Ford Motor Co. has postponed the production start of its new Mondeo midsized car at its Genk factory in Belgium for three months already from its supposed start date of April 6, 2013, local media reports citing union sources. Arnaud Henckaerts, Ford Belgium spokesman, confirmed the postponement to Automotive News Europe, saying that it was caused by issues related to homologation and specification levels. Henckaerts refused to disclose details, saying it was an internal problem. He also said the Ford has yet to set a new date for a new production start. Henckaerts noted that the problem is not an unusual one, quipping that the April 6, 2013 date was just an internal date for the production start. Vehicle output at Ford’s Genk plant is currently 16 percent below its usual capacity as the Mondeo as well as the S-Max and Galaxy minivans reach the end of their life cycles. According to Henckaerts, Ford is presently making a decision whether to build its new S-Max and Galaxy models in Genk. Henckaerts said that as of now, the only certain thing is that the current S-Max and Galaxy will continue throughout 2013. The new Mondeo, a sister model to the U.S. market Ford Fusion, is set to be rolled out in Europe between May and June 2013 following its launch at the Paris auto show this September. [via: Automotive News - sub. required]
Production of 2013 Ford Mondeo hasn’t begun yet
by Gerald Ferreira, Email, 12 Jul, 2012
2013 Ford Mondeo
