Frankfurt auto show: Ford plots possible return to European premium sector

Ford is potentially planning a return to the executive car sector which it abandoned when it ceased production of the Scorpio model in 1999. At Frankfurt, the Blue Oval will be showing off a Mondeo-based concept called the Vignale. The name comes from an old Italian design house to which Ford (along with Ghia) owns the rights, and it could preview a more bespoke future for the one-time sales rep's favourite.

"Our vision for the Vignale product range is to deliver vehicles with true upmarket credentials," said Martin Smith, executive design director, Ford of Europe. "We wanted to create something unique for Ford, with world-class quality and craftsmanship."

This comes at a rather odd time for Ford in Europe. Although its European sales figures have been improving, it’s far from being in the robust health of rival Volkswagen, and the market for Mondeos in particular has fallen off dramatically from its late-nineties peak.

The likes of the the BMW 3 Series and Audi A4, driven by hard-bargaining finance deals, have eaten away the Mondeo's once dominant market position to a shadow of its former self. That fall off has driven Ford's decision to shutter its production plant in Genk, Belgium, where the Mondeo is produced alongside the S-Max and Galaxy, and move the new Mondeo's build to a factory in Spain.

That explains why we are still awaiting the arrival of the new, fourth-generation Mondeo in Europe, even though it has already been on sale for a year in the US as the Fusion. Potentially, Ford could be thinking about canceling European plans for the car altogether.

The appearance of the Vignale seems to give lie to that concern, but brings with it more questions again. Is it just a piece of motor show fluff to keep interest in a new Mondeo afloat? That seems not to be the case, as Ford seems to be committing to a full range of Vignale-branded products. Which raises yet another question; why try in Europe (a Ford-based premium product) what has already comprehensively failed in the US, with the Lincoln brand?

Across the Ford stand, things are rather simpler with the S-Max Concept, a very thinly disguised version of Ford’s next big seven-seater. Indeed, so close is it to the final production version that you honestly wonder why Ford bothered calling it a concept.

Although the styling obviously lifts cues from the likes of the C-Max, Fiesta and the new Mondeo, it’s also clearly carrying on where the current model left off, although hopefully it will bring with it much reduced Co2 emissions - the too-high levels emitted by the current car have led to it being dropped from Ford of Ireland’s price lists.

The S-Max is showing off Ford’s latest safety gizmos too, including Intelligent Protection System with Pre-Collision Assist, which identifies pedestrians and automatically applies the brakes if a collision is imminent. Dual-View Display allows the driver to receive important information while from the same centre console screen the front passenger can enjoy a movie.

“The launch of this all-new concept takes the Ford S-MAX to a new level of excellence,” said Barb Samardzich, European Product Development vice president. “We want our S-MAX customers to live a life without compromise, and have taken a no-compromise approach to every aspect of its design and engineering.”