Ford Mondeo will disappear next year

Ford of Europe’s electrification program will make long-time icon Mondeo disappear at the beginning of next year. The Galaxy and S-Max MPVs will stay in production.

Of course, the fact that Ford needs production capacity in its Valencia plant for new electrified engines is not the main reason for Mondeo’s demise. The so-called D-segment sedan is almost dead in Europe.

Especially so for the so-called generalist manufacturers. Sales of cars like a Ford Mondeo, Opel Insignia, Peugeot 508, Renault Talisman, or VW Passat are under serious pressure; most of them survive (just) because of their break version.

The reason for their demise is rather obvious: the SUV. The latter is now representing over 40% of the market in all formats. Ford has been very slow to react to this phenomenon, but with the Ecosport, the Puma, the Kuga, the Edge, and the Explorer, it now has a competitive order at last.

In 2020, 39% of Ford’s European sales were SUVs or crossovers, 8% more than in 2019. Hence, the decision to ax the Mondeo, after some 5 million units produced, most of them in the Belgian Genk factory between 1993 and 2014.

The MPVs on the same platform, S-Max and Galaxy, don’t have to go yet. As there aren’t so many MPVs on the market anymore, Ford reckons there’s still a small but sufficient market for them.

Electrifcation

Ford’s big Valencia plant, where the Mondeo models were also built, faces a big reconversion plan. In line with its recent decision to electrify as soon as possible and offer only EVs in 2030, the Spanish plant has to change its course.

Today, Ford sets the next step in its electrification offensive and builds a bridge toward its future electric portfolio, says Kieran Cahill, VP Manufacturing Ford of Europe. “Since 2011, we’ve been investing $3 billion in this factory.”

At the end of 2022, the production starts in Valencia of the 2.5 Duratec hybrid engine, the power source of the Kuga (PHEV), the S-Max, and the Galaxy Full Hybrid. It’s a 2.5 gasoline engine functioning to the Atkinson cycle. Until now, this engine is only built in Mexico.

Apart from that, an increasing amount of battery packs will be assembled in Valencia to be used in current (the Mustang mache E) and future EVs. The facility has been started in September last year while some €30 million have been invested.

Last year, 50% of all Kuga SUVs sold were of the PHEV type, illustrating that the consumer gets more and more interested in electrified models. At Ford, they hope this is a turning point; they already changed their strategy based upon it.