Without doubt, December 5, 2013 will go down in Ford Mustang history as the day that The Blue Oval showed to the world (in six countries and across four continents) the all-new sixth iteration of its pony car. Yes, the unequivocal star of Ford’s “Go Further” event in Barcelona, Spain was the 2015 Mustang — which will finally be sold in global markets outside North America. But Ford’s announcements during the special event, which was attended by 2,500 dealers, employees, and members of the media, wasn’t limited to the 2015 ‘Stang, as the affair also served as the European debut of the Edge Concept and Ka Concept.
“Despite the challenging market conditions, Ford continues to heavily invest in new products in Europe to position the company for success in the future,” said Stephen Odell, Ford executive vice president, Europe, Middle East and Africa. “The introduction of Mustang and the Edge Concept and Ka Concept are proof of our commitment to building our line-up with exciting new vehicles.”
Notably, the Ka Concept is Ford’s “vision for a practical all-new global small car offering advanced technology and clever design to key markets around the world at an affordable price.” The five-door hatchback concept was presented to the Barcelona audience by Stephen Odell, Ford executive vice president, Europe, Middle East and Africa.
“The Ka Concept builds on Ford’s small car expertise and success to offer the design and technology customers worldwide will be looking for over the coming years,” Odell said. “Consumers increasingly expect to seamlessly transfer their mobile devices from home, to car, to workplace, and the Ka Concept shows how technology enabling them to do just that, will be extended to an attainable small car.”
Meanwhile, the Edge Concept was presented by Jim Farley, executive vice president of Ford Global Marketing, Sales and Service and Lincoln. The concept offers “strong hints at the technology, dynamic design, and craftsmanship that will define the new large Edge SUV Ford has confirmed for Europe.” In other words, expect the global 2015 Edge to be very similar to this show car.
The midsize Edge will join the compact Kuga (sold as the Escape in North America) and subcompact EcoSport in Ford’s quest to offer customers a comprehensive line-up of redesigned Ford SUVs. According to Ford, this market segment grew from 6.5 percent to 11.9 percent of total vehicle sales between 2005 and 2012, with the automaker projecting a segment sales growth of 22 percent in Europe between 2013 and 2018.
The Motrolix Take
The European introductions of the 2015 Mustang as well as the Edge and Ka concept cars are important. While only the Mustang is a true production-intent vehicle meant to boost sales and Ford’s reputation, the other two will undoubtedly sell in much higher volumes than the perennial pony car. And if the European automotive climate of the last 2-4 years has taught us anything, it’s that sales volume and scale economies do, in fact, matter.
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