Here’s how the Contour was another “world car” failure for Ford

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In this episode I provide the history of the Ford Contour, and its twin the Mercury Mystique, Ford's replacement for the Tempo/Topaz twins in 1995 to compete in the "small midsize" market. Based on the Mondeo that was sold in Europe, which sold well especially in the UK, it cost $6 billion to develop, one of the most costly projects in Ford's history. The result was a car that cost far more than the one it replaced, which priced out many buyers coming from the older model. Ford would do a refresh in 1998 and also offer a performance-focused SVT model, but although the latter has a small cult following, it wasn't enough to increase slow sales, leading to its cancellation by 2000.