Photo: S. Baldauf/SB-Medien
At the 2021 Shanghai Auto Show, Ford dropped jaws when they unveiled the Evos. Described as a coupe SUV, it was developed by the Changan Ford joint venture under the Dearborn’s China 2.0 plan, and in case you missed it, it is exclusive to the People’s Republic.
Through the voice of the brand’s America Product Communications Director, Mike Levine, the Blue Oval underlined the fact that the Evos won’t launch in markets outside China, as he went to social media to say that “there are no current plans to offer it elsewhere.”
That was enough to stop enthusiasts speak about a possibly new Mondeo for Europe and Fusion for North America, until earlier this year, when a prototype looking suspiciously similar to China’s Evos was spied undergoing testing in Europe. A few weeks later, we spotted yet another tester, dressed in even heavier camouflage, and the latest one to have become the focus of our spy photographer’s camera lens sports fewer vinyl stickers on the outside.
Riding closer to the ground than the Evos, it looks more like a sedan with a sloping roofline than a crossover coupe. Nonetheless, it sports LED headlights that seem identical to its Asian sibling, and even the shape of the bumper is similar, save for the grille, which is wider. The side mirrors were lifted straight from the Evos, and out back, it has a thin light strip joining the taillamps together, which otherwise have a different shape. The trunk lid doesn’t seem to have changed that much from the Evo's tailgate, but the rear bumper has, as it looks cleaner.
The cockpit has yet to open up to the camera, but zooming in on one of the pics shared in the image gallery above reveals a dashboard panel identical to that of the Evos. The two-layer design is clearly visible, and so is that massive widescreen that is definitely the centerpiece here.
So, is Ford planning a brand new Fusion for North America and Mondeo for Europe after all? It appears that the Opel/Vauxhall Insignia, Volkswagen Passat, and Skoda Superb will get some rivalry from the Blue Oval in the Old Continent, and it might make its way to the New World too, as this is the second tester (that we're aware of) that was seen Stateside.
That was enough to stop enthusiasts speak about a possibly new Mondeo for Europe and Fusion for North America, until earlier this year, when a prototype looking suspiciously similar to China’s Evos was spied undergoing testing in Europe. A few weeks later, we spotted yet another tester, dressed in even heavier camouflage, and the latest one to have become the focus of our spy photographer’s camera lens sports fewer vinyl stickers on the outside.
Riding closer to the ground than the Evos, it looks more like a sedan with a sloping roofline than a crossover coupe. Nonetheless, it sports LED headlights that seem identical to its Asian sibling, and even the shape of the bumper is similar, save for the grille, which is wider. The side mirrors were lifted straight from the Evos, and out back, it has a thin light strip joining the taillamps together, which otherwise have a different shape. The trunk lid doesn’t seem to have changed that much from the Evo's tailgate, but the rear bumper has, as it looks cleaner.
The cockpit has yet to open up to the camera, but zooming in on one of the pics shared in the image gallery above reveals a dashboard panel identical to that of the Evos. The two-layer design is clearly visible, and so is that massive widescreen that is definitely the centerpiece here.
So, is Ford planning a brand new Fusion for North America and Mondeo for Europe after all? It appears that the Opel/Vauxhall Insignia, Volkswagen Passat, and Skoda Superb will get some rivalry from the Blue Oval in the Old Continent, and it might make its way to the New World too, as this is the second tester (that we're aware of) that was seen Stateside.
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