Ford Mondeo Vignale Study Kickstarts New Upscale Sub-Brand in Europe

While European consumers have to wait until early 2015 (!) for the new Mondeo, Ford will unveil the Mondeo Vignale study at the Frankfurt Motor Show, a car that signals the recycling of the former Italian coachbuilder’s name into an upscale sub-brand and which, instead of Ford's website, first appeared on the online edition of Autocar magazine.

Like Ghia, Vignale was a Turin-based coachbuilder that ended up in Ford’s collection of brands. Whereas Ghia was belittled by being transformed into a trim level for Ford’s European models, Vignale most recently appeared in 2004, when Ford revealed the Focus Vignale study that previewed the Focus Coupe Cabriolet. It also appeared on the 1993 Aston Martin Lagonda Vignale concept, during Ford’s ownership of the company.

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