‘Mondeo Man’ is moving from Britain to China, the last major market to love sedans.
Once one of the most popular cars throughout Europe, the latest Ford Mondeo will be made in China for China, with the automaker ruling out the vehicle for its former homeland.
If the design looks familiar, that’s because the new Mondeo is closely related to the Evos, a coupe crossover also made specifically for China.
Both cars share the “Progressive Energy in Strength” design theme developed for Ford’s Chinese range. Beyond that, the Evos and Mondeo look as though they are the same from the B-pillar forward.
The Mondeo does seem to sit closer to the ground, and has a completely unique rear section. This includes a “coupe-like roofline”, flatter side window graphics, and Mustang-inspired rear tail-lights.
Ford has yet to issue official photos of the Mondeo’s interior. It’s fair to assume, though, the cabin will be shared with Evos, and will feature a display area that’s 1.1 metres wide consisting of a 12.3-inch digital instrumentation screen and a 27.0-inch infotainment touchscreen.
Instead of using the Sync 4 system in recent Fords, including the upcoming Ranger, the Mondeo and Evos employ a different operating system developed with the help of Chinese search engine Baidu. This setup include over-the-air updates, and a voice assistant.
An earlier leak from the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology revealed the Mondeo is 4935mm long, 1875mm wide, 1500mm tall, and rides on a 2945mm wheelbase.
This means the new car is 63mm longer, 23mm wider and 19mm taller than the outgoing Mondeo hatch.
Reports indicate the Mondeo will be available with turbocharged 1.5- and 2.0-litre petrol engines, with a plug-in hybrid drivetrain said to debut at a later date.
Evos interior
With European production of the Mondeo scheduled to end in March, China will soon be the Mondeo’s sole remaining market.
Quite ironic given the Mondeo’s name is derived from the Latin word for world, mundus.
The Mondeo was originally conceived as a “world car” to replace Ford’s various mid-size offerings throughout the world, including the Tempo in the US, and the Mazda 626-derived Telstar in Australia and Asia.
Launched in 1992 in Europe, the Mondeo marked a departure from Ford’s previous entrant in the mid-size market, the rear-wheel drive Sierra.
With handling fettled by the late Richard Parry-Jones, the Mondeo established itself as the family car for those who valued fun-to-drive dynamics.
Second generation 
Third generation 
Fourth generation 
First generation
The Mondeo later went on sale in Australia, as well as the US as the Ford Contour and Mercury Mystique, but the car didn’t enjoy the same success it had on the Continent.
It wasn’t until the car’s very Teutonic second generation that the Mondeo made its entrance into the Chinese market.
MORE: Everything Ford Mondeo
