When are the new Passat and Mondeo on sale in Ireland?
When are the new Volkswagen Passat and Ford Mondeo on sale in Ireland?
William Bambrick (Dublin)Apr 2014 Filed under: future cars
Expert answer
Hi William,
Ford is swearing blind that the all-new Mondeo (which has already been on sale for two years in the US as the Ford Fusion) is finally coming to these shores in the autumn of this year. The delay is being explained by the need to move the Mondeo's production line from the Ford factory in Ghenk, Belgium (which is being closed down) to Valencia in Spain.
Many of us car critics have pondered though whether or not Ford is simply stalling to try and let the European passenger car market recover before it introduces such a significant new model. If so, job done it would seem.
The new Passat is a little further away, but should be here by mid-2015 at the latest. Prototypes of the new car are already pounding the roads and test tracks of Europe racking up mileage and it's likely that we'll get a first look at the new car (which will be based on the same MQB chassis system as the current Golf) at the Paris Motor Show this September.
In the meantime, it's worth pointing out that the current Mondeo and Passat are still cars operating at the very top of their game and with new models on the way, it's likely you could argue yourself a decent deal on one.
Neil Briscoe - Complete Car Adviser@neilmbriscoe