The Ford Fiesta supermini became the UK’s best-selling vehicle nameplate of all time in July 2014, with total sales topping 4,115,000 units since its 1976 launch. The Fiesta has led the small car segment in the UK for 27 of the 37 years and has been Britain’s best-selling car since 2009, when it overtook the Ford Focus.

The previous record was held by the Ford Escort, which sold 4,105,961 units in the 32 years it was on sale in the UK from 1968 to 2000. To mark the achievement, Ford has added its cherished “FMC1” registration to a Fiesta destined for Scotland for the Commonwealth Games.

“The Ford Fiesta has gone from strength to strength and today’s car combines style, value, driving dynamics and remarkable technologies such as the multi-award-winning 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine. It continues to outsell its nearest retail competitor by more than two to one – and that really tells the story of this extraordinary car,” said Mark Ovenden, Ford Britain chairman and managing director.

Ford says more than 40 percent of Fiesta buyers in the UK today choose the turbocharged 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine, and almost 90 percent go for higher level specification – Zetec, Zetec S, Titanium, Titanium X and ST models with the Ford SYNC voice-controlled connectivity.

The most popular Ford Fiesta series in Britain is the Zetec, priced at £12,945 (€16,342), which features MyKey, radio/CD with USB connection, remote central locking, electrically operated front windows, electrically operated and heated door mirrors, air conditioning, Hill Launch Assist, seven airbags, Electronic Stability Programme and headlight courtesy delay.

By Dan Mihalascu

Photo Gallery