Photo: pistonheads.com
As you’re well aware, the best-selling Ford in Europe is the Puma, a subcompact crossover based on the Fiesta that has few things in common with the three-door hatchback coupe from the 1990s. The Blue Oval also raised a few eyebrows by calling the Mustang Mach-E a Mustang, and they’re not done yet, according to European design chief Murat Gueler.
“I think we have the unique asset of having nameplates from the past that we can tap into to emotionalize our product,” he told Autocar.co.uk, “and to tell stories no other brand can tell." Murat didn’t mention a single one of those past icons, which include the Cortina, Sierra, and the Escort.
The Pinto is definitely out of the question due to the fuel tank’s design, the Model T isn’t appropriate either, and the Scorpio nameplate is forever tainted by the fugly design of the mid-size family car. Probe and Capri are likely candidates for sporty models, although we already know that Ford considers the Mustang Mach-E sporty as well, even though it’s clearly not.
“There is opportunity with nameplates that you can really refresh and execute in the right way to distinguish yourself from others,” said Gueler.
Expected to be revealed in late 2022 for a 2023 market launch, the EU-only electric crossover based on the Volkswagen MEB vehicle architecture seems like the perfect application for a revived nameplate. Only time will tell if the yet-unnamed model is the right model for the automaker’s European arm, which is also eyeing the all-new Bronco, according to Jim Farley.
The head honcho says that a body-on-frame SUV like the Bronco would be fine in this part of the world, a rather curious thing to say if you glance over the sales figures for the two- and four-door Jeep Wrangler. Even the Ranger pickup truck lags behind the Transit panel van, which goes to show that a unibody is the right way of capturing a bigger slice of the market.
The Pinto is definitely out of the question due to the fuel tank’s design, the Model T isn’t appropriate either, and the Scorpio nameplate is forever tainted by the fugly design of the mid-size family car. Probe and Capri are likely candidates for sporty models, although we already know that Ford considers the Mustang Mach-E sporty as well, even though it’s clearly not.
“There is opportunity with nameplates that you can really refresh and execute in the right way to distinguish yourself from others,” said Gueler.
Expected to be revealed in late 2022 for a 2023 market launch, the EU-only electric crossover based on the Volkswagen MEB vehicle architecture seems like the perfect application for a revived nameplate. Only time will tell if the yet-unnamed model is the right model for the automaker’s European arm, which is also eyeing the all-new Bronco, according to Jim Farley.
The head honcho says that a body-on-frame SUV like the Bronco would be fine in this part of the world, a rather curious thing to say if you glance over the sales figures for the two- and four-door Jeep Wrangler. Even the Ranger pickup truck lags behind the Transit panel van, which goes to show that a unibody is the right way of capturing a bigger slice of the market.
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