When it comes to B-class cars, many people first think of the Japanese three musketeers Honda Accord, Toyota Camry, Nissan Tianlai, and the "Volkswagen Double Male" Passat and Maiten, who can occasionally pull the wrist with the Japanese three, or the "Buick Double King" whose sales have declined but the influence is still there.
But before 2018, Ford's Mondeo is definitely a presence that cannot be ignored.
At that time, Mondeo maintained a monthly sales of more than 10,000 per year and was a well-deserved mainstream model in the B-class car market. Because of this, when we received an invitation to the new generation of Ford Mondeo's global launch ceremony, the interest was instantly raised, and we wanted to see what kind of new face this car would be.
For the launch of the new generation of Mondeo, Ford officials can be said to have taken pains to deliberately choose the release location at the just-unveiled Ford China Design Center.
In 2004, it was Ford Mondeo's entry into China that allowed Changan Ford to successfully enter the first-line camp of domestic joint venture vehicles. So can the new generation of Mondeo help Ford get back to the top?
Abandon the "Martin face" and upgrade the appearance value
At that time, Ford Mondeo was popular throughout the country, and appearance was the key factor. It has a classic hexagonal mouth and sharp headlights, and because Aston Martin and Ford once had a relationship, fans jokingly referred to this design language as "Martin Face". But after seeing the new generation of Mondeo, we understand that Now Ford is not ready to rely on Martin's face to attract consumers.
The new car adopts a new family "potential energy aesthetics" design concept, its mid-mesh size is larger, looks more domineering, and the forward grille adopts a 3D parametric scale armor grille, and carries out a breathing undulating design, atmospheric, but not losing refinement.
At the same time, the new car also adopts split headlights, and a penetrating LED light strip is designed on the upper edge of the middle net, which greatly enhances the fashion atmosphere of the whole vehicle.
To highlight the sporty atmosphere, the new generation of Mondeo has also adopted a penetrating front surround.
From the side of the body, the new generation of Mondeo has a certain inheritance relationship with the old model, they all adopt a body shape similar to the slipback, but the new generation of Mondeo is obviously more stretched, and the body line is more rigid and powerful.
The high and low double waistline is eye-catching and full of business atmosphere. The old model is slightly rounded, and the new generation of Mondeo seems to have regained the style of the American muscle car.
It is worth mentioning that the body length of the new generation of Mondeo has reached 4935mm, and the wheelbase has reached 2945mm, which is a circle larger than the current model, and the internal space is believed not to disappoint users.
The changes in the appearance of the new generation of Mondeo are all-round, and its tail is more calm, atmospheric, and has an angular sense of power.
It is worth noting that the new car uses Ford Mustang's classic three-poster taillights, and the interior of the lamp cavity has also been blackened to bring a stronger sporty atmosphere.
On the whole, the "potential energy aesthetics" design language adopted by the new generation of Ford Mondeo is based on sportiness and a sense of strength as the core appeal, which is the consistent style of american B-class cars, and it is also easier to be recognized by young consumers. The new design language has brought a new atmosphere, and it seems that Ford is riveting enough to do a big job in the Chinese auto market.
It was finally replaced after 8 years
There are many models in the Chinese auto market that have disappeared "walking", and although The Ford Mondeo has not disappeared, the average monthly sales of more than 3,000 are obviously not satisfactory to Ford.
But many people still remember its former style and glory, which can be known from the heat after the launch.
That is to say, now Mondeo, it is still too late to "rescue".
The reason people expect a new generation of Mondeo is because it was once brilliant.
Ford Mondeo entered the Chinese market in 2004, when it was the second mass production car launched by Changan Ford in China, and the real popularity was after 2013, that is, after Mondeo replaced the "Martin Face", it quickly rose to become the main model in the domestic B-class car market.
From 2013 to 2018, Mondeo basically maintained a monthly sales of more than 10,000, which is a certain gap with camry, Accord and Passat before the collision goal, but still a tough player.
The problem is that Ford officials seem to underestimate the development speed of the Chinese market, since 2013, this car has not been replaced, 8 years, enough for some brands to launch two generations of models, Ford Mondeo in this period of time the development speed is significantly lower than the industry average.
In fact, this is not only a problem with Mondeo's car, the development speed of the entire Ford brand has slowed down in recent years.
From 2015 to 2018, the Ford brand did not have a new car on the market for more than 3 years, which is unimaginable in the Chinese market
However, it should be noted that these are all mistakes in corporate decision-making, Ford's technical strength has not weakened, and there is no major problem in the basic disk.
After adjusting its corporate strategy and adopting a new design concept, Ford has begun to return to the upward trajectory.
In the whole year of 2021, Ford Motor sold nearly 625,000 units in China, an increase of 3.7% year-on-year, and it is worth affirming that it can achieve such results under the double blow of the epidemic and the chip shortage crisis.
Can Mondeo get Ford back to the top?
Judging from the history of Mondeo, this car has not had major quality problems, and although fans have some dissatisfaction with its development status, their loyalty is still relatively high.
Because of this, Ford officially regarded the Mondeo as a strategic class in the new generation. Its launch location was selected at the Ford Full Function Design Center in Shanghai, and under the leadership of Ford's Chinese design team, the design concept of "potential energy aesthetics" brought a new temperament and charm to Mondeo.
The B-Class is the mainstay of most car brands, and Ford officials certainly want Mondeo to win. From the current situation, what Ford needs most is a new brand image, as a representative of American cars, Ford has left the center stage of the Chinese auto market for a while, and now it has come to a time when it is necessary to change.
At present, more details of the new generation of Mondeo have not been announced, but only from the design, people can already feel the sincerity of Ford's rebranding.
It's hard to say exactly what the car's overall performance will be, but as a strategic model of the Ford brand, Ford will obviously be fully armed with this car.
China's auto market competition is fierce, and Mondeo has new ideas and sincerity, which will form a big boost to Ford's entire brand.
Conclusion: The "absence" of American cars is a significant phenomenon in the Chinese auto market in recent years, and the American cars that can be remembered are only a few models such as Buick GL8 and Buick Yinglang. The emergence of a new generation of Mondeo, whether it can become the driving force for the Ford brand to return to the peak, people wait and see.