Does that meant hat Ford will replace the current US eye-sores with the European eye-candies? Hooray!

This should mean that they’ll also sell most of their models globally instead of keeping all their better designs only for the UK and Australia markets while the USA is sold uninteresting, boring and over the hill Ford designs.

If this allows the model tooling to be shared on a global scale then it won’t be that much of a stretch to make that happen and make customers happier.

That is, if they manage to keep one-upping the Euro-Focus, do a better Global Mondeo while retaining its diverse option lineup and redesign a better Ford Mustang that aspires to more than dragstrip launches (while still avoiding luxury).

So far I’m liking Alan Mulally, he seems to have a good head on his shoulder. Hopefully he’s able to pull Ford ahead and gain some traction in the market. I’ll be interested in seeing how this design language works out.

I don’t know…

Even Honda has ‘North America’ and ‘Rest of the World’ designs, e.g. Civic 4door in US/CD and 5-door in EU.

Sounds more likely to drown any creative ’spark’ and create Rental-Car wonders…

its probably just goint to be a new grill design…thats how ford does things. maybe 4 bars (how many is that in euros? i was never good at the metric system)

“We’re going to come up with something that’s not black & white and yet not color, either.”

Can you do that?

Wow can the afraid to offend anybody car company pull this out? hmmm…they shouldnt water down their ideas so much….that ford 500 wouldve probably served them well…….ford better get a big crow bar to pull their head from their ass to make it work.

Could this be an indication that Americans are starting to become a little more sophisticated in their automotive tastes?

i sure hope so buenos, euro ford has way nicer cars than ford usa.

I guess it could also mean boring Ford designs for the rest of the world, and not just for America.

if thats the case……the ford execs in Europe might have need to take refuge when Ford mortgages even more assests……

While this could have a good outcome, I’d suggest Ford continues with their Gillette razorblade themes and match the Fusion’s 3 bar grill to the Gillette Fusion 4-blade razor LOL. While they’re at it, they could run a promo deal with Gillette and give you a years supply or razors with each car sale…that’d do the trick I’m sure:)

Is it me or does that look like a altima?

I dunno. I like the Fusion better than the Mondeo. (Did you see it in the latest Bond flick? The rear end is all scrunched up and hideous) I think the S-Max would never sell here. What would happen with the SUVs?

I think global platforms are all well and good, but there has to be some catering to specific markets. Give the NA Focus three bars and the Euro Focus “kinetics” or whatever, but don’t try to find a middle ground and in doing so alienate both bases.

And enough with the three bar jokes!

Pretty savvy on Ford’s part to focus on bringing all themes together. (Isn’t this what Mercedes and BMW have done for ions?) I do like the move though, and I am banking on Ford successfully making their turnaround.

Copying GM again I see…

bottom line…. BRING EUROPEAN MODELS HERE.

Oh goody, now the Mustang is going to look like a Mondeo coupe, while the proposed big RWD sedans will look like Mondeos on steroids. Does Ford remember what happened with the contour, did they see what happened with the GTO. In a global economy you must change your product to please the taste and style of each culture. That’s why McDonalds in the UK serves Fish and chips and ones in Indian serve Kebab. America, Europe and Japan all have different unique styles and each product must be tailored to that society. Does Ford want to go out of business or are they so lacking in confidence and leadership that they are shooting darts blindly and seeing what sticks?

Yeah, that’s the thing. MB and BMW can do a global theme because people buy the cars for (albeit among other things) the Euro look and feel. People in the US don’t buy Fords for a Euro look and feel, they want to buy an American car.

“America, Europe and Japan all have different unique styles and each product must be tailored to that society.”
Comment by roadmaster96, posted on January23 at 3:55 pm

roadmaster, i don’t think that too many people are happy with the design going on at ford usa…a sort of unification would be good, is not just about bring this model and export that model.

Er, aren’t those prices in the range of something far better in the DaimlerChrysler stable, namely the Mercedes ML??!!

Oops, wrong post.

I’ll take a Euro designed Ford of a Euro designed GM any day. All I ask of Ford is to bring the EuroFocus to the States.

Two weeks ago I leased an Australian Ford Falcon XR6. The quality, comfort and engineering are absolutely top-notch so far, even exceeding my previous japanese and german cars. So I have to wonder why Ford US still offers cars like the Crown Victoria (which I think I’m right in thinking is about the same size as the Australian Falcon)? Ford makes some excellent cars but seems to get away with selling antiquated rubbish in the US.

