in 2024. A second EV, which Ford has mentioned can be a “sports activities crossover,” can be constructed at Cologne beginning in 2024. The car can be anticipated to be based mostly on the MEB platform.

The Cologne plant is forecast to construct about 200,000 EVs a yr.

Ford plans to launch seven full-electric automobiles in Europe together with a battery-electric model of the Puma small crossover that can be in-built Craiova, Romania.