Ford has announced plans to introduce a new tri-fuel version of the Mondeo at this month's Leipzig Motor Show in Germany. Available in sedan, hatchback, and wagon form, the new Mondeo is capable of running on gasoline, bio-ethanol, and LPG.

Under the hood resides a tweaked version of Ford's 2.0-liter Duratec engine that receives fuel from two independent gas tanks, one for petrol and bio-ethanol while the other is reserved for LPG. When running on gasoline or bio-ethanol, the engine has an output of 145hp compared to 141hp when the driver decides to use LPG instead.

Thanks to the use of LPG, the sedan and hatchback can travel up to 460 km (286 miles) while the wagon has an estimated range of 380 km (236 miles). However should a driver decided to forgo the use LPG for more traditional petrol or bio-ethanol, they can expect a range of about 850 km (529 miles) in all three versions. Perhaps the greatest benefit of the twin tank system is the fact that when both tanks are filled with their respective fuels, a driver can travel over an astounding 1,200 km (746 miles).

The new tri-fuel Mondeo will go on sale in select European markets starting in April, with German pricing starting at €27,500.

After almost three decades, Ford will cease production of the Mondeo next March in yet another retreat from the passenger car segment in Europe. The culprit, once again, is the shift toward SUVs and crossovers among car buyers that has placed once-safe segments into jeopardy, even among models developed as global offerings. This means that Ford will be without a midsize sedan model in Europe and a number of other markets, just as its two smaller hatchbacks, the Focus and Fiesta, also approach the end of their product cycles there.

Offered in sedan and station wagon form, the Mondeo has seen five generations since its debut in 1993, and was originally offered stateside as the Ford Contour and the Mercury Mystique. Later, the Mondeo took the form of the Ford Fusion, which was finally axed in North America last July. The end of Fusion production effectively closed the door on Ford's sedan offerings in the US, with Taurus production having ended about a year and a half prior. Ford had announced that it would phase out most of its passenger cars in favor of crossovers and SUVs.

The planned end of Mondeo production in Europe is merely a continuation of that trend. Even successful sedans like the Honda Accord have had to dial back production to meet declining demand.
The impending end of the line for the Mondeo again puts the spotlight on the possible crossover alternatives, which in Europe are a more varied bunch and include models like the Puma, a subcompact crossover that isn't offered stateside. The Valencia, Spain, plant that produced the Mondeo for the European market plans to switch to SUV production, so the Puma might soon see some siblings as Ford fills out its European lineup.

Is this the end of all Ford sedans?

Not quite, because there's still the Chinese market, which has been particularly receptive to this body style for quite some time—and also offers the Escort and Focus sedans. That's right, the Escort returned a couple of years ago as a China-only model, but the Mondeo will stay in production there as well, as will a modernized version of the Taurus, which is also produced locally. This means that China currently has four Ford sedans to choose from, while the US has zero. It's not a picture that many would have predicted a short 10 years ago. The bigger question may be just how much longer the Chinese market will remain welcoming to sedans.

While Ford will discontinue the Mondeo after March 2022 in Europe, and the Blue Oval's first “world car” will go down in history due to "changing customer preference," it appears there is a new Mondeo in town. This time, the leaked 2022 Ford Mondeo is a China-only special, and its look has been revealed after these images were posted on China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology website.
26 photos

As you can observe, the 2022 Ford Mondeo looks like a sedan version of the Evos, another model that will only be sold in China. Blue Oval fans have seen the all-new Ford Evos as it debuted at the 2021 Shanghai Auto Show. Well, the 2022 Mondeo seems to have come from the same tree.

The front end has a large grille, but with a small license plate holder. The headlights look just like the ones on the Evos, complete with the part that links them above the front grille. However, the front bumper does seem a bit tamer than the one on the Evos.

As we move on to the side, this begins to look more like a Mondeo, but still has that Evos touch. The wheels seem to come straight from the ongoing Mondeo/Fusion, while the rubber scratch guards on the doors provide that company car vibe, which is underlined by the snow-white paint.

A significant difference between the Evos and the Chinese Mondeo is near the C-pillar, which is not raised towards the rear of the vehicle on the Mondeo. Instead, the designers did add a small “crease” on the rear fender, which matches the one on the front fender that stops at the side mirrors. Some automotive designers refer to these elements as the "shoulders” of the vehicle.

When viewed from the back, the 2022 Ford Mondeo for China features a set of thin taillights, just like the prototype that our spy photographers caught while testing just last month. From the same prototype, we know that this is not an all-electric vehicle, as it had a set of tailpipes, which can be seen on this model as well, if we take a close look just under the bumper.

Ford designers placed a set of fake exhaust ornaments under the rear reflectors, possibly as a styling trick to make the rear bumper look a bit more interesting. Unfortunately, the leaked photos we found online did not include any image of the interior, so we added one from the Evos presentation to give you a general idea of what to expect.

Mind you, do not expect to see the 2022 Ford Mondeo pictured in the photo gallery sold anywhere outside of China. According to previous statements made by Ford officials, this will not be the case. Demand for sedans has dropped in the U.S. and in Europe, so the Blue Oval's decision does make sense.