After thirty years and four generations, the Ford Mondeo is withdrawing from the European market. Its production, hitherto ensured in Spain, has just ended. Sales of the model had previously ceased in North America. However, China has the exclusive right to a new Mondeo.
As expected, Ford has just ended production of the European Mondeo in the spring of 2022. Like their American twin named Fusion, ousted in the summer of 2020, the sedan and the station wagon are bowing out on the Old Continent after thirty years of good and loyal service. No direct replacement is intended. Like many of its competitors, such as the Renault Talisman recently, the Mondeo was pushed out by the commercial boom in SUVs. It is therefore on this type of vehicle that Ford is now focusing. A reorientation coupled with a massive electrification strategy aimed at making the blue oval firm a “zero emission” brand in Europe by 2030.
Rise in the 1990s
The first Ford Mondeo of the name was presented in 1992 and marketed in 1993 to take over from the Sierra. It was Ford’s first “world car”, designed to appeal to European, Asian and American customers alike. The car sometimes changed its name from one market to another to be renamed Contour or Telstar with a few changes in style and finish to match. Ford offered the choice of a four- or five-door sedan and a station wagon. The gamble paid off, especially in Europe, where the Mondeo was voted Car of the Year 1994.
Therefore, the design of the Mondeo II, launched in 2000, was more thought out for Europe. The car abandoned the very wise curves of its predecessor for a more assertive style, a few protruding edges without aggressiveness and proportions making it appear more compact despite significantly increased dimensions. The length of the model notably increased from 4.48 m to 4.73 m with this generation change. Note that this second iteration was entitled to an ST 220 variant with a 223 hp V6.
The fall in the 2000s
The third-generation Ford Mondeo was marketed in 2006, but this renewal failed to stem the wave of phagocytosis of the segment by SUVs. According to Car Sales Base, while selling more than 300,000 Ford Mondeos a year in Europe in the late 1990s, this number had fallen below 200,000 in 2003 and, with a few exceptions, has continued to decline ever since. In 2010, less than 100,000 Mondeos were delivered in this territory. From its inception, the European Mondeo was produced at Ford’s plant in Genk, Belgium. It ceased operations in 2014.
It was therefore the brand’s factory based in Almussafes, Spain, which took over for the Mondeo IV launched in 2014. Ford tried to make the model attractive again with a sporty look, a Vignale finish eyeing the premium in top of the range, and still three body types. The car received a hybrid engine in 2019. But nothing helped, the tumble continued. In 2021, Ford sold just over 13,000 Mondeos in Europe.
The renewed Mondeo in China
Although it has now disappeared from the European and American markets, the Ford Mondeo has not had its last word in China, a market still attached to traditional three-box models. It has just been renewed there with the launch of a new generation, a sedan exclusively produced and sold locally, unveiled in January 2022.
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