The new Ford Mondeo Vignale, which was revealed last month and is now in the midst of its international media drive in Rome, won’t just sashay in style into showrooms across Europe when it makes its market debut in July – Ford has announced that it is introducing a new retail experience for the sub-brand as well.
The automaker is set to open 200 flagship FordStores on the continent this year, with plans to get a total of 500 FordStores going by the end of 2016. Besides offering a new take on retail and a dedicated place to find the new S550 Ford Mustang, the stores will also feature a dedicated Vignale Lounge, a special area offering a personalised ownership experience for Vignale customers.
The Vignale Lounge will offer a dedicated Vignale relationship manager and a high degree of personalised service – the relationship manager will assist customers in configuring vehicles, displaying information on a specially-designed touch table as well as tablet devices.
Among the special services available will be collection and delivery for vehicle servicing – from a home address or office location – alongside servicing scheduled to suit the owner.
There’s also the Vignale Service smartphone app, which enables owners to directly access the Ford Vignale website for video content or find useful info, and a Vignale One Call service puts advisors available through the phone 24 hours a day for additional support, be it answering a technical question, arranging a FordStore visit, resolving a customer concern or managing a service booking.
The Mondeo Vignale is the first vehicle in a new range of upscale Ford Vignale products (the S-Max Vignale arrives later this year), in which each model is hand-finished by dedicated craftspeople in a meticulous process that also includes high-tech production techniques and 100 additional quality checks.
Available in four-door and wagon bodystyles, the Mondeo Vignale features an Active Noise Cancellation system, which makes its European debut on the car – it’s also padded up with enhanced sound insulation over its regular Mondeo sibling.
Plenty of fine craftsmanship in the interior, especially with the seats, which feature 40 individual laser-cut pieces of full-grain premium Windsor leather trim-fitted to each seat. Plenty of tech too, from SYNC 2 and Active Park Assist with Perpendicular Parking to Traffic Speed Recognition, and the car features a 12-speaker Sony DAB audio and navigation system.
As reported previously, the Mondeo Vignale is offered with a choice of three powertrains – a 2.0 litre EcoBoost petrol in 203 PS and 240 PS output state of tunes (and six-speed auto transmission), a 180 PS 2.0 litre TDCi (with six-speed manual and PowerShift automatic transmissions) and a 187 PS petrol-electric hybrid powertrain. Also available, a new 210 PS bi-turbo 2.0 litre TDCi oil burner.
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But… it’s still a Ford.
Fords are nice and all, but I would not see the point of paying 4500 quid more for a Mondeo just to have quilted leather. When you could actually look at a BMW or Merc at that price.
meanwhile in malaysia, we just got the “new mondeo”.. and a fiesta owner said this mondeo is better than a mazda 6 and driving 180 with his fiesta was a great life for him
“affordable” version of the Mustang…
A knock off Aston Martin Rapide with a Ford badge.
You say that like it’s a bad thing, Leafable.
Ford is a confused brand. Neither here nor there. The cars are utilitarian vehicles in Europe and in the states yet here they perceive themselves as a premium brand. Well if what my friend’s experience as an owner of a Ford Focus Ghia, I would say after 3 years I never thought her car would lose about 70% of its value. In the whole of Sarawak, only 2 and I kid you not, only 2 car dealers made an offer and what a deal it was, 30k for a 3 year old car!
If Ford wants to go all premium in Malaysia, they must have premium after sales service too… at least start stocking up your parts for goodness sake…
In the long run, the reward is more if they buckle up the after sale. Weed out all the dealers that just want to sell car but not interested in 3S. Otherwise, Ford is just a car that I will admire from far, even when they give out RM12k rebate for a Fiesta.
I can accept that a car breakdown, I can’t accept that it takes 3 weeks to repair it, let alone 3 months.
I saw this car at the frankfurt motorshow, the low quality plastics and panels were so badly faded from people touching it. This included door handles and the sunglass holder at the top panel. This is typical ford quality, their booth barely had any people looking at their cars. Ive owned fords before and i can tell you they are all crap, look up their long history of recalls.