The fifth-generation Ford Mondeo is finally here, with the executive saloon set to be sold exclusively to Chinese customers only. Ford made the grand reveal at the company's China Design Center in Shanghai, showcasing the vehicle as its new design language in the country.
The Mondeo's final styling was not a complete surprise, given that a series of images were leaked regarding its design last year. The Mondeo has long been a popular vehicle in China, first sold in the country back in 2002. That was nearly a decade after Ford first launched the said vehicle in Europe.
Head designer Maurizio Tocco was proud of the new Mondeo, saying that it was a privilege and challenge for his team to reinvent the said model. Tocco said, "We wanted to respect and acknowledge the history which had come before us while elevating the customers' experience to the next level." Tocco added that the starting point of Mondeo's new design is always the customer and that his team looked for innovative ways to incorporate what they need and want into it.
The new Mondeo is a historic one for Ford as this was the first model that was designed based on the company's new Progressive Energy in Strength' philosophy. With that line of thinking, Ford blended the company's "rich heritage" and "icon designs" with the Chinese buyers' main preferences. Ford's new ethos has three defining characteristics, "commanding, agile and responsive."
Ford believes the new Mondeo has delivered on that promise. Its new design draws heavily from the Evos crossover, the Mondeo's sibling model in the Chinese market. Some of Mondeo's key design elements include an A-shaped graphic for the air duct located within the lower part of the front bumper, separate daytime running lights, an octagonal-shaped grille, and slim LED headlights connected by a light band placed within the leading edge of the bonnet.
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Mondeo's rear has taillights that draw inspiration from the Mustang, with its bumper also featuring an integrated diffuser. The car also has large wheelhouses capable of housing wheels with a diameter of up to 19 inches. The new rival of the Volkswagen Passat stands at 1500m tall and has a length of 4935 mm and a width of 1875 mm. That is 19mm higher, 63mm longer, and 23mm wider than the soon-to-be phased-out Mk4 Mondeo.
The Mondeo's interior is reportedly set to receive the same basic cabin architecture found in the Evos with a dashboard featuring a 1.1-meter wide display. Ford is set to begin deliveries for the 2022 Mondeo in China during the second quarter of this year. The sleek four-door saloon will be produced in the region of Chongqing via a joint venture between Chinese firm Changan and Ford.
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