Ford seem to be going mad these days. First they announce that they’re discontinuing all their passenger cars in the US market bar the Mustang, and now they want do something similar in Europe.
According to Autocar, Ford are planning on making a lifted wagon, something along the lines of a Subaru Outback. Sounds like a decent plan, until you find out that it’s intended to replace the Mondeo (aka the Fusion in the US), as well as the Galaxy (Europe-only minivan) and S-Max (smaller Galaxy). Now, discontinuing passenger cars in the US is a dumb, short-sighted idea, and that’s considering that America likes SUVs. But in Europe, while crossovers do sell, passenger cars are still the most popular type of vehicle. Especially when it comes to non-premium vehicles.
Its expected to arrive in 2021, and will ride on the C2 platform that also underpins the Focus. The base engine is expected to be a 1.5 liter 3 cylinder, with a small battery and electric motor to make it a mild hybrid. Europe will also get the option of diesel engines. But get this- it won’t even be available with AWD. They want to make a Subaru Outback rival, but they won’t even give it AWD. Autocar suggests that this is due to emission regulations. I suggest that if they want to steal sales from the Subaru Outback, they should find a way to give it AWD.
It has previously been suggested that the replacement for the US-market Fusion would be something like the Outback. Assuming that the European car and the North American car are the same, it would likely sit above the Escape in Fords US model range, and in any market, will target families who want the running costs of a car, but a more versatile image. But what about the people who just want a normal family car, of which there are many, especially in Europe?
Of course, this is all according to Autocar- Ford has not confirmed anything yet. Autocar could still be wrong. Please be wrong.
