In my impression, Ford owners are probably the most nostalgic group of owners. Every time I see the message of the Online Ford owner, I am lamenting the experience and feeling that the chassis and power of the Ford car have given them unforgettable. Including our office boss Qingge, the daily water blowing time can always hear his unsparing praise for the former Ford car, the main object is the former Fox, Mondeo and so on.
As one of the most expensive models in the history of the car, Mondeo has also been brilliant in China.
I don't know if you remember this glorious history of Mondeo. It began to enter the Chinese market in 2004, when the second generation of models was introduced, and in 2013, the fourth generation of models, with the design of the face-bumping "Martin" (nicknamed "Aston Mondeo") and the recognized product strength (power, chassis, control) at that time, Mondeo's sales in the Chinese market reached a peak.
In 2016, it exceeded 100,000 vehicles, and in 2017, it exceeded 110,000 vehicles, basically selling about 10,000 units a month is no problem, and at that time Mondeo can be said to be one of the most successful American mid-range cars.
I thought that that was the beginning of the harvest of Mondeo's sales, but I did not expect it to become a peak that cannot be surpassed today. Since 2018, its sales have begun to plummet, falling to 45,000 units in 2018 and 17,000 units in 2019. 2018 is exactly when I entered the industry, at that time the Japanese mid-level car three musketeers are busy changing generations, everyone's attention to the intermediate car seems to be focused on the Accord, Camry, Tianlai, even if it is also the American car Ofway annual sales can also have 100,000 vehicles, Mondeo really has no sense of existence, is forgotten in the corner.
Of course, the reason for Mondeo's subsequent poor sales is the strong suppression of competing models, and part of the reason is its own problems. Counting with your fingers, since 2013, the fourth generation of Mondeo has not been replaced for 9 years, and the product power and aesthetics are still stuck in the era of the Rio Olympic Games.
Fortunately, this year, a new generation of Mondeo is finally coming. With the suspension of production of Mondeo in the North American and European markets, this new generation of Mondeo is mainly developed by the Chinese team, and will mainly compete in the Chinese market in the future.
In terms of design, Mondeo feels brand new. The "Martin face" that once fascinated many people was changed to Ford's new front face design, which is the style on EVOS.
A large polygonal grille is adopted, the interior is a bright black scale armor that can "breathe", the LED headlight group on both sides is connected to the middle net, and there is a penetrating light strip above to widen the visual width. Below the middle net is a penetrating front enclosure, the interior is blackened, and the sense of combat is full. The design language of this front face is actually what we have seen on the EVOS model of the SUV model, and it is put on a more low-lying car, and the sense of sport is also in place.
I think the side of the new car is the most emotional angle, the back shape, the double-colored body, the slender front cabin and the layered side lines, the whole car looks very stretched, the proportion is very coordinated. You can feel that the new Mondeo is also going to a younger sports route, so in the styling of the designer is very pursuing a sense of visual impact, the height of the window does not seem to be half the height of the door, such a design method is very coupe, but may also bring the problem of driving vision.
The three-stage vertical taillights at the tail are a bit of a tribute to MUSTANG, and the through-type light strip is not missing, and the model name in English is under the light strip.
Mondeo looks very stretchy and smooth on the one hand, it is a factor in design, on the other hand, it is because of the overall size upgrade. The new car has a length, width and height size of 4935/1875/1500mm, and the wheelbase has reached 2945mm, which is 23mm more than the current car width, 62mm in length, and 95mm in wheelbase, so the designer has more room to play in the shape, and the lines of the whole car are more coordinated and stretched.
The interior of the new car has also been completely upgraded, using Ford's latest interior language. A huge central control screen is the most eye-catching, reaching a length of 1.1 meters. On EVOS we have already experienced this screen including the built-in car system, resolution, interface design, playability, feature richness are very good, and the current Mondeo can be said to be a cross-era crossing.
At the same time, you can see that the materials for the entire interior of the new car are also very low, although the style is very simple, but the materials are not ambiguous at all, the soft materials wrap the area that most of the hands in the cabin can touch, and most of the physical keys after the cancellation of the central control position looks very clean and sharp. The difference between Mondeo's interior and EVOS is not very big, it is very simple and technological, and sitting in it will make you feel like an electric car, I don't know how receptive this change is for Ford fans.
On the most important power specifications, the manufacturer has not yet disclosed specific information. However, according to the consistent high standards of the American car in terms of power, it is very likely that it will be the whole series of 2.0T+8AT, which is the same as the power system on the EVOS (maximum horsepower 238Ps, maximum torque 376N·m).
The overall product strength of the new generation of Mondeo, in terms of aesthetics, design, materials, and space (according to the static experience of colleagues, it is still very good to look at, and in the joint venture intermediate sedan, it can also reach the middle and upper level. Although it is difficult for the car to return to its peak sales, there are still many potential consumers if the pricing is sincere.
With the discontinuation of production in the North American and European markets, the Mondeo, once Ford's first global car, has gradually become a special supply car for the Chinese market. However, this is not a bad thing for consumers, and it can be seen from the big strokes and big moves on the replacement that Ford China attaches great importance to this car and is very much looking forward to what the pricing of this car will be when it is listed.