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Ford sets new Mondeo ambitious goals

Date: 02 May 2007   |   Author:

Estate to benefit from anti-4x4 pressure

More user choosers, a richer mix of higher spec models and more estates and saloons are the combination of ambitious targets that greet Ford's all-new Mondeo.

Though Ford of Britain boss Roelant de Waard isn't predicting a rise from last year's 48,000 units, he's promising a 6000 unit fall in daily rental volume that will be taken up by user choosers.

"We want to move away from corporate fleets where we have a single-badge deal, and to do that we have to appeal emotionally," said de Waard. "The pricing is no longer set around fleets and company cars; we had high pricing and high discounts." He claims the new pricing - on most models actually drops below the old Mondeo's - will prove attractive to user choosers that can see the BIK benefits.

De Waard is hoping the pressure on 4x4s will see drivers move back to estate cars, and claims the Mondeo wagon's looks will appeal, leading to the hope of an increase in share from a quarter to 33% of units. "If those segments come under pressure for CO2, it's probable that a stylish wagon will be the most logical laternative," he said.

The Ford UK boss is also looking to attract more buyers to the higher trim models, replicating the success of the new S-max, where around half of vehicles are the top Titanium spec, although the Zetec will remain the dominant corporate trim for Mondeo. At the other end of the scale, Ford's dropped the base LX spec. "We didn't want to sell any Mondeo you're not proud to own. The LX has gone and the [now entry-level] Edge gets aircon and cruise control," he said.

De Waard also defended the upper medium segment's future, which has been falling away amid increasing pressure from people carriers and 4x4s. "The segment is shrinking, but it's still huge - it was the second biggest last year with 450,000 units," he said. It would still be important even at 50,000, like MPVs for example."



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