The fifth-generation Ford Mondeo has been exposed in a series of photographs on the Chinese Ministry for Industry and Information Technology website.
The fifth-generation Ford Mondeo has been exposed in a series of photographs on the Chinese Ministry for Industry and Information Technology website.
Set to see begin deliveries in China during the second quarter of 2022, the new four-door saloon will be produced in a joint venture between Ford and Chinese firm Changan in Chongqing.
While European sales of the new Mondeo have been ruled out by Ford, suggestions are it could be sold in the US as a replacement for the Fusion, although details on where North American models would be sourced is yet to be confirmed by Ford.
These new images serve as confirmation that previously spotted prototypes did in fact preview a Mondeo successor – but also that it won’t come here.
The previous Fusion was produced at Ford’s Hermosillo plant In Mexico. However, that’s now dedicated to production of the modern-day Bronco SUV.
The new Mondeo, known under the internal codename CD542, draws heavily on the recently launched Chinese market Evos crossover for design inspiration, featuring what Ford describes as its Potential Energy Aesthetics design lineage.
Key design elements on the sporty ST-Line model revealed here include an octagonal-shaped grille, slim LED headlights connected by a light band within the leading edge of the bonnet, separate daytime running lights and an A-shaped graphic for the air duct within the lower part of the front bumper.
Further back, the new Mondeo features a contoured bonnet, large wheelhouses housing wheels up to 19-inch in diameter, structured flanks with flush-fitting door handles, a coupé-style line roofline in a contrasting colour to the rest of the body and, as on the Evos, feature lines within the trailing part of the rear doors and rear quarter-panels.
The rear is characterised by its short deck, Mustang-inspired tail-lights (also connected by a full-width light band) and a bumper featuring an integrated diffuser.
At 4935mm long, 1875mm wide and 1500mm tall, the new Volkswagen Passat rival is 63mm longer, 23mm wider and 19mm higher than the Mk4 Mondeo that’s set to be phased out of production next year.
It also rides on a wheelbase that this 104mm longer than that of today’s Mondeo, at 2954mm.
Although we’re yet to get a look at the interior of the new Mondeo, Chinese sources confirm that it will receive the same basic cabin architecture as the Evos. Included is a dashboard housing a 1.1-metre wide display. It consists of a 12.3-inch digital instrument display and a separate 27-inch infotainment touchscreen.
It runs Ford’s new Sync+ 2.0 UX system bundled with a Baidu-developed software packaging, offering a virtual assistant together with over-the-air software-update capability, Level 2 driver assistance functions and car-to-X technology.
The new Mondeo is based on Ford’s C2 platform, which also underpins the existing Mk4 Focus. It has been conceived for cars ranging in size from the Fiesta to the Edge seven-seat SUV. Elements of the platform are also found in the Tourneo and Transit commercial vehicles.
Chinese market models are planned to offer a choice between turbocharged 1.5-litre and 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engines, the latter offering up to 177kW.
Also planned is a plug-in hybrid drivetrain, details of which are yet to be made official.