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Spied! Is Ford planning to bring a sedan back to North America?

What looks like an apparent Fusion successor has been caught testing Stateside

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Despite having tossed all its cars – save for the Mustang – squarely in the recycling bin, Ford is apparently testing a sedan of some sort near one of its facilities in America. Could the Blue Oval be on the cusp of reintroducing a four-door car to its model lineup?

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Spy photographers tagged this camouflaged test mule roaming U.S. streets and wearing a Michigan license plate. Eagle eyes will note its front end shares much with the Evos crossover, a vehicle which is slated to be sold only in China, but everything rearward of the B-pillar is very reminiscent of the departed Fusion/Mondeo sedan. This vehicle sits much lower than the Evos as well.

One neat design flourish on this test car is a set of taillights which crib their basic design from that which is found on the all-electric Mach-E crossover. A trio of vertical lamps underpin a laser-like brow, one which could easily incorporate sequential turn signals like the Mach-E. If this portends a forthcoming Mustang-esque take on future Ford taillamps (these would look dandy on a restyled Edge, for example) then mark us down as fans.

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Of course, it’s always worth noting that companies with a worldwide sales network often test vehicles in markets where they will never be sold. Witness the buzz created by Ford when copies of Ranger Raptor test trucks appeared in Michigan, a machine which has yet to officially appear on this side of the pond.

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Sometimes this happens thanks to simple testing needs, but it is not outside the realm of reality for a carmaker to simply be trying to create a distraction. You can imagine how loathed spy shots are by most development teams, after all.

Still, this mystery-mobile does have a slightly higher-than-normal ride height, not unlike the Polestar 2 or old Outback sedan. If Ford were to re-enter the four-door car market, this could be a good (read: all-wheel-drive) way to approach the segment.