Should Ford get rid of Mondeo?

[GT69]

We drove a Zetec Mondeo when shopping for the missus car. Ended up with a Focus ST instead. I don't think anyone at Ford would have been too concerned with our change of heart.

Mondeo is a great car, arguably killed by Focus and Falcon though. And in turn Falcon gets killed by Ranger and Territory. While ever Ford (or any brand) upsells you into something else, they will be happy.

I thought the XR5 Mondeo was a real stunner, but I wouldn't buy one. I'm really going to miss my Falcon, but Ford will be happy as they'll be selling me an XLT Ranger instead. People buy what suits them.

[JG66ME]

I would like to see another sporty top of the line Mondeo to replace the old XR5. Introduce the Titanium X as sold on the UK market available with only the largest petrol or diesel engine and a MANUAL TRANSMISSION.

[Dr Smith]

Originally Posted by Nikked

The more cars Ford Australia sell, the more profit...

More profit helps investment in the local arm...

Exactly, Ford needs every segment covered not less, a model in sub Fiesta, Fiesta, Focus, Mondeo, Falcon, Kuga, Territory, FPV, Falcon ute, Ranger, Ranger wagon, F250, Transit Connect, Transit Custom and Transit van (with autos)...when all the bases are loaded, maximum profits are possible and market segment swings are covered.

[ryeman]

The trouble is that the market is so fragmented, with so many high global volume Asian competitors in such a small total volume market.

[FPV GTHO]

Originally Posted by Dr Smith

Exactly, Ford needs every segment covered not less, a model in sub Fiesta, Fiesta, Focus, Mondeo, Falcon, Kuga, Territory, FPV, Falcon ute, Ranger, Ranger wagon, F250, Transit Connect, Transit Custom and Transit van (with autos)...when all the bases are loaded, maximum profits are possible and market segment swings are covered.

If they were a 100% importer, then yes.

They dont offer the 180kw Ecoboost Mondeo though because they want you to buy that engine in Falcon. There doesnt seem to be any solid proof Mondeo sales are costing Falcon sales though, so beyond that its tough to make any more calls to cull an import over a local.

[jpd80]

If Ford was serious about Mondeo, the base model wouldn't have that awful antique 2.3 engine,
the 1.6 or 1.5 Ecoboost would be more in keeping with changing views on best possible economy..

[deadfish2]

whoever designed the oil filter location on the diesel models needs to be sacked!

[Crazy Dazz]

Originally Posted by FPV GTHO

If they were a 100% importer, then yes.

They dont offer the 180kw Ecoboost Mondeo though because they want you to buy that engine in Falcon.

So NOT a very successful strategy then?
In the UK I think there are something like 7 or 8 different engines to choose from (depending on spec.) As stated, FA simply cannot support such a variety on such a low volume. Trying to keep enough stock and enough parts would be too expensive. (Its a vicious circle.)
Nobody but a few tragic Ford diehards (like me) would walk into a Ford dealer looking to buy a Falcon, and drive out in a Mondeo, or vice versa.

[Gadgetman]

The mondeo is now a 7 year design in terms of exterior. I remember the vehicle making its world debut in Casino Royale. But you know what, the car still looks great on the outside. The reason the car is struggling is simpile. Yeah there were supply issues but it is getting a little tired. The one ford plan was not only to rationalise their models but also to have fresher cars to market at shorter intervals. New Mondeo will at least bring the numbers back up to where they were if not better. We need to remember that for quite a period in Aust, the Mondeo was the 2nd best seller in its segment behind the Camry. Fleets actually prefer the Mondeo wagon to the Commodore wagon. Why? Cause you can get 900 plus km urban out of a tank of diesel and the boot space is larger that a commodore. Great design, competitive pricing and well featured cars always kick goals. The car stays!

[Soulsearcher]

I've had a Mondeo diesel for 2 x years now, if it wasn't for that I wouldn't be considering a Falcon in a couple of months when I changeover (will be moving closer to work so stop / start isn't that conducive to diesel).

Overall had a good experience with the servicing area's, certainly better then I've had with Toyota / Holden (Mitsubishi was also fairly good).

[chevypower]

I am seeing a lot of new Fusions around here now. The new Fusion is the new global Mondeo (or poor man's Aston Martin). They look very classy too. I just don't know why Ford's 2.0 EcoBoost has quite a bit less power than Hyundai's 2.0T. The Hyundai is at about 204kw/365Nm vs Ford's 179kw/365Nm.

[Buntz]

Originally Posted by Brazen

Looking at constantly poor Mondeo sales compared to Falcon, is it worth keeping it on in Australia?

The much maligned sedan-only Falcon sells multiple times better than the Mondeo. People criticise the Falcon for lack of features... look at Mondeo, it is available with lane departure, radar cruise, sunroof, xenons, LED lights etc and it doesnt come close to selling the same as Falcon. It comes with Ecoboost and diesel in hatch and wagon. The Mondeo sedan was killed as it simply sold nothing.

Even with the death of the Falcon wagon - which had a consistent 400 sales a month Mondeo sales have hardly raised a blip even though Ford pitched the Mondeo squarely at Falcon wagon buyers. It looks like the Holden Sportwagon took many of these sales even though the Mondeo is bigger and has more cargo room.

Maybe people like their large Aussie cars, which can tow, drive long distance, can handle a load, have power to spare and are reliable and cheap to fix. Maybe shock-horror buyers prefer rear wheel drive and locally made too....

All I think Mondeo achieves is take up scarce showroom space, uses up advertising dollars and only highlights what the Falcon is missing in terms of features. It takes sales which perhaps could of gone Falcon's way. With Ecoboost under Falcon's bonnet there is even less of a reason for Mondeo.

Look at all the manufacturing capacity in Europe and with the market for cars in the toilet over there Ford should be selling a huge amount of Mondeos here.

Do buyers simply prefer rear wheel drive and Aussie made? Is Ford better off focusing their attention on Falcon with improvements in features and new variants?

Along with the Taurus experiment of the 90s, will the Mondeo experiment of the 2000s go down as another failed overthrow of the Falcon?

Yeah... give it the flick. It's not a great market performer here, and takes sales away from the similarly sized Falcon.

More people would be interested if it had the hybrid version from the states I think. Would add to Ford's Green Credentials.

[MethodX]

Just out of curiosity, isnt ford closing the Belgium and German plants?
Where will Aus delivered Mondeo come from?
Spain or Thailand?