This week Ford’s European division announced an ambitious plan to launch five new passenger vehicles in the region by 2030, as its works to create a new identity.
Centred around a heavily off-road focused lineup, the new model rollout will consist of a Euro-specific Bronco SUV, two Renault-based EVs, and two other ‘multi energy’ crossovers, of which we know nothing about yet.
Upon announcing the “new era” for its European passenger vehicles, Ford said it would combine the region’s desire for “off-road DNA” with on-road performance to create “rally-bred” cars and SUVs.
All of the vehicles will be designed for Europe and made there, though Ford’s regional president, Jim Baumbick, says they will invoke the qualities of the American Mustang and the Australian-led Ranger Raptor.
“Europe has always been the ultimate test, and makes us better. This is why many of our global proving grounds simulate the roads of Europe to provide the toughest durability test,” Baumbick said.
“At Ford we have always risen to this challenge – it is in our DNA. And we are back to doing what we love, and what I believe we do better than anyone else: creating vehicles capable of mastering the world’s most demanding roads.
“I am incredibly proud to announce our new rally-bred range of passenger vehicles. These are machines designed and built specifically for Europe’s perfectly imperfect roads.
“We’re taking the untamed spirit and soul of the Mustang and fusing it with the legendary, “go-anywhere” toughness of the Ranger Raptor. The result is a breed of vehicle that doesn’t just tolerate a gravel detour or a winding mountain ascent – it craves them.
“We are entering a new era where performance isn’t just about straight-line speed; it’s about the joy of the curve, the confidence on the gravel, and the grit to handle whatever the road throws at you.”
The past handful of years has seen Ford’s European passenger car lineup – excluding SUVs – be reduced, with the Focus, Fiesta and Mondeo all axed within the past half decade.
For the Focus and Fiesta, this meant the demise of their hot ST versions, which for years rivaled the likes of Volkswagen’s GTI vehicles.
Last month, Ford’s global CEO Jim Farley told Top Gear the company’s ambition is to have“no more generic vehicles”, ironically while citing the two models which were recently axed as examples of what customers want.
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“I’m very proud that [the] Puma is the bestselling vehicle in the UK. We shouldn’t just walk past that,” Farley said.
“And it’s based on the Fiesta platform and when I ran Ford of Europe that was my car.
“Look, I don’t know how to simplify it other than to say we have the same aspiration in Europe with our EV strategy as we do anywhere, which is no more generic vehicles.
“People loved Focus and Fiesta because they were affordable vehicles with great driving dynamics. They were not boring vehicles.”
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