Vignale, the new name for posh Fords

[generationx]

Yes, several. But I do have cause to be close to at least two of Ford´s big development centres.

[swisstoni]

Some young'uns might be surprised to hear that Ford pretty much ruled the UK car market for 20 years or more.
Brilliant marketing and well targeted products saw to that.

Probably still good cars - it's not that long since Mondeo and Focus set new standards, but I don't know what they're playing at these days.

[WJNB]

Didn't British Leyland try something as stupid in order to sell the Rover brand in the States, calling it a Sterling. No doubt the pipe & slippers image had crossed the pond so no cool dude would be seen dead in a Granddads car.
Sadly whatever the likes of Ford/Vauxhall/Skoda etc do, be it lots of (plastic) chrome, sporty spoilers & silly big wheels, as assortment of letters on the boot lid like VR RS & powerful engines they will always be blue-collar/sales rep. brands & no self-respecting executive who has made a success of his life is going to be seen in one.

[Jimmy Recard]

WJNB said:

Didn't British Leyland try something as stupid in order to sell the Rover brand in the States, calling it a Sterling. No doubt the pipe & slippers image had crossed the pond so no cool dude would be seen dead in a Granddads car.

The name Sterling was used on the Rover 800 in North America to avoid confusion with Land Rover and Range Rover, which were launched there at the same time.

[Janesy B]

monthefish said:

Anyone seen one on the roads yet?

(I've yet to spot one.)

Saw one in Prague. None here on the road.

[darthmarmite]

At the end of the day, this is something we need to get used to. With manufacturers like BMW, Audi and Mercedes pushing down into the 'regular car' sector instead of the 'luxury cars' (with small vehicles like the A1 and 1-series and A-Class, and larger cross-overs and people-carriers like the Audi Q1/Q3 and the BMW 2-Series) manufacturers like Ford, Citroen and Hyundai need to venture into these luxury car markets to keep their profit margins and sales healthy. This movement downwards by the luxury brands has also been helped massively by the surge in leasing and PCP payment plans enabling people who would not have had the means to buy one of these cars before to do so now with relative ease. Companies such as Ford, Citroen and Hyundai do not have the advantage of Volkswagen who already own a luxury brand and can sell to both markets, and as a result are now attempting to create their own. As mentioned, Ford has created the Vignale (sidenote: they have said that future Vignales will benefit from having complete styling changes and different bodywork as standard rather than just shiny chrome add-ons), Citroen has created their 'DS' brand and Hyundai have their Genesis line.

Personally I think this can only be a good thing as an increase in competition will only serve to drive up standards and push new technologies in order to give one an advantage over the others.

Edit: To see another reason that they need to increase their sales base, just look at young people these days: there are a large amount (not all before anyone is offended) who are obsessed with their looks and the way they appear to others, so much so that they would now rather spend more money on a basic, bottom spec A1 than spend the same amount, or less, on another car with far more options and toys just so that they can drive around with that Audi badge.

Edited by darthmarmite on Wednesday 15th February 13:39

[J4CKO]

WJNB said:

Didn't British Leyland try something as stupid in order to sell the Rover brand in the States, calling it a Sterling. No doubt the pipe & slippers image had crossed the pond so no cool dude would be seen dead in a Granddads car.
Sadly whatever the likes of Ford/Vauxhall/Skoda etc do, be it lots of (plastic) chrome, sporty spoilers & silly big wheels, as assortment of letters on the boot lid like VR RS & powerful engines they will always be blue-collar/sales rep. brands & no self-respecting executive who has made a success of his life is going to be seen in one.

Ha ha, what a load of tosh, an a4 or three series is a measure of success ? Is it not just a measure of being able to pay £30 a month ?

[Greg_D]

yes, i saw a suv type one a week or so ago. looked pretty nice to be fair.....for a ford

[AmitG]

I have yet to see a single one on the roads.

Any Ford dealers out there who can comment on the success (or otherwise) so far?

[HTP99]

AmitG said:

I have yet to see a single one on the roads.

Any Ford dealers out there who can comment on the success (or otherwise) so far?

They must be doing well because when I popped into my local Ford and Vignale dealer and had a poke about a Mondeo Vignale estate I wasn't approached or even acknowledged so I guess Ford are selling all they can produce; still yet to see one on the road though!

[Jezzerh]

monthefish said:

Anyone seen one on the roads yet?

(I've yet to spot one.)

I've seen one. In the petrol station at work. I went to have a chat with the bloke driving it but he didn't seem to be on the same page as me. It was as if he was driving a vanilla mondy.

Nice looking motor though.

[Lester H]

DELETED: Comment made by a member who's account has been deleted.

This robotic poster has nailed it. Posh Fords have always made great used cars for non "badge wes". I bet they will appear at so called supermarkets within 18 months. Yet to see a Vignale but I guess Ford will have to "try harder" so the interiors should be really plush.

[GroundEffect]

Cheating for me I know but I see loads. Every manager has one

They are nice and the noise cancelling works very very well.

[Willy Nilly]

Not noticed one to notice it wasn't a normal Mondeo, but I do think the current Mondeo is a very nice looking car and much better than any of the "premium" offerings, it just needs a growly engine.

[LaurasOtherHalf]

I actually saw one the other day, a Vignale Mondeo. I've got to be honest I thought it looked really good.

The strangest thing was that it looked incredibly exclusive against a sea of German saloons.

[Fastdruid]

I'd buy one if they did the 2.7T v6 and a manual box. The Ford Fusion (the American version of the Mondeo) gets that engine (although as an AWD auto) and I absolutely refuse to downgrade to a slower mere 2.0T automatic which is all the "top of the range" Vignale gets.

[DoctorX]

I'm sure they're nice but that particular upholstery style looks anything but plush to me. Fancy an estate though.

[Lester H]

LaurasOtherHalf said:

I actually saw one the other day, a Vignale Mondeo. I've got to be honest I thought it looked really good.

The strangest thing was that it looked incredibly exclusive against a sea of German saloons.

unintended consequence: German cars - management and higher end reps- are so successful that they become increasingly boring, through over familiarity: hence comment about some Mondeo is spot on.

[dxg]

Lester H said:

LaurasOtherHalf said:

I actually saw one the other day, a Vignale Mondeo. I've got to be honest I thought it looked really good.

The strangest thing was that it looked incredibly exclusive against a sea of German saloons.

unintended consequence: German cars - management and higher end reps- are so successful that they become increasingly boring, through over familiarity: hence comment about some Mondeo is spot on.

I think the new Volvo saloon is positioning itself quite nicely as the "not boring" alternative to the Germans...

[Trabi601]

LaurasOtherHalf said:

I actually saw one the other day, a Vignale Mondeo. I've got to be honest I thought it looked really good.

The strangest thing was that it looked incredibly exclusive against a sea of German saloons.

Problem is, it doesn't matter if you stick fancy leather on the seats and throw all the toys at it - the basic build quality and tech. is still miles behind the German competition. I had a Mondeo Titanium X hire car which was a massive disappointment compared with my 5-series - yet the Mondeo Viganale was more expensive on my company car list!