Ever since its first generation, the Ford Mondeo has always been a mid-sized sedan designed for the European buyer. The first two iterations of the car were competent, but rather mediocre in many respects, including looks and driving dynamics, but once the third generation was launched, it all changed for the better.
Now, with the announced shift of production from its traditional home, in Genk, Belgium to another facility in Spain, European buyers will have to wait for their Mondeo until 2014, keeping the ageing current model in production until then – admittedly, not the best decision they could have made.
Even China has already received the all-new Mondeo, which was recently launched during a private held this week. The car will be made locally by the Chang’an Ford joint venture, and it is set to go on sale by the end of May, with prices ranging between 170,000 and 260,000 Yuan or $25,800 to $43,500.
“We’ve gone further in every aspect to bring to China the most premium Mondeo we have ever designed, developed and built,” said Marin Burela, president and CEO, Changan Ford Automobile Co., Ltd. “The all-new Mondeo is designed to stir the senses and transform expectations of what a car can be.
“It’s truly a flagship car, offering a blend of quality and excitement to our Chinese customers that raises the bar in the segment in terms of craftsmanship, style and technology- delivering what we believe our Chinese customers truly want and value.”
It will be built alongside the current Mondeo, which will stay in production for another two years, and will only be offered with a six-speed SelectShift automatic gearbox on all engine variants.
By Andrei Nedelea
Note: EU-Spec Ford Mondeo shown in pictures
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