Ford to GIVE UP on saloons and Hatchbacks in the US – the end of Mondeo in Europe?

Ford is to give up selling saloons and hatchbacks in the US from 2020, concentrating on SUVs, Pick-ups and CVs. Does this signal the demise of the Mondeo in the UK and Europe?

It’s a bold move, and quite possibly an heroically prescient one too, as Ford decides it’s no longer worth their while to produce saloons and hatchbacks for the US market as demand continues to fall for ‘traditional’ cars.

In fact, from 2020, Ford say the only cars you’ll be able to buy in the US are the Mustang and new Focus Active – effectively a Crossover with its raised ride height.

It’s the culmination of a long decline in ordinary car sales for Ford around the world, as ‘Premium’ brands deliver cars to tempt the traditional saloon buyer, and SUVs knock saloons and hatchbacks way down the wish list for buyers too.

But what will be the impact on Ford’s range in the UK now they’ve bitten the bullet on moving out of traditional cars in the US?

Despite the Fiesta and Focus biting the dust in the US, there’s virtually zero chance they will go the same way in either the UK or Europe; we have a new Focus just arrived and the Fiesta is Ford’s biggest selling car in the UK. But what of the Mondeo?

The current Mondeo is a ‘world’ car, and it first hit the road in the US two years before it finally arrived in the UK and, it would seem likely, the chances of Ford renewing the Mondeo (Fusion in the States) beyond a currently planned facelift, are small.

If the Mondeo does go in to the history bin it will be a real shame; successor to such big Ford success stories in the UK as the Cortina and Sierra, it is, despite being a terrific car, no longer appealing to buyers who would rather have a BMW 3 Series or Mercedes C-Class – or an SUV or Crossover.

How times change.