Ford Mach 1 EV Crossover To Spearhead New Era For Car Maker

Ford Mach 1 EV Crossover To Spearhead New Era For Car Maker

The crossover, codenamed CX430, will be built on the C2 platform used for the new Focus and has been in Ford鈥檚 product plan for several years. The CX430 will be added to the Kuga and, since it is based on the front-wheel-drive C2 platform, it is expected to be conventional hatchback-like, with a slightly raised driving position. Ford has identified 鈥榳hite paper鈥?models like the CX430 to replace saloons and hatches in its US line-up. Further crossovers with Mustang design cues and front-drive chassis are a strong possibility because they combine 鈥渢he best attributes of cars and utilities, such as high ride height, space and versatility鈥? If the vehicles are sized appropriately, European sales are likely. Last month's news that Ford is dropping the Fiesta (below), Focus, Fusion and Taurus from its North American line-up came as a surprise. The end of the Fiesta had been rumoured for some time, because fuel prices have dropped and the economy recovered, allowing US buyers to return to their preferred larger vehicles.

Decisions on the replacements for the Fusion and Taurus have been pending for a couple of years too. Ford鈥檚 new CEO, Jim Hackett, has acted decisively and made the announcement at a financial conference in the US, momentously ending Ford鈥檚 110-year presence in the US passenger saloon market. 鈥淲e are committed to taking the appropriate actions to drive profitable growth and maximise the returns of our business over the long term,鈥?said Hackett. Analysts said Ford had previously signalled that the mix of car models in its range was forecast to drop to just 10% in the US, leaving 90 percent of its sales as SUVs and trucks. 鈥淭his pullback is really just an admission of the stark North American market reality, especially for American brands,鈥?said IHS Market analyst Colin Couchman. 鈥淏uyers keep shifting to SUVs and crossovers. Ford US rivals Chrysler and Dodge have taken similar action under Fiat ownership, killing the mid-sized 200 and Dart saloons and instead investing in Jeep SUVs and RAM pickups. Between them, Chrysler and Dodge sell just two saloons - full-sized rear-wheel-drive platform twins, the 300 and Charger.

Ford will retain only the Mustang (below) and Focus Active passenger cars on sale after 2020, although its bread and butter SUVs and trucks such as the Explorer and F-Series pickup continue. The end of the Fusion and Taurus can also be seen in the context of a drive to simplify and reduce Ford鈥檚 global platforms to just five. In future, Ford strategy will revolve around an emerging-markets small car platform (Ka), the C2 (Focus), a mid-sized SUV platform (Explorer), an electric car platform (Mach 1) and full-sized truck platform (F-Series). The loss of production volume of the Fusion raises a question over the future of the Mondeo in Europe because they share the same platform. In the short to medium term, Ford Europe is understood to have mapped the future of the Mondeo to the mid-2020s, although the picture after that remains fluid. 鈥淭he Ford Mondeo remains a core part of our product line-up in Europe. We have upgrades coming for Mondeo later this year and Mondeo continues to deliver on its promise of great driving dynamics, leading technologies and competitive pricing,鈥?Ford said in a statement.

The interior changes are tipped to include a new dashboard moulding incorporating the Fiesta/Focus-style infotainment system with a high-set tablet-style touchscreen. However, to keep the Mondeo in production to the mid-2020s, Ford Europe will have to fund developments to keep up with legislation without the volume of the US Fusion to offset costs. But the crunch will come around 2020-2022 when Ford Europe will have to decide whether to go it alone with its own Mondeo replacement. At the Geneva motor show in March, Ford Europe boss Steve Armstrong told Autocar UK it was too early to consider the future of the Mondeo, although he conceded that the large saloon sector continues to shrink. 鈥淲e are constantly updating the car, from new transmission and engine options to a hybrid version and the Vignale trim. The interest is strong and we are a way off having to consider replacing it,鈥?he said. A lifeline for any new Mondeo is the Focus鈥檚 new C2 architecture, which is understood to be sufficiently flexible to allow multiple track widths, wheelbases and firewall heights.

This allows a large variety of vehicles to be spun off a single component set, like Volkswagen鈥檚 adaptable front-wheel-drive MQB set-up. High-cost items such as the electrical system and powertrains can be carried over from the Focus to the Mondeo. But justifying the unique development and tooling costs for a new body and interior and chassis tuning and certification costs will be a bigger challenge, as sales will be small. A planning volume of around 60,000 a year could be expected. Ford鈥檚 component costs won鈥檛 be able to take advantage of the huge volume that rivals such as the VW Group can. Ford鈥檚 sales volume in Europe of all hatchback models - the Ka, Fiesta, Focus and Mondeo - is forecast to be 520,000 units this year, plus a further 36,000 saloons. By the time Ford needs to make key investment decisions about the Mondeo, Ford鈥檚 hatchback volume is forecast to fall by another 40,000 units. VW can plan on a volume of all brand variants of the MQB A/B Polo/Golf/Passat of around five million.