Out Of Focus

Back in May, I wondered out loud on this blog whether the Ford Focus and Fiesta, still available in Europe, would return to the U.S. market, given the continuing increase in gas prices.  The short answer, regarding the Focus at least, is: It won't.  That's because the Focus is being discontinued in Europe in 2025.

Ford announced the news on June 22, adding that it doesn't know how to keep the German plant that makes the European Focus up and running once the car is axed.  Most of the 4,600 workers at the factory could be laid off, even as Ford plans to make more electric vehicles. "The reality of the industry," a Ford representative said, "is that the production of EVs will require fewer people."

That would be fine if an ID.3-like hatchback were in the works at Ford to replace the Focus.  Alas, Ford plans to make more EUVs, because, well, crossovers are gaining popularity in Europe too.

The Focus is on the way out.  The Fiesta is next. 😬

Mondeo Sunset

For those wondering when it would become obvious that sport utility vehicles are a truly global menace, the suspense ended when Ford announced that it was discontinuing a once-popular sedan to concentrate more on monster wagons.

And no, I'm not talking about the Taurus or the Fusion in North America, the discontinuations of which you already know about.  I'm talking about the Mondeo sedan in Europe.

The Mondeo, which has lasted five generations (the latest and last one having been sold in North America as the Fusion), was once to Europeans, particularly Britons, what the Toyota Camry has been to Americans - the gold standard of family sedans.  But rising SUV sales and the grater popularity of the Kuga SUV in Europe (we know it as the Escape) have ended even the Mondeo's long run, with 2022 as its final model year.

Unlike the non-Mustang Ford lineup in the New World, Ford of Europe's offerings won't be entirely devoid of regular cars - the Focus and the Fiesta remain available there - but that may very well change in the very near future as monster wagons now account for 40 percent of Ford sales in the Old Country.  Ford is moving to an all-electric lineup in Europe by 2030, and I presume North American models (expect pickup trucks, of course) will also be predominantly if not completely electric, but who cares when the vehicles themselves will still be cumbersome, bulky, high-perched wagons with little aerodynamic styling and no joie de vivre in their handling characteristics?  Even the most boring family sedan is more pleasurable to drive than a "sport" utility vehicle.

That, of course, means nothing to Ford and its customers, both here and abroad, who continue to make life on the road more unbearable for those of us who cling to our small, zippy runabouts.