Ford Mondeo: End of 30-year road for car that became byword for average
Mondeo was first launched in Europe in 1993 and replaced Ford’s Sierra model
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Your support makes all the difference.US car-making giant Ford has announced it is pulling the plug on production of its once-iconic Mondeo model — and with it, the end of an era.
Almost 30 years after it first went on the market, the mid-market, mid-range car will be replaced by a lower-emission, hybrid engine model.
The saloon was hugely popular among both executives and families, becoming synonymous with voters targeted by New Labour during the late 1990s and early 2000s.
The party saw people who owned the vehicle as symbolic of the type of "swing voters" who tend to decide elections; those who earn average salaries and have moderate or "middle of the road" views on issues such as the economy, crime and culture.
Labour thought if it could win the support of enough of these voters, then it could return to power.
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Its former leader and ex-prime minister Tony Blair identified "Mondeo man" as a key electoral constituency in a speech at the party's 1996 conference, before going on to win a 179-seat majority the following year, bringing to an end 18 years of Tory rule.
"Mondeo man" is what might today be referred to as a "centrist dad" - the type of person who may have found themselves politically homeless in recent years.
And while centrists dads are likely to endure, they will have to say goodbye to their once favoured car.
Demand for Mondeos has since shifted towards SUVs and lower-emission cars in recent years, leading Ford to axe production of the Mondeo at its plant in Valencia, Spain
Earlier this year it announced an investment of at least 22 billion US dollars (£16 billion) in electrification technology.
Its new 2.5-litre hybrid engine will be built at the Valencia plant from late 2022.
Kieran Cahill, vice-president of manufacturing at Ford of Europe, said: "Today is another step on Ford's electrification journey, providing a bridge to an all-electric passenger vehicle future, and demonstrating our continuing commitment to our manufacturing operations in Valencia where we have invested around three billion US dollars (£2.1 billion) since 2011."
The firm plans to have every car in its European range zero-emissions capable, all-electric or plug-in hybrid by 2026, before going fully electric by 2030.
Ford closed its engine factory in Bridgend, South Wales, with the loss of 1,700 jobs in September last year.
It has another engine plant in Dagenham, Essex, and a site making transmissions in Halewood, Liverpool.
Additional reporting by Associated Press
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