After 28 successful years of production, Ford Motor Company has announced that the iconic Mondeo models will roll off the production line for the last time at the end of the first quarter in 2022.
Launched in 1993, the Mondeo was developed as Ford’s first truly global car, as the French word “Monde” meaning “World” suggests. The model quickly became a huge hit and earned What Car? Magazine’s prestigious Car of the Year award in the same year.
The model has been just as successful for Coleman Milne. Since the production of our Norwood & Rosedale range began in 2015, we have delivered 580 vehicles to Funeral Directors in the UK and Ireland.
Despite its popularity over the decades, Ford sited that the demise of the Mondeo is another step on Ford’s electrification journey, providing a bridge to an all-electric passenger vehicle future. Changing customer preferences has also seen the progression towards SUV-style vehicles.
Due to pressure brought by the government’s climate change targets to cut CO2 emissions, all car manufactures must produce electric vehicles, so naturally, in the near future the only new cars available will be fully electric and we anticipate that the base vehicle cost will be in the region of at least £30,000 more expensive than the Mondeo. A full fleet replacement will result in a very costly exercise.
Although we know that there will be no fully electric Mondeo replacement, our engineering teams are actively working with a number of leading manufacturers to explore cost-effective, perhaps full electric, alternatives.
The Coleman Milne Norwood and Rosedale collection represent a reliable and sophisticated asset to your business and will ensure a superb return on investment with low running costs and a premium resale value. The robust Mondeo is built to stand the test of time and will remain a stalwart on our roads for years to come.
With over 5 million models sold in Europe alone, the OEM has a legal requirement to ensure the manufacture and supply of parts for 10 years to keep these Mondeo’s running to optimum performance and meet the servicing requirements.
For now, we have an opportunity to secure a limited number of Mondeo units to see us through until 2022. This means customers have a very limited time frame to secure a new Mondeo hearse or limousine in Hybrid and Ad Blue Diesel variants that meet the stringent LEZ and ULEZ requirements and also effect a positive and sustainable contribution to your communities.
This really is your last opportunity to seize an environmentally responsible, fuel-efficient, and class-leading funeral fleet at a reasonable cost. To allocate these vehicles for Coleman Milne conversions, orders for the base vehicle must be placed to Ford by September 2021 so now is the time to act.
