Ford Mondeo - Driven To Extinction

A new fixture covering cars that have recently copped the chop, in which we reflect on their impact and legacy. Enter the mondeo man...

- Alex Inwood

“AH YES, the Ford Mondeo,” nodded the industry observer with a sad smile. “Another excellent car that Ford Australia failed to market correctly. It was practically invisible!” Think about it. When was the last time you noticed a billboard promoting a new Mondeo? Or watched a television commercial, glanced at a Google ad, or flicked past a print promotion spruiking the Mondeo’s greatness?

Well, now you never will. Yep, Ford’s venerable midsizer is about to cop a bullet and once remaining stock disappears, it will be no more in Australia. It’s too simplistic to blame a lack of marketing spend for the Mondeo’s demise, of course. Like the Holden Commodore, Mazda 6 and Toyota Camry, the Mondeo has fallen victim to a shift in buyer tastes towards SUVs.

Plus, there’s the Falcon factor to consider. Unlike its rivals, the Mondeo faced stiff competition from inside its own model-range in the form of Ford’s other (and larger) family car which drew most of the attention from advertisers and magazines like this one. Bursting free from that long shadow was always a tough ask.

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