Car makers like to show off big produciton numbers. But Ford’s Cologne factory in Germany has gone one step further and set a production record as the 1 millionth Ford Fiesta rolls off the produciton line in just 33 months.

That number in that time shows the incredible demand for Ford’s small hatchback – the current model – which is on its way to become one of the all-time best selling Fords. In fact the Fiesta is Europe’s top-selling small car and Europe’s second best-selling car overall for March and the first quarter 2011. The record also brings the cumulative production number of Fiesta at the Cologne factory to six million.

The current Fiesta has been manufactured in Cologne since 2008 and, since 2009, also rolls off the assembly line in Valencia, Spain. Ford also produces the Fiesta in China (Nanjing), Thailand (Rayong) and Mexico (Cuautitl?n), where the Fiesta is manufactured for customers in the US and Canada.

“We are pleased with the Fiesta’s continued success, not only because it’s our highest volume model in Europe, but also because it’s now being produced and sold around the world to great acclaim,” said Roelant de Waard, vice president, Marketing, Sales and Service, Ford of Europe.

Ford’s Cologne facility is the production centre for both the Ford Fiesta and the Ford Fusion, with an average output of 1,770 cars per day. The Cologne plant’s annual capacity is 400,000 cars and 17,300 employees from more than 50 countries make this output possible, with 4,200 employees working in each of the three production shifts.