The new 2015 Ford Mondeo will launch with a hybrid version priced at the same level as a diesel. The much-delayed Mondeo will make up for lost time with features designed to make it stand out from the family car crowd.

By removing the price premium usually associated with hybrids, Ford expects the new Mondeo hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) to leapfrog the usual stumbling block – extending its appeal to a wider audience.

“It’s likely to be a big seller – when hybrids cost the same as a diesel model, you’re removing some of the major barriers to entry,” said Darren Palmer, the engineering chief of Ford’s larger European models. “It means that Mondeo buyers will be able to drive silently around town, save money on tax breaks and yet still do longer drives between cities without penalty. Who wouldn’t want to benefit from that?”

The new Mondeo arrives in UK showrooms at the end of 2014, with volume sales starting in 2015. The hybrid Mondeo will be offered soon after launch, priced from around £20,000 or similar to a 2.0 regular TDCi diesel, depending on the spec Ford launches with. Exact details are still under wraps, but it is likely to wear the Energi badge to denote its petrol-electric power.

A 2.0-litre petrol engine is mated to an electric motor, software constantly juggling the flow of power between the two supplies for optimum efficiency and power as required. Ford claims the US version, the Fusion Hybrid, can reach 85mph on electric power alone.

This car should become one of the cleanest family cars on sale, with CO2 emissions around 100g/km and a likely average fuel consumption of 70mpg. The benchmark 0-60mph sprint should take around 7.5sec.

Ford will offer the Mondeo in Europe with the hybrid powertrain in the saloon bodystyle only; if it were offered in hatchback and estate forms in future, it is possible that hybrid versions could become the biggest sellers.

However, a large 7.6kW lithium ion battery packs sit under the rear bench, pinching space from the boot floor and preventing the seats from folding flat. It is likely over time that this problem will be solved as battery technology improves, but for now the Mondeo hybrid will remain a four-door saloon only.

Expect further hybrid Fords to follow; the so-called C/D architecture of the new Mondeo (and its Fusion sister in the States) is shared by other full-size Fords, such as the next generation of S-Max and Galaxy people carriers.

The new Mondeo was first shown at the Detroit Motor Show 2012 in the shape of the US-market Fusion; however, the financial woes suffered by Ford of Europe pegged back the launch of our version. Product planners hope that the availability of a hybrid version will offset the delay and grab more attention for Ford’s new family car.