Ford Mondeo Vignale concept previews premium trim due 2015 for several models

[jpd80]

The amazing part about all of this is the potential depth of CD4 Fusion in terms of trim levels and body options.

So many choices from sedan to 5-door hatch, station wagon, an S-Max, a new Edge and even a rejigged Galaxy.

It just astounds me how many options Ford has at it disposal and underscores how important CD4 really is.

 

Don't underestimate the impact a brand new Edge will have on the US market, it could be huge...

Edited September 6, 2013 by jpd80

[silvrsvt]

Don't underestimate the impact a brand new Edge will have on the US market, it could be huge...

 

 

Well the Edge was/is the best selling mid-sized CUV on the market, but last time I checked was a while ago...

[RichardJensen]

Richard, I totally agree with your comments and analysis. Ford need to pay greater attention to the detail in their cars ideally using VW/Skoda as a bench mark.

 

BTW: I'm sorry if I come off sounding like a grouch in my previous post. Without being quite as crabby, I think there are other 'touch-points' for consumers that deserve a bit closer attention.

[mackinaw]

If Ford 'benchmarked the Passat' or 'copied VW', they would be copying a company that has a 30 year track record of failure in this market apart from a single niche in oil-burners.

 

Well, Ford has benchmarked VW's MQB modular platform design, which is a total rethink of chassis engineering and packaging. See this CNBC article, about seven paragraphs down:

 

http://www.cnbc.com/id/100449231

[RichardJensen]

Oh, I'm sure they've bought a few cars. Because 'they'd be crazy not to' evaluate *all* their competitors. They certainly have enough money on hand to buy representative copies and deconstruct them.

 

But ultimately, this VW 'innovation' is what happens when automaker arrogance meets journalist ignorance.

 

Because, I can assure you, it is *not* a 'total rethink' of chassis engineering and packaging.

 

I mean, that article is just..... not good.

 

Like, for instance, having Renault-Nissan and PSA execs talking about the commonality among VW's EU brands. They had to get that from Renault-Nissan and PSA execs, because nobody at Toyota, Honda, Ford, or GM would've been the least bit impressed.

 

Or the specter of 'a global recall affecting millions of units because of one part.' Hey! We're already in that era.

 

And, of course, they quote a Toyota exec about ancient platforms. Toyota's Corolla & Camry platforms are old enough to drink and have kids.

 

The writer biffs it on "Ford's innovation of standardized parts"------I mean, what? Ford neither innovated standardized parts in the auto industry (in fact, Cadillac's 'standard of the world' moniker was originally in recognition of their standardized parts), nor did he invent standardized parts, period. ANY business writer should either know that, or know enough to do the .26 seconds required to pull up the answer on Google.

 

And I'm not even going to read past that.

 

The writer bought the VW spin, and cherry-picked quotes to support it.

 

I can just about guarantee you that the only thing about MQB that impresses Ford engineers is VW's ability to get fawning press coverage out of, basically, their version of C1.

 

And all you have to do is look at some of Biker's 2005-era posts about C1 to realize that. I disagreed and continue to disagree with him about the value of C1 from a consumer standpoint, but he was absolutely correct about its value from a cost-savings standpoint.

Edited September 6, 2013 by RichardJensen

[geronimo183]

Interesting article, note that VW have took a huge risk with their cross fertilisation of technology and platforms risking such big recalls something of which are far and few between, have ford had any recalls lately? It would be interesting to compare the two. The German marques may not be winning over the US but they are taking over in Europe to the point where ford is comparable to Skoda let alone VW and in most reviews beats the ford on build quality. In fact Skoda are creating a well respected brand something of which has only been achieved with attention to detail. VW aim to be the biggest manufacturer before the decade is out and to be honest I think they will achieve it with ease.

[RichardJensen]

Take my word for it. The article is not interesting.

[twmalonehunter]

Thats a paint issue, not a Ford issue. Most car makes aren't 100% match (esp metallic colors) due to the pigmentation of the paint and the metallic colors not being uniform

Audi has always had the most egregious difference in paint color between the plastic bumpers and the rest of the car. Don't notice it that much on other makes. As for the interior, I have had a BMW and a VW and both were completely awful when it came to interior quality. They just started falling apart.

[Edstock]

Interesting article, note that VW have took a huge risk with their cross fertilisation of technology and platforms risking such big recalls something of which are far and few between,

 

 

What we have here are opinions with no facts to back them.

 

Please explain this "huge risk" in detail, please explain exactly what “cross fertilisation (sic)” is.

 

Nice fuzzy words, with no real meaning, but sound really swell — as long as you don't think too deeply about them. You can do better.

[twintornados]

Bring names and trim like "Ghia", "Vignale", "Blass" "Voga", "Vuitton" and other high style fashion houses into the "Black Label" line for Lincoln.

[Hugh]

Bring names and trim like "Ghia", "Vignale", "Blass" "Voga", "Vuitton" and other high style fashion houses into the "Black Label" line for Lincoln.

I like the 'Black Label' in general. I'm not overly keen on using the House names. I understand the idea behind say 'Indulgence' as a trim line under the BL banner. I see the house names and remember the Voga Milan, the Nautica Villager, Blass Mk VII and I think Lincoln needs to move away from that.