Photo: Federico Ertl on LinkedIn
Named after the Latin word for world, the European Mondeo is a heavyweight in the industry. No fewer than four generations were produced from November 1992 to April 2022. The final example of the breed rolling off the line earlier this week, according to Ford España engineer Federico Ertl.
“It's very sad to think that these have been the last two vehicles made,” said Ertl. “Fingers crossed for new projects at the Almussafes plant,” he signed off, which begs the obvious question of what’s next for this assembly site?
Back in March 2021, when the Mondeo’s fate was publicly sealed, the vice president of manufacturing at Ford of Europe did mention the 2.5-liter hybrid four-cylinder engine. Based on the Duratec family, this Atkinson-cycle powerplant will enter production at Valencia sometime in late 2022. Kieran Cahill has confirmed increased battery production capacity as well.
Why did the Mondeo die with a whimper instead of a bang? The simple answer is consumer preference. Ford’s best-selling vehicle in Europe is the Fiesta-based Puma crossover, which moved 132,455 units last year. The Kuga PHEV, which is twinned with the Escape PHEV in the United States of America, was crowned the best-selling PHEV in this part of the world. As for the best-selling commercial vehicle, the Ford Transit Custom family of mid-sized vans totaled 131,028 units in the Old Continent back in 2021.
Ford of Europe moved 12,584 copies of the Mondeo in this period. Even the Mustang Mach-E sold better, and the all-electric utility vehicle is priced way higher. Even if you are fed up with utilities, Europe and the rest of the world can’t get enough of them, especially during these times of chip shortages and shortages related to Russia’s barbaric war against Ukraine.
The Mondeo, however, isn’t gone for good. China has received a brand-new generation in January, based on the C2 platform of the Focus. Only available with front-wheel drive, the Chinese model comes with a 2.0-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder turbo and an eight-speed automatic transmission.
Back in March 2021, when the Mondeo’s fate was publicly sealed, the vice president of manufacturing at Ford of Europe did mention the 2.5-liter hybrid four-cylinder engine. Based on the Duratec family, this Atkinson-cycle powerplant will enter production at Valencia sometime in late 2022. Kieran Cahill has confirmed increased battery production capacity as well.
Why did the Mondeo die with a whimper instead of a bang? The simple answer is consumer preference. Ford’s best-selling vehicle in Europe is the Fiesta-based Puma crossover, which moved 132,455 units last year. The Kuga PHEV, which is twinned with the Escape PHEV in the United States of America, was crowned the best-selling PHEV in this part of the world. As for the best-selling commercial vehicle, the Ford Transit Custom family of mid-sized vans totaled 131,028 units in the Old Continent back in 2021.
Ford of Europe moved 12,584 copies of the Mondeo in this period. Even the Mustang Mach-E sold better, and the all-electric utility vehicle is priced way higher. Even if you are fed up with utilities, Europe and the rest of the world can’t get enough of them, especially during these times of chip shortages and shortages related to Russia’s barbaric war against Ukraine.
The Mondeo, however, isn’t gone for good. China has received a brand-new generation in January, based on the C2 platform of the Focus. Only available with front-wheel drive, the Chinese model comes with a 2.0-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder turbo and an eight-speed automatic transmission.
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