Shanghai - Ford sounded the death knell for its Mondeo sedan last year with the announcement that it would be discontinued in its home market of Europe. This follows the axing of the US version, called the Fusion back in 2020 (and which was also sold in South Africa until 2017).
But wait! The Ford Mondeo is alive and well in China, where a brand new generation has just been revealed at the company’s design studio in Shanghai. Ford describes the new four-door as a “sporty coupe-style sedan brimming with technology and showcasing Ford’s bold new design language for China.” However, at this stage there is no word on whether it’ll ever be introduced to any other global markets, meaning it’s likely to remain a China-only special along with the latest Escort and Territory models.
That’s perfectly understandable in a world that is quickly moving away from sedans, while demand still remains strong in China. But it’s also a pity because the new Ford Mondeo has a rather interesting exterior design, with its sleek fastback profile, flush door handles and bold front grille flanked by slim headlights.
For the record, the 2022 Ford Mondeo is 63mm longer and 23mm wider than the previous-generation model, and its design was led by Ford China, which also collaborated with global design teams.
“Progressive Energy in Strength” is the new design philosophy developed by Ford for China. “Based on the rich heritage of Ford and its icon designs, it incorporates extensive research by the brand into Chinese customers' aesthetic sensibility and preferences,” Ford says.
Ford hasn’t officially shown us inside the new Mondeo as yet, but word has it that it will adopt a similar cabin architecture to the Chinese-market Evos crossover, which has a 1.1-metre-long ‘super screen’ that stretches across the entire dashboard.
The new Ford Mondeo is reportedly built around Ford’s familiar C2 front-wheel drive platform that also underpins the Focus, and likely engine options include Ford’s 1.5-litre and 2.0-litre EcoBoost turbopetrols, as with the outgoing generation.