This is the new Ford Mondeo you can’t have

Images have surfaced of the fifth-generation car as production and sales in Europe of the current car conclude this Spring. It looks good, doesn’t it? The new Mondeo marries the current car’s handsome proportions with the new Chinese corporate snout and some bang-up-to-date lighting. 

It calls quite strongly on similar styling tropes to Ford’s radical Chinese market crossover, the Evos, while at the back, you’ll note the Mustang-esque rear lighting complete with a full-width light bar. Per its European predecessors, the Chinese Mondeo will also come in a range of styles, from the more subtle repmobile specs to the sportier ‘ST Line’ looks and luxurious ‘Vignale’ specs. 

There are no images of the interior yet but it’s expected the new Mondeo will use a similar layout to the aforementioned Evos crossover. That means a dash-spanning screen comprised of a 12.3-inch instrument cluster for the driver and a 27-inch infotainment display. 

The new car will be longer, wider and taller than the current car to appeal to the Chinese market’s preference for larger saloons. Indeed, over 10cm is being added on top of the current Mondeo’s 2,954mm wheelbase.

A range of petrol four-cylinder engines are expected to be available, with a plug-in hybrid due later on. So what do you think? Now that the Mondeo is forbidden fruit, do you want it? This China-only fifth-generation car is certainly a handsome thing…