Although Ford’s all-new Fusion sedan just debuted at last November’s Los Angeles Auto Show, Ford engineers are already focusing on the next iteration of the car. More specifically, Ford’s European engineers are already working on the next Fusion. That’s because the next-generation of the mid-size sedan will be based on the Euro-spec Ford Mondeo.
According to Derrick Kuzak, Ford group vice president of global product development, the Blue Oval will be merging the Fusion and Mondeo into a single global model. “We’re transitioning to a Fusion-Mondeo convergence,” he told Automotive News.
The next Fusion will ride on a modified version of the Mondeo’s EUCD platform. Ford engineers decided to base the next Fusion on the EUCD platform rather than the current Fusion’s CD3 platform because it is a newer architecture. Ford’s decreased stake in Mazda was also likely factored into the decision, as the CD3 platform is derived from the Mazda6 sedan.
Ford’s CD3 platform also underpins the Mercury Milan, Lincoln MKZ and MKX and Ford Edge, but it remains unclear if all of those models will be making the jump to the new platform – internally dubbed CD4.
The CD4-based Ford Fusion is expected to launch in 2012 as a 2013 model year.
