The Passat’s closest rival is about to give up after nearly 30 years.
Ford’s US-spec Fusion was discontinued last year. Its European sibling will follow suit at the end March 2022. Blue Oval announced plans to end assembly of its midsize sedan/liftback/wagon at its Valencia plant, Spain. This is due to “growing customer preference”. The rise in crossovers and SUVs has slowly decreased the demand for sedans, and wagons.
The Mondeo was launched in 1993 to replace Sierra. It has sold approximately five million units in Europe. Although it is sad to see the Mondeo go, it was there for a long time. According to a Ford spokesperson, Automotive News Europe states that “the market segment where the Mondeo competes” has been declining for many years and has fallen about 80 percent in recent years.
The Mondeo, once a mainstay of Ford’s Euro lineup could be replaced by the main rival Volkswagen Passat. This is because the sedan version of the once highly successful German model will be discontinued. According to reports, the next-generation VW Group model will only be available as a wagon. An next-gen Skoda Superb has also been announced. This means that people who aren’t into SUVs can still purchase a traditional model in this segment. There are several premium sedans available in this segment, including the Peugeot 508 and Opel/Vauxhall Insignia.
The Mondeo isn’t going away completely. Ford still sells the car in China, where it was upgraded last year with a huge 12.8-inch vertical display. The People’s Republic is still very fond of sedans so the Mondeo should be available locally for the next few years. The body style will not change if you look at the large sedan range of the VW Group in the country.
While it is not surprising that Ford has decided to retire the Mondeo in Europe’s, we were surprised to learn that the Galaxy and Smax minivans will be produced in Valencia. A rugged, jacked-up wagon will be the indirect replacement for Europe’s Mondeo or North America’s Fusion. Although it has been seen several times, it could be launched in 2021. However, it is not clear if it will continue to carry these names.
Ford will invest in the Valencia plant to begin production of the 2.5-liter Duratec hybrid engine for the European market. To prepare for the rapidly approaching electric era, Ford will increase battery pack assembly. The Blue Oval will only sell electric passenger cars in Europe by 2030. In the next decade, commercial vehicles with combustion engines will still exist but will only be available in plug-in hybrid versions that will be sold along with EVs.