The latest Mondeo lineup of mid-size vehicles emerged at the 2006 Paris auto show, in the guise of a new wagon that Ford execs says stakes out new styling ground. The shape owes its inspiration to the Iosis concept shown last year at the Frankfurt motor show. Toned down somewhat, the theme is still expressive on the Mondeo's long, low sideview, and the wedgy new nose is a particularly welcome step forward from Ford's design department. The new Mondeo shares some of its underpinnings with the new European family vehicles, the S-Max mid-size MPV, and the full-size Galaxy minivan. More body styles are coming, including a four-door sedan and a crossover vehicle (see below). Powertrains will range from a 2.0-liter turbodiesel to a 2.5-liter turbocharged gas engine. The Mondeo goes into production in the second quarter of 2007 in the same plant in Genk, Belgium, that builds the S-Max and Galaxy.
The Mondeo's "kinetic design" theme gets taken to an active-lifestyle extreme in the iosis X concept shown alongside the new mid-sizer on the show floor at Paris. The five-door wagon is an extension of the Iosis concept and, as Ford's European design chief Martin Smith admitted, the X concept is to a future crossover vehicle what the Iosis was to the new Mondeo - a direct inspiration. The X concept is designed with Europe's new pedestrian safety regulations in mind, particularly its taller front end and longer overhangs. The concept's rear doors are hinged at the rear for easy access and there is no B-pillar in the styling exercise. Ford says the central console is a "bridge" design drawn from helicopter cockpits; its controls are in part actuated on soft-touch screens.
previous 
;)
;)
previous 
