Goodbye, farewell, and amen.
Since March 2021, Ford’s announcement of plans to stop making the Mondeo had signalled that the writing was on the wall. On April 4, the last nail in the coffin of the midsize car’s coffin was hammered when the final car left the Valencia factory. To share an image of the final midsize car, a gray wagon with a banner that indicated it was the last of its breed, a product engineer went to LinkedIn.
The model’s codename is “CD391”, which was shared with the defunct Fusion. Ford created the car as the first truly global model. The North American counterpart gave up the fight to the car industry almost two years ago. However, both cars have been resurrected in China.
The Mondeo Mk5 was indeed unveiled in the most populous country on the planet, where it will be made. The Blue Oval confirmed that the model will not be sold elsewhere since its debut. Similar styling can be applied to the Evos wagonized SUV, which we would not mind seeing outside China. Ford may be up to something, as prototypes have been seen being tested in different parts of the world.
The Mondeo is dead in Europe, as people prefer something else. Ford did not mention SUVs specifically, but only said that the model was no longer available due to “changing customer preferences.” Contacted by Autocar, a spokesperson for Ford stated that Dearborn is “evolving its passenger vehicle range in Europe to satisfy changing customer needs as our move to an all electric future.”
The SUV craze has affected the Mondeo to a certain extent. The Opel Insignia will also switch from a traditional sedan/wagon formula to a high-riding model. Citroen already took this route with its C5X, while Volkswagen has stopped production of the Passat Sedan.
Wolfsburg is working on a new generation for its midsize model. However, some believe it will only be available in wagon form. Skoda confirmed that the newSuperb will be available in sedan/liftback or wagon versions. The stunning Peugeot 508 is also available in Europe, where Toyota sells its Camry.
Ford will also say goodbye to the EcoSportin Europe, as the production of the subcompact crossover in Romania will end in 2022.