The Ford Mondeo succeeded the Ford Sierra in 1993. This in turn succeeded the Taunus, which had been sold since the 1930s.
The "bathtub" or the "Gelsenkirchen Baroque" are unforgettable.
But the successor Sierra was also good for cult specimens, such as the winged evolution models.
And the Mondeo became a world car.
So a mid-range car tradition that lasted almost a century is now coming to an abrupt end.
Excerpt from Ford's press release dated March 25, 2021:
"Production of the Ford Mondeo will cease on March 31, 2022
While Ford is gradually approaching a fully electric passenger car future, the preferences of European consumers are also changing: more and more customers are opting for electrified vehicles - last year, for example, over 50 percent of Kuga buyers ordered the plug-in hybrid version of this successful SUV. Overall, SUVs and crossover vehicles accounted for around 39% of Ford's passenger car sales in Europe in 2020 - eight percentage points more than in 2019.
As a result of this change in purchasing behavior, Ford will discontinue the Mondeo, which is located in the C/D segment and produced at the Valencia plant, on March 31, 2022. The two other models in this segment that are also built in Valencia - the Ford S-MAX and the seven-seater Ford Galaxy - will continue to be produced. Full hybrid variants have also recently become available for these two model series.
The successful Mondeo made its debut in 1993 and was the first Ford vehicle to be celebrated as a "world car". Since its introduction in Europe, where it replaced the Ford Sierra, the Mondeo has been produced around five million times."
Apparently, the classic saloon really is a discontinued model. Even a long tradition doesn't help. But with the disappearance of the Taunus-Sierra-Mondeo product line, the former flagships are not forgotten, on the contrary. As classic cars, they remain welcome visitors to meetings and events.
