Ford Orion
| Ford Orion | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Ford Europe |
| Production | July 1983–September 1993 |
| Assembly |
Halewood, United Kingdom Saarlouis, Germany Almussafes, Valencia, Spain General Pacheco, Buenos Aires Valencia, Venezuela |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Small family car (C) |
| Body style | 4-door notchback saloon |
| Related |
Ford Escort Ford Verona |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 1296 cc OHV "Valencia/HCS" Straight-4 1296 cc OHC "CVH" Straight-4 1596 cc OHC "CVH" Straight-4 1753 cc OHC "Endura-D" Straight-4 Diesel |
| Transmission |
Ford BC4 4-speed manual Ford BC5 5-speed manual Ford ATX 3-speed automatic |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor |
Ford Escort (1968–1980) Ford Cortina |
| Successor | Ford Escort Saloon (1993) |
The Ford Orion was a small family car (C-segment in Europe) that was produced by Ford Europe from 1983 to 1993. A total of 3,534,239 units were sold during the car's 10-year life.
The Ford Orion was based on the Ford Escort, but instead of the Ford Escort's hatchback, the Ford Orion had a separate boot, making it a four-door saloon. Visually the Ford Orion's notchback rear end and greater rear overhang make it readily distinguishable from the Escort.
In the early 1980s, Ford's model line-up and image was changing, reflecting shifting patterns in the new car market across Western Europe at this time, as front-wheel drive gradually became more popular than rear-wheel drive and hatchbacks began to eclipse traditional saloons and estates. The company's older saloon line-up was replaced mainly by hatchbacks, starting with the Escort MK3 in 1980 and the new Sierra (which replaced the Cortina) in 1982. By 1985, even the top-of-the-range Granada would offer a hatchback bodystyle, with the saloon and estate models not debuting until the early 1990s, while a booted version of the Sierra was finally launched in 1987.
Launched in September 1983, the Orion was designed to fill the market demand for a traditional four-door saloon, which had been absent from the Escort range since the end of MK2 production in 1980, and also in larger cars by the demise of the hugely popular Cortina in 1982. The Orion looked similar to a contemporary Escort at the front apart from the different grille design, but the rear of the Orion had a long flat boot (making the car a three-box saloon design) rather than a hatchback or estate body like the Escort. Although the Orion's length was similar to that of the contemporary Ford Sierra (then only available as a hatchback) it had more rear legroom and a larger boot. This concept was similar to the Volkswagen Jetta, the saloon version of the Golf hatchback which had been on sale since 1979.
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