Chinese Mondeo is right there begging to be called Fusion…maybe an MKZ too.   Perhaps simple, easy to do is coming back into Ford’s vocabulary 

I just noticed that this vehicle has similar length, width and wheelbase as the T6 Everest but zero evidence of any linkage, it might be clever use of Chinese Equator platform?   No doubt more details will eventually come out but it looks rather promising/ in the right direction for buyers who want the chunkier looks but maybe not all the off road ability….also perhaps a clever vehicle just below Explorer’s size with less weight and  lower construction cost?   Sorry, I’m assuming a lot here that can’t be fact checked yet and could be on the completely wrong path with these assumptions…

It's China. They have weird names.    Great Wall Motors makes vehicles named Big Dog, Mocha, Latte, King Kong Cannon, Good Cat, Lightning Cat, etc   No lies on those names....    

https://www.autonews.com/ford/ane-ford-new-cars-europe-0716/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Newsletter-ANEDaily-20250718   This article shared with me said the first of these car models will arrive in 2027. CE1 products are gonna start to be rolled out in 2026 and 2027. We've also heard this CE1 platform is underpinning car body styles, a sedan specifically has been talked about and shown to dealers in rendering form.    It sounds like those cars have since been greenlit and that's what we're hearing about. We've been hearing about the CE1 truck forever, but there's a whole product line that's gonna use this platform. So it stands to reason we'll start to head more about those sorts of products right about now. 

With us hearing how the skunkworks EVs are gonna come out in 2026 and 2027, and now getting this news that these car models will arrive in 2027, and how this skunkworks platform can accommodate 8 different body styles, I believe we're gonna get some CE1 sedans and hatchbacks.

Not sure how borrowing something from VW is faster than their own C2 stuff?

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a65436635/2026-hyundai-santa-fe-transmission-change/

The only plausible path for Ford Europe to add some new products quickly would be to borrow something from VW... but it's a short term fix.   If they want to have long term solution, they have to keep Kuga in production (the last remaining C2 products in Europe) until they can develop a new gen. If C2 goes away completely in Europe, the economics of restarting production is basically impossible. All your suppliers will be gone and they won't make time for you again.

It still takes minimum 3 years to do a new body on top of C2. By that time, Fiesta would have left the market for 6 years, Focus for 4 years, and Kuga for 2 years. Sales momentum will be non-existent and Ford has to basically relaunched as a new brand to buyers who have never considered it before.    If Ford really wants to save its European business, they have to keep the Kuga in production and new products in the next 12 months. Waiting 3 years to bring back Fiesta or Focus is just as nutty as cancelling them in the first place. 

Ideally, they could (hopefully) take some learnings from the skunkworks program and apply it to C2?