I agree that Ford has better designs elsewhere. I think we’ll be in a big surprise with their new designs in a few years to come. Chrysler makes some nice looking vehicles, but they are rattle boxes and have tons of NVH.

Great. It’s about time Ford USA exports its hot designs onto the rest of the world and the planet finally gives up its fascination with gay design and is forced to buy American again. [Screw] handling – I want 3 bar grills!
.
WTF.
.
.
….. GET
………. ME
…………… MY
……………….. BADASS
………………………… EUROPEAN
…………………………………. MONDEO,
…………………………………………..DAMN IT!

lol, funny, Ricardo!

Somebody here mentioned that the pic of Mondeo shown up there looks like a Nissan Altima. WHAT?? I’d say more of like the new Toyota Camry. Especially with the headlights shape.

i think ford is desperate, theyve just started with its chrome bar grille, and nice european desings and now they want to dump it? they are going no direction…

Ford has lots of problems. Design unity is just one of them. A lot of participants on auto fan sites hate the American three-bar grill. I agree, but I hate Fords. The real problem with it is that it dictates an angular design language. Otherwise, you get the new 500 with the three-bar. It does not work. Worse than any particular design is the number of disparate design languages within Ford. Ford pickup trucks have at least four separate grills. Lincoln has at least three that this does not count Mercury.

The European kinetics designs are out of place in North America. However, Ford Europe operations seem to be somewhat more unified. It is as good thing that Ford has acknowledged that it has to change. It can be done. In its heyday, GM cars were unmistakeably GM no matter which brand they were and no matter where they were manufactured. The General sent its designers to school to learn the GM philosophy of design.

After Ford adopts its new unified design philosophy, it will have one more challenge to meet. This is to pick a design language and stick with it. Too many times in North America has Ford whipsawed from one design philosophy to another. Ford can’t do this anymore. Good design stands the test of time. If it is successful, the 2010 Ford will be instantly recognizeable as a Ford to the potential buyer 50 years later.

I think the new Mondeo is the best looking Ford sedan in decades.

I think it’s a bad idea. Let’s use Toyota as an example, they don’t need to unified the design theme to sell more cars than most of the auto makers. They have different cars that are sold in different market. Still, they are keeping the costs down and making tons of money. Ford need to fix their cooperate cultures on decision making of a “CAR” before they consider the other ways to help itself.

It’s about time! Hopefully the Euro look will stay

Elvio, despite your assertions to the contrary, Toyota does have a unified design theme.. bland and inoffensive. Sure, the grilles and taillights don’t all look alike from model to model.. and it works for Toyota and Lexus (mainly because in the few instances where they try to be unique and progressive, they usually fall on their face — Echo, FJ Cruiser spring instantly to mind).

Oh God they should just let the Europeans design the cars and leave the Americans to do the trucks and niche cars like the Mustang or GT.

about flipping time!

Well said by the Shadow! I agree with you!

MC – actually it looks like a euro mondeo…

That damn ugly grill looks hideous on everything they put it on.
Ford Edge looks pretty nice until you see the f’up headlights and the gillette grill.

Thank god!! My emails work!!! I have written numerous emails to internal Ford email addresses and to the stupid machine replied website for over the past YEAR!!. Asking for this very thing!!! Thankyou for listening to your potential customers Ford!

Now bring over the Fiesta ST and the ST220!!!

I hope the designs flow more into the American teams than the other way around.

Ford disappeared off my radar the second they announced no diesel passenger cars for the US. Buh-bye.

ford plz just make better cars i mean u got rid of the gt that was a gay move!

chevy490, that comment would look like a complement to Bill Ford.

Didn’t they already have this idea, I thought that was the point of the Mondeo. Why publish a press release which tries to pass off an old idea which was poorly executed as a new one.

Only interest here is that the quoted geezer feels that the US favours bold designs. Honda would tell you the opposite, look how they dumbed-down the gorgeous Civic for the US market.

Ford is screwed. They need to revamp the styling, which they did, but with ugly bar grills and funky headlights. I’m loving watching them struggle…

Wait, let me reiterate… Ford’s American styling is completely pathetic. I agree that if they brought the European models over here, they would bring success to the company.