Mulally Vows for Global Design

Naoto Hayashi

Like what you see here? This is the upcoming 2008 Ford Mondeo, Ford’smiddle size effort for its European, Asian and other non-North American markets. This five-door fastback prototype, previewed in the outrageously popular James Bond flick, Casino Royale - also to be sold in proper sedan and wagon guises - is to Europeans what the Fusion is to us. It’s also nothing like what’s currently on sale here, but just the same it could be here by the time the next generation Ford vehicles arrive, if Ford’s new CEO Alan Mulally gets his way. Earlier last week, Mulally pledged to unify Ford’s global efforts with a phrase that’s going to become familiar in the near future, “One Ford” which seeks to pull together the brand’s global operations, including vehicle design.

General Motors is enjoying some success by bringing over the stylings of Opel to Saturn. At the very minimum, it’s had an effect on GM’s original “import fighter” brand, and could be the reason behind Ford’s change of heart. On that note, some figureheads in the automotive media have suggested driving Mercury down a similar path to Ford. Rebadged Ford of Europe productswould give the brand heralded by the “Winged Messenger” designs worth chatting about, and would help it break away from the badge-engineered plus waterfall grille reputation that visually dogs the brand. Think about it: Mercury is trying to pitch itself to young, techno-savvy, sophisticated urbanites. Ford of Europe’s kinetic design language would work wonders for this brand.

But while such moves make sense when it comes to dollars and cents, it may be a challenge for the automaker to find a design language that will work in all of Ford’s markets. The pre-facelift Five Hundred was styled in accordance to European tastes by J.Mays, who was heavily influenced by Volkswagen’s classy B5.5 generation Passat (the previous model). The model did a face-plant on the sales charts, with some critics suggesting the staid, boring styling was at fault. Ford has since updated the look, the full-size sedan wearing the proud three-bar grille. The reverse could be said with regards to the America-to-Europe translation. Though Europeans are finding themselves stepping into larger and larger vehicles, none of Ford’s North American products would really serve to improve the brand in any way, bar the halo Mustang. Aside from the few wishing to run against the grain, the three-bar grille is a backlash just waiting to happen.

Peter Horbury, Ford of America’s Executive Director of Design said to Automotive News, “The critical thing is not to design a car that would only sell in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.” For the time well being, Ford’s revitalization of design is being met with positive remarks. Its mainstream cars - in particular, the Fusion - are both handsome yet distinctive. They attain the goal of being instantly recognizable as Fords from fifty yards away… delivering the same effect everywhere else in the world is going to be a slightly more difficult task.