AIMS: Ford previews new Mondeo

FORD today staged a surprise preview of the new Mondeo at the Australian International Motor Show, more than a year before the car hits local showrooms.

The company shipped over a North American-styled Fusion – essentially a twin of the new European Mondeo that will be sold here – to sit on its stand alongside another key model debut, the Fiesta-based EcoSport micro SUV also due in showrooms late next year.

The US market Fusion appeared for the first time globally at the Detroit motor show in January this year, while the virtually identical Mondeo sibling made a separate premiere in Amsterdam only last month.

Ford Australia says it chose the Fusion/Mondeo and EcoSport for its small indoor “showroom” because they give punters the best look at its future Euro-inspired design, as well as its EcoBoost turbo engine line and in-car technologies such as SYNC.

As reported, the company also has a massive interactive outdoor exhibit at AIMS, ten times larger than its indoor stand.

As we reported from the Paris motor show last month, Ford’s next-generation large car and large SUV will most likely be based on a stretched version of the Mondeo’s front-drive ‘C/D’ platform – giving a tantalising hint on what could underpin the next ‘Falcon’ and ‘Territory’ from 2016.

The ‘One Ford’ design language of the Mondeo includes a low roofline and a coupe-like profile coupled with a bold trapezoidal grille, sculpted bonnet and segment-first adaptive LED headlights.

The adaptive LED headlights – traditionally the province of high-end luxury cars – are claimed to illuminate faster, last longer and save energy, while the beams in the Mondeo turn with the wheels to give a better view around corners.

Meanwhile, the more upmarket cabin features Ford’s SYNC voice-controlled connectivity system, while the SYNC Emergency Assist dialler – confirmed to make an Australian debut in the new Kuga SUV around June next year – is a likely addition.

The new Mondeo will also feature company-first inflatable rear seatbelts that are claimed to reduce head, chest and neck injuries. In the event of a collision, the belts rapidly expand to disperse crash forces across a wider area of the body.

Ford Australia is being coy about possible engines for the Mondeo range – likely to be offered here as both a liftback and wagon – but overseas examples will feature 133kW/233Nm 1.6-litre and 177kW/339Nm 2.0-litre EcoBoost turbocharged four-cylinder units, plus a 2.0-litre TDCi diesel.

The 1.0-litre three-cylinder EcoBoost (to be sold here in the Fiesta and EcoSport from next year) fitted to Mondeo in Europe is unlikely to make it here, while Ford Australia will also more than likely pass on hybrid and all-wheel-drive versions.