Pre-Paris reveal tipped for new Ford Mondeo

FORD is tipped to reveal its European market Mondeo mid-sizer – which will represent the Australian-delivered car due to go on sale late next year or early 2014 – at an event in Amsterdam on Thursday.

At the event, entitled ‘Go Further’ in line with Ford’s new corporate slogan, global CEO Alan Mulally, Ford of Europe chairman Stephen Odell and other senior executives will outline the Blue Oval’s accelerated product plans for Europe.

The Amsterdam event will be broadcast over the internet, with 2500 attendees on the ground including Ford dealers, employees and members of the media.

Ford says it is “planning the global reveal of new vehicles and technologies for Europe, leveraging the company’s global One Ford plan”.

The next-generation Mondeo, so far only seen in North American ‘Fusion’ guise as presented at the Detroit motor show in January, is confirmed to appear at the Paris show on September 27.

However several European publications, including respected British journal Autocar are predicting the Mondeo will be previewed a couple of weeks early in Amsterdam.

Mr Odell said Ford is “very excited to share the details of one of the largest new product and technology rollouts in the history of Ford of Europe with customers, dealers, employees and media at this unique event”.

Ford Australia brand communications manager Neil McDonald confirmed there had been delays in the start of European Mondeo production that could push the car’s local launch out to 2014.

“We are anticipating late 2013 or early 2014 for Australia,” he said. “I know there have been some delays in Europe so that’s where we are at the moment with it.”Mondeos destined for Australia will be sourced from Ford’s Genk production facility in Belgium and reports out of Europe say Ford has delayed the start of production by three months to iron out quality issues at the factory.

The reports say Ford will either stockpile the current car of extend its production to make up for the gap.

Mr McDonald could not confirm which option Ford will take but said he expected the event in Amsterdam to “offer some clarity” on the matter.

Mondeo sales in Australia were down 23.2 per cent to the end of July with 3057 units sold, one of seven Ford products experiencing double-digit sales shrinkage in the same period.

The new Mondeo cannot come soon enough for Ford Australia as its market share has been eroded from 12.4 per cent last year to 7.8 per cent this year by Volkswagen’s Jetta and Passat, the Hyundai i40 and Honda Accord Euro.

The all-new Mazda6 and Holden Malibu will add further heat to the ageing Mondeo – launched in Australia in October 2007 – when they are launched here in the first half of next year.

Ford products enjoying significant sales growth to the end of July are the Focus (up 38 per cent), Territory (up 35.2 per cent) and Transit van (up 82.6 per cent), but Ford Australia is down five per cent for the period, with 50,333 sales.