The Ford Mondeo is a large family car sold by the Ford Motor Company in various markets throughout the world. The name "Mondeo" is derived from the Latin word mundus, meaning "world".[1] The initial generation of the Mondeo was developed as a "world car", along with North American models marketed as the Ford Contour and Mercury Mystique until 2000.

Although an official picture was published at the end of 1992, there was also a mention in the Auto Car magazine on 2 December 1992 which showed Ford's future in the fiercely competitive large family car sector. The Mondeo was launched on 8 January 1993 and sales began on 22 March 1993. Available as a four-door saloon, a five-door hatchback and a five-door estate, all models were produced at Ford's plant in the Belgian city of Genk. The Sierra had been built there since its launch in 1982, though until 1989 some examples had also been built in England at the Dagenham plant.