The Ford Mondeo will go out of production next year after almost three decades on sale

Ford has confirmed that the Mondeo will be phased out of production in early 2022 as the firm evolves its range to better suit customer demand.

The Mondeo used to be hugely popular with fleets and families, with about five million sold in Europe since its introduction in 1993, but shifting attitudes towards SUVs and crossovers has seen sales decline.

Ford says 39 per cent of its passenger vehicles sales went to 4×4-style cars in 2020, up eight percentage points on 2019, showing the growing trend towards this type of vehicle.

The American car giant has been reevaluating its business model in recent years as the car industry shifts towards zero-emission motoring, announcing investment of at least $22 billion (£16bn) in electrification technology.

It plans to have every car in its European range zero-emissions capable, all-electric or plug-in hybrid by 2026, before going fully electric by 2030.

As part of this electrification shift, it is investing in its factory in Valencia, Spain. Its new 2.5-litre hybrid engine will be built there from late 2022, while battery pack assembly capacity will also be increased.

This engine is currently used in the Kuga large SUV, where it now accounts for more than half of the model’s sales.

Kieran Cahill, vice-president of manufacturing at Ford of Europe, said: “Today is another step on Ford’s electrification journey, providing a bridge to an all-electric passenger vehicle future, and demonstrating our continuing commitment to our manufacturing operations in Valencia where we have invested around $3 billion (£2.1bn) since 2011.”

Ford recently revealed a $1bn (£730k) investment in a new Electrification Centre in Cologne, Germany. It will be the firm’s first factory focused on electric vehicle production in Europe, and expects to build its first vehicle in 2023.