Ford Mondeo to live on… for now

The Ford Mondeo will be given a facelift and change in career direction in Australia in 2019, rather than being killed off like its close relation the Fusion in North America.

The five-door hatch and wagon family had been under a cloud here as medium passenger car sales diminish and buyers flock to SUVs and pick-ups.

But Ford Australia will instead change its skew when a cosmetic update arrives in 2019 by rationalising the range and placing more emphasis on the wagon version, which is finding sales traction with fleets.

But don’t expect the Mondeo plug-in hybrid to show up in Australia, even though it was promised as far back as 2014 and expected as part of the latest-generation Mondeo model range launched in April 2015.

“The medium segment is definitely declining and our volume is clearly declining with it,” said Ford Australia boss Kay Hart.

“We continue to evaluate and we continue offer Mondeo in our line-up. We will probably have a reduced line-up as we go into the freshening but we will have to work that analysis through based on where the industry is at.”

Ford has sold 1833 Mondeos to the end of November 2018, compared to 2821 in the same period of 2017.

Currently, Ford offers Ambiente, Trend and Titanium specification hatches, each with the choice of turbo-petrol and turbo-diesel engines mated to automatic transmissions. Pricing ranges from $33,190 to $47,990.

There is only one petrol wagon in the Ambiente grade, but three diesel wagons, priced from $35,040 to $49,840.

First launched in Australia back in 1996, the Mondeo was dropped in 2001 and returned in 2007. It has since been a consistent seller for Ford, without ever achieving the sales heights hoped for it in a segment dominated by the Toyota Camry.

The decline in medium passenger cars sales has seen Honda debate whether to bring back the Accord before finally giving it a green light, Subaru question the future of the Liberty sedan and Hyundai hint the Sonata and i40 will soon be amalgamated into one model.

Ford in North America is abandoning the Fusion as part of a general move away from passenger cars apart from the Mustang sports car and Focus Active crossover.

But Ford of Europe, which designs and builds the Mondeo says it intends to continue on with it for some time yet.

Ford Australia has chopped all bar the Fiesta ST from its mini-car line-up, but is retaining a full line-up of the new Focus as well as sticking with Mondeo.

“Right now, we feel we still believe we have a play with Mondeo,” said Hart. “But we will continue to evaluate as we go through and watch the industry and segment specifically.”