Ford commercial vehicles

Ford’s centenary year has finished in style with the brand closing 2011 as the UK market leader, selling 265,894 cars, as final 2011 sales figures are released by the SMMT. Their top-selling vehicle range secured 15 per cent of the UK’s total 2011 market and there were also some other notable highlights in a tough trading year.

• They are the number one UK car brand for 35 successive years, with the Ford Fiesta the best seller for the third successive year, selling 96,112 vehicles.
• Ford commercial vehicles record sales increases compared to 2010 and the Transit remains the UK’s favourite van.
• The new Ford Focus (77,804 to 81,832 units) and C-MAX (8,357  to 18,925 units) ranges also recorded significant sales and share increases, when compared to 2010.
• The Ford Transit totalled 71,607 units, up from 62,308 in 2010. Ford Fiesta Van, Ford Transit Connect and Ford Ranger also saw sales increases.

Ford Fiesta

Mark Ovenden, Ford Britain managing director, said,”Ford’s 2011 sales performance benefitted from a combination of our best-ever range of vehicles, advanced technology engines, including the new low-CO2 EcoBoost engines, and the unrivalled strength of our dealer network”.

Mr Ovenden went on to say,”More  people choose Ford over any other vehicle brand in the UK and as we face economic uncertainty and intense competition in 2012 we will look to satisfy the needs of our private and business customers through the introduction of a number of new models and technologies, starting with the launch of the new Ford Ranger and the introduction of the 1.0-litre, three-cylinder EcoBoost engine in Ford Focus”.

The full range of Ford cars and vans are on the site now on Ford contract hire.

Click for more details

A Ford Focus 1.6 TDCi Zetec S 5-door diesel hatchback has just been loaded onto the site from only £204.31+VAT per month on Ford business car leasing. This quality Ford hatchback returns 67.3 combined mpg and emits only 109g/km so it is an ideal company car for any fleet driver and is highly fuel efficient.

The terms of the special offer offer are based on a 4-year term, 6 rentals in advance, non-maintained contract,10,000 miles per annum and other terms are available from our car finance partner on request. If you are interested in finding our more details just fill out the Contact Form.

New Ford Focus

The new Ford Focus has just been recognised by Euro NCAP as the first car to receive four Euro NCAP Advanced safety awards, as its Driver Alert and Forward Alert technologies are also recognised. This follows on from recent news that the new Ford Ranger is the first pick-up to achieve a five star Euro NCAP safety rating.

The Euro NCAP Advanced awards recognise car manufacturers that make new safety technologies available and Ford is only one of two car manufacturers to hold four of these awards.

Ford’s Driver Alert system is designed to combat driver fatigue using advanced camera technology and on-board sensors to evaluate a driver’s control of the vehicle. It monitors the vehicle’s position relative to lane markings and if any deviation is found, it sends out a warning signal. This feature is available on the new Focus, C-MAX, Grand C-MAX, Mondeo, S-MAX and Galaxy.

The Forward Alert accident management system scans the road ahead using radar technology and if it detects slower or stationary traffic ahead and determines a collision is likely, it alerts the driver by an audible chime and flashes a warning signal in the instrument cluster. If you take no action (i.e. you fail to brake immediately) the system triggers another function called brake support. The Forward Alert system has three sensitivity settings and can be switched on or off. This feature is available on the new Focus as well as the Mondeo, S-MAX and Galaxy ranges and if you are interested, we have the latest Ford contract hire on all models on the site now.

Ford Focus Zetec S

Ford is adding a new Ford Focus Zetec S to its model line-up with the new car being specifically designed for the UK market. The Zetec S combines sporty styling and economy, offering a choice of four engines, including the new 1.6-litre 180PS EcoBoost petrol engine.

The Zetec S is based on the Zetec model but adds a full sports styling kit, 17-inch alloy wheels with sports suspension featuring stiffened springs and dampers, aluminium-style sports pedals, red LED tail