As you probably know, Ford will debut its upscale sub-brand next year with the Mondeo Vignale, with the sedan to be followed by the S-Max Vignale later in the year. Ford’s strategy with these posh models is to steal customers from premium carmakers, but some argue the plan is not without risks, since Ford will have to chase the same rich buyers as its rivals.
However, if the plan works, it would help Ford achieve durable profitability in Europe, a region where the U.S. carmaker has not made money since 2010. Ford wants to roll out at least 25 new or upgraded models by 2017 as part of its plan to increase European sales by 25 percent to 1.65 million cars by 2020.
But sales are not everything and Ford needs to raise prices. That’s where Vignale comes in, with Ford targeting both customers of German premium brands and drivers considering their first purchase of a high-end car. “People assume it would be very hard to sell to them but that’s not the case,” Ford’s European sales chief Roelant de Waard told Reuters. His argument? One in six owners of Ford’s S-Max model previously drove a German luxury car.
It won’t be easy though, as Ford’s European competitors have similar plans. PSA Peugeot Citroen has already launched upscale DS models, while Renault will debut the Initiale Paris high-end line with the next-generation Espace MPV. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is revamping the Alfa Romeo brand, while German luxury automakers are expanding downmarket.
Besides Vignale models, Ford will also start selling the Mustang in Europe in 2015 and, despite a previous report that said Lincoln would not cross the pond, Reuters said that the Blue Oval “does not rule out introducing the Lincoln luxury brand at a later stage”.
By Dan Mihalascu
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