INTERNATIONAL - The Ford Mondeo, which succeeded the Sierra and Cortina models in Ford’s midsize stable back in the early nineties, was once a very popular car on its home continent of Europe. In fact some might even say it saved the Blue Oval.
However in today’s SUV crazed world, the conventional midsize sedan and hatchback has effectively become a niche that many carmakers no longer want to invest in. In line with these trends, the Mondeo (also known as the Fusion in some markets) has already been discontinued in many countries, including South Africa, and many were doubting whether there would be a new generation at all.
However, now it appears that the Mondeo/Fusion will be reinvented as an SUV with a sporty, sloping-tail design, as depicted in spy pictures and renderings that were recently published in Auto Express.
NEWS: Ford will transform the new Mondeo into an SUV and our exclusive images preview how it could look. What do you think? >> https://t.co/XF7iLA5pJi pic.twitter.com/5CMZyUaZ7i
— Auto Express (@AutoExpress) February 5, 2021
According to the British publication, the new vehicle, which could be badged Mondeo Evos, is set to be revealed in 2022, and although powertrain details have yet to be confirmed, the exhaust pipes in the spy pictures confirm that it will not be all-electric, at least not at first, although hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions are a foregone conclusion given the ever-stricter emissions rules in Europe.
Auto Express also reports that the newcomer will be built on Ford’s C2 platform, which also underpins the latest Focus and Kuga models, and that it will also offer a plug-in hybrid powertrain derived from the latter, which pairs a 2.5-litre petrol engine with an electric motor.
The current Mondeo is in its fifth generation, and this vehicle was briefly sold as the Fusion in South Africa. Its predecessors used the Mondeo nameplate in South Africa, with the second generation having been built at Ford’s Silverton plant from 1998 onwards, alongside the then-new Escort and Fiesta models. However, the third-generation Mondeo, introduced in 2001, was a full import as the segment had already started to die out in SA.
It remains to be seen whether the high-riding sixth-generation Mondeo will find its way to South Africa, but given the popularity of SUVs and crossovers it’s certainly a possible candidate.