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Ford Mondeo Ending Production Next March Because Crossovers Sell Better

Derived from the Latin word for world, the Mondeo launched in 1993 to great critical acclaim. After nearly three decades of production, the mid-size sedan and wagon will be put out to pasture next year in March.
Ford Mondeo 15 photos
Photo: Ford Mondeo
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“As a result of growing changes in customer preference, the Ford Motor Company will phase out the Mondeo. Since its launch in Europe where it replaced the Sierra, Mondeo sales have reached around five million to date.”

The growing changes mentioned by the Blue Oval refer to increasing demand for crossovers, which is understandable. Sedans and wagons aren’t as fashionable as utility vehicles, and the numbers don’t lie. More to the point, the segment in which the Mondeo competes is down 80 percent since 2000, according to a Ford spokesperson cited by Automotive News Europe.

FoMoCo didn’t mention if the European business prepares to welcome the all-new Evos, which will replace the Fusion in the United States of America. Volkswagen will reportedly discontinue the Passat sedan as well, but the long roof variant will reportedly soldier on. Czech automaker Skoda, which the Volkswagen Group owns, will continue selling the Superb sedan.

With one year of production left, it’s worth going over a few specs of the Mondeo. Priced from €33,400 in Germany, the mid-size sedan and wagon cost a lot more than the base Kuga compact crossover at €26,950. The entry-level engine comes in the guise of a 2.0-liter EcoBlue with 120 metric horsepower (118 hp) and a six-speed manual transmission. The range-topping powerplant is a 2.0-liter hybrid that’s WLTP-rated at 4.7 liters per 100 kilometers on the combined cycle or 50 miles per gallon in U.S. currency.

Obviously enough, the Evos promises to be a little more potent. Hearsay suggests the 2.5-liter hybrid of the Escape Hybrid, which produces 200 hp and 152 lb-ft (206 Nm) of torque. The North American brother of the Kuga Hybrid is EPA-rated 41 mpg combined or 5.7 liters per 100 kilometers.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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