US:Ford to introduce new Mondeo midsize cars in Europe - Ford Forums

Stacy94PGT · 09-22-2006, 05:46

Ford to introduce new Mondeo midsize cars in Europe

Christine Tierney / The Detroit News

Ford Motor Co. will offer a peek at its new line of Mondeo midsize cars with the unveiling of a station-wagon next week in Paris. “The new Mondeo is critical to the Ford of Europe business,” said John Fleming, president and CEO of Ford of Europe, based in Cologne, Germany. “The Ford Mondeo has always been a major player in the European CD [midsize] segment, and with over 4 million owners looking for us to deliver something special.”

Ford will launch the next-generation Mondeo cars starting in spring. “The wagon bodystyle is very important in the segment so it is appropriate that we show this derivative in Paris first,” said Martin Smith, design director at Ford of Europe.

The new Mondeo cars incorporate the strong shoulders, high belt-line and other design cues featured in the iosis concept car Ford displayed a year ago at the Frankfurt car show. “Now, the new Mondeo takes the next major step along our journey towards a more expressive and emotional Ford range,” Smith said.

Competing against Volkswage's Passat, the Opel Vectra and Renault Laguna, the Mondeo cars come in a wide range of engines, including a 2.0-liter diesel, a 2.5-liter turbocharged gas engine as well as fuel-efficient 1.6-litre gas and 1.8-litre diesel engines.

The new Mondeo, which shares components and technology with the Ford S-MAX and Galaxy minivan, will be built alongside those two vehicles at Ford’s Genk plant in Belgium

Stacy94PGT · 09-22-2006, 07:03

Automotive News

Ford Mondeo

The Mondeo concept will be a near-production prototype. The third-generation upper-medium Mondeo will grow significantly to give more passenger space as well as improved crash protection. Although it will continue to resemble the current Mondeo, the new car will take many styling cues from the Iosis concept such as its sporty profile, bold upper and lower grilles and large headlights. When it reaches dealers next spring, the Mondeo will enter a tough market -- sales of upper-medium cars are declining as customers migrate to SUVs, minivans and crossovers. But Ford hopes to maintain Mondeo sales by offering features normally seen on premium cars. Ford plans to build 200,000 Mondeos a year at its Genk, Belgium, factory. Last year it built 175,946 Mondeos, compared with 349,625 in 2001, the car's first full year on the market following its 2000 launch.

Stacy94PGT · 09-22-2006, 07:23

Fun fare for the common man

AUTOCAR.UK

Sporty bumper likely to be offered as an option

Mondeo takes many styling cues from S-Max

Wagon will be joined by saloon and hatch

Big wheels and bumpers will go, but this is 90 per cent real

Lots of parts shared with MPV siblings

Ignore the multi-colour leather and interior is real

Still want that 3-series? BMW's talented family car might have squeezed the Mondeo out of the top spot in the sales charts in recent years, but this bold new concept shows that Ford isn't taking it lying down.

The really good news is that, while this is still officially a concept car to be unveiled at the Paris motor show in just over a week, Ford says it's in "near final production form" ahead of the car's launch early next year.

So while the show car's 20-inch wheels will be replaced by more modest items, and the vibrant leather interior and super-sporty bumpers will be toned down, the basic body and overall architecture will remain the same. In fact, the show car's body is a pre-production shell taken from the production line in Belgium.

The new car uses Ford's "Kinetic design", as seen on the S-Max and Galaxy, and the company reckons it should be as good to drive as it is to look at. That's what we've come to expect of the Blue Oval in recent years, but more significantly Ford says this will be the highest-quality car it has ever produced. It will need to be if the company is to steal sales back from prestige brands.

The Mondeo will also come as a hatch and saloon – and will use the same range of drivetrains as the S-Max, including the 2.5-litre five-cylinder turbo petrol engine. More details will be revealed early next year, with the Mondeo going on sale soon after. We're looking forward to it.

Stacy94PGT · 09-29-2006, 05:27

New Mondeo: official pics

AUTOCAR.CO.UK

This is undisguised new Mondeo
New Mondeo continues design themes of S-Max. This is most likely the 2.5T model

Twin pipes, spoiler and venturi suggest this is the range-topping 2.5 turbo

Ford says new car will be best in class to drive

Only a week ago Ford revealed the new Mondeo concept – now on show in Paris - and now we've got photos of the real thing.

This is the new 2007 Mondeo hatchback undisguised. As you can see, it sticks pretty closely to the styling of the concept, with many design cues also shared with the new S-Max and Galaxy MPVs.

In fact the car pictured is actually a running model that merely looks identical to the new car - due to film schedules, Ford had to ready a glassfibre version as the new car's production line was not ready.

The new five-door has already hit the headlines as it is being used in the new James Bond film, Casino Royale, which gets its premiere in November.

Bond fans need not worry, however – although the Mondeo features in an early chase sequence in the film, it is merely a hire car that Bond uses to get from the airport to his destination. Bond's own car will be the Aston Martin DBS.

As for the Mondeo, Ford has released precious few details – all we can say for sure is that we'll get more details early next year.