It has been manufactured in the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela, Mexico, Taiwan, China, India, Thailand, and South Africa.

More than a decade earlier, Ford had decided against producing a new small car to rival BMC's Mini, as the production cost was deemed too high, but the 1973 oil crisis caused a rise in the already growing demand for smaller cars, and the runaway success of the Fiat 127 and Renault 5 was what ultimately convinced Ford to enter the B-segment.

In Europe, Ford's arch rival General Motors attempted to address the market need by developing a small hatchback version of its "T-car", which emerged as the 1975 Opel Kadett City and Vauxhall Chevette, but being rear wheel drive, these were not true "superminis" in that they could not deliver the required space efficiency that a transverse engined, front wheel drive package could achieve, this therefore would be template followed by the Fiesta.

The final proposal was developed by Tom Tjaarda at Ghia, overseen by Ford of Europe's then chief stylist Uwe Bahnsen.

[6] As the Fiesta would be Ford's first transverse engined car, a new transaxle was required and a factory near Bordeaux, France was built for this purpose.

Since it was known by 1975 that this transmission unit would also be used in the larger Escort when it switched to front wheel drive for its third generation in 1980, enough upward capacity was built into the Bordeaux plant to meet this need.

A Fiesta was on display at the Le Mans 24 Hour Race in June 1976, and the car went on sale in France and Germany in September 1976; to the frustration of UK dealerships, right-hand drive versions only began to appear in January 1977.

All US models featured the more powerful 1,596 cc (97.4 cu in) engine, (which was the older "Crossflow" version of the Kent, rather than the Valencia) fitted with a catalytic converter and air pump to satisfy strict Californian emission regulations), energy-absorbing bumpers, side-marker lamps, round sealed-beam headlamps, and improved crash dynamics and fuel system integrity, as well as optional air conditioning (which was not available in Europe).

The small, square headlights were replaced with larger circular ones, with the front indicators being moved into the bumper to accommodate the change.

"[11] Minor revisions appeared across the range in late 1981, with larger bumpers to meet crash-worthiness regulations and other small improvements in a bid to maintain showroom appeal ahead of the forthcoming second generation.

The Fiesta Mark II appeared in August 1983 with a revised front end and interior, and a bootlid mirroring the swage lines from the sides of the car.

The 1.3 L OHV engine was dropped, being replaced in 1984 by a compound valve-angle hemispherical combustion chamber (CVH) powerplant of similar capacity, itself superseded by the lean burn 1.4 L two years later.

The engine was replaced by a lean-burn variant in 1986, which featured a revised cylinder head and carburettor; it was significantly cleaner from an environmental viewpoint, but was slightly less powerful as a result (.008 bhp (0.0060 kW)).

A truly "hot" Fiesta was never produced by the factory to avoid impacting sales of performance Ford Escort variants,[citation needed] but many aftermarket conversions were available, such as that by the English firm Turbo Technics boosting power to 125 bhp (93 kW).

Ford appreciated the high quality of this conversion, and was keen to look after its customers; the installation was undertaken by approved fitting centres and all the warranties remained valid after.

[citation needed] The facelifted Fiesta, facing competition from the Austin Metro, Fiat Uno, Nissan Micra, Peugeot 205, Toyota Starlet, Vauxhall Nova, and Volkswagen Polo, was one of the UK's top superminis.

In its best-ever year, 1987, over 150,000 Fiesta models were sold in the UK,[13] though it finished second in the sales charts to the Ford Escort.

The car was based on a new platform, ditching the old car's rear beam axle for a semi-independent torsion beam arrangement, and looked radically different, addressing the principal weakness of the previous generation – the lack of a five-door version, which was by then available in its major rivals such as the Fiat Uno, Peugeot 205 and 106, and Opel Corsa/Vauxhall Nova.

The RS1800 shared its 1.8-litre Zetec fuel-injected engine with the 130 PS (96 kW; 130 bhp) version of the then-current Ford Escort XR3i, and had a top speed of 125 mph (201 km/h).

The XR2i name was also dropped in early 1994, and the insurance-friendly "Si" badge appeared in its place on a slightly less sporty-looking model with either the 1.4 L PTE (a development of the CVH) or the 1.6 L Zetec engine.

The Fiesta Mark IV (internal code name was BE91)[15] was launched in October 1995[16][13][17] and became Britain's best-selling car from 1996 to 1998, when it was overtaken by the all-new Ford Focus, a replacement for the Escort.

It maintained similar dimensions to the Mark III, along with the platform and the basic body structure, most noticeably the side door openings.

This was the first Fiesta to be sold in Asia and Australasia (all 1.6 L LX three-door/five-door, Zetec three-door, Ghia five-door), replacing the Kia-based Festiva.

[30] The model was not sold in the Americas, Asia or Oceania, as Ford decided to prioritise crossover SUVs, pickup trucks and sports cars.

In 1991, a "high-cube"-style van based on the Mark III front bodyshell, but with longer wheelbase and Renault-derived rear torsion bar suspension, was introduced and was named the Ford Courier.

Roger Clark did not set any records but the German car achieved 9th position overall – a very encouraging result, which sparked demand for sportier Fiestas.

The "Fiesta Sporting Trophy" is a One Make Championship; beginning its first season in March 2006, it combines keen competition with equal performance and leaves the decision about winning or losing to the drivers and co-drivers' capabilities.

Although not due for homologation until January 2010, it was set to make its debut as course car on the final round of the IRC series, Rally Scotland.

It won six WRC rounds in 2011 and 2012, driven by Jari-Matti Latvala, Mikko Hirvonen and Mads Ostberg, but since M-Sport lost most of its manufacturer support for the 2013 season the car hasn't been able to win.

The Fiesta Mk6 Rallycross cars made their US debuts in the 2009 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in Colorado.