This was on my Auto News email tonight.
Ford eyes Mondeo, entry-car for U.S. market
By Mark Rechtin
Automotive News / June 22, 2002
Ford Motor Co. has made room in its North American product lineup to bring in the next-generation Mondeo from Europe, Ford COO Nick Scheele said. Ford also will enter the low-priced entry-level car market to compete against the Koreans.
In a meeting with journalists on Saturday, Scheele would not confirm that the Mondeo is coming for certain. He noted, however, that the upcoming Five Hundred full-size sedan will move far enough up in size that it creates too large a product gap between it and Focus. Ford should have a sedan entry in the ?C/D? segment, which previously was occupied by the Ford Contour and Mercury Mystique, Scheele said.
?We?ve got to have one,? Scheele said. ?It feeds into our cycle plan.?
With the Five Hundred sedan to be priced appropriately to its ?D-plus? size, a new entry in the C/D segment could more actively compete against Honda and Toyota, with a wider range of engines, Scheele said. The current Europe-market Mondeo offers three four-cylinder engines, one V-6 and a turbo-diesel.
At the entry end of the car lineup, Ford will bring in a Brazilian-built version of the Fusion all-activity vehicle. However, it will be seriously modified from the Europe-market version, which will have a 1.1-liter engine and a five-speed manual transmission. The American-market version will most likely have a 1.8-liter or 2.0-liter engine, as well as an available automatic transmission.
?If we duck taking on the entry level, we lose the customer,? Scheele said, ?If you lose the first-time buyer, you have a hard time getting them back.?
