Glowing reception boosts Ford Mondeo sales
Author: David Miles
Published: 06 August 2007
Following this week’s publication by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders of the UK’s July new car registration figures, Ford retained their position as the top selling brand in the UK for the year to date.
However they were outsold for the second consecutive month by Vauxhall but Ford still say they are on their way to their 31st consecutive year as market leader in the UK.
Whilst the Ford Focus has returned to pole position as the best selling model range, the new Mondeo, which went on sale in June, has yet to make an appearance in the top ten sales charts. Its two main rivals, the Vectra and Passat, held seventh and tenth positions respectively.
Last year Ford sold 48,000 Mondeo saloons, hatchbacks and estates in the UK and over 35,000 of them were diesel models.
This made the Mondeo the third best selling diesel model range after the Ford Focus and VW Passat. The Mondeo had been the UK’s best selling diesel car from 2003 to 2005.
Total Mondeo sales in the UK since 1993 are 1,172,769 units. Traditionally 70% are diesel powered and 70% are sold to the fleet market.
The Mondeo has always been the car that typifies the mass ‘rep-mobile’ company car which gave us ‘Mondeo Man’ and ‘Mr Average’, labels not appreciated by its drivers and certainly a ‘put-off’ to other customers who didn’t want to be seen driving a typical company car.
The all-new Mondeo though is a more sophisticated and appealing range of vehicles. They are larger with more desirable styling and vastly improved specification and quality.
The range is so different it deserves a better name now than Mondeo, because of its past reputation as a mass-market fleet car. For Ford the new Mondeo has to now appeal both to the current fleet and business markets as well as a move upmarket to compete against premium brands such as Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz.
This is a tricky problem for Ford. Firstly they cannot loose sales to price sensitive family-sized competitors such as the Vauxhall Vectra, VW Passat , Honda Accord, Toyota Avensis or Peugeot 407.
Secondly, because Ford have a no large or executive car above the Mondeo, they also have to use the new model to compete against the Audi A4/A6, BMW 5-Series and Mercedes C/E-Class models.
Their answer has been to create a wide range of body options, specification levels and engines choices all in one larger overall size. Their advertising strapline of ‘Feel the difference’ alludes to the new higher quality and image of all-new Mondeo.
I’m not convinced ‘executive’ company car drivers will really aspire to owning a Mondeo no matter how good it is.
However it appears from reports from Ford’s UK dealers that the showroom footfall of interested customers has greatly increased since the media launch of the all-new Mondeo.
Positive editorial reviews are driving customers into the showrooms and no doubt the extensive television advertising campaign has awakened the British public to the fact that Ford can really build a better car.
Ford is currently holder of the 2007 European Car of the Year title with the S-Max and the Commercial Vehicle of the Year with Transit, so can the new Mondeo become the 2008 European Car of the Year? It probably deserves it, but would the judges give it to Ford for a second year running?
And the awards are already rolling in. Recently the Mondeo was named as Auto Express magazine’s overall Car of the Year 2007 as well as being judged Best Family Car and Best Estate Car.
Mondeo range prices start at £14,995 and rise through to £24,195 with Edge, Zetec, Ghia, Titanium and Titanium X levels of specification.
There is a wide range of engine choices from 1.6 to 2.5-litres, with the option of petrol or diesel units.
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