The Ford Fiestas are coming… and fast!

The production of right-hand drive Ford Fiestas, the UK’s best-selling car, has begun in Cologne and they are heading this way.

Ford is investing around £250 million to build the car at its Cologne facility which will see a new Fiesta rolling off the production line every 68 seconds.

The long awaited eight-generation Fiesta, which replaces its predecessor first seen in 2008, goes on sale in Europe in the summer.

It offers four versions, including the Fiesta Titanium, the Ford Performance-inspired Fiesta ST-Line and the upscale Fiesta Vignale.

An all-new Fiesta Active crossover – the first in a new line-up of Active vehicles to be rolled out across the Ford range in years to come – and the next-generation Ford Fiesta ST, powered by an all-new 197bhp, three-cylinder, 1.5-litre EcoBoost engine, will follow in early 2018.

Powertrains include Ford’s multi-award winning 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol engine offering up to 138 bhp and a 1.5-litre TDCi diesel offering 119 bhp – the first high-power diesel Fiesta powertrain.

Jim Farley, executive vice president and president, Europe Middle East and Africa, Ford Motor Company, said: “We have taken this iconic small car’s lovable, fun and sporty-to-drive character to the next level, with a greater choice of models than ever and with advanced technologies and features that small-car customers could only have dreamed of just a few years ago.”

The Ford Fiesta has been the UK best-seller for eight years and in March racked up 47,000 sales in Europe to become the region’s top selling car.

The all-new Fiesta will be for sale in UK dealerships in July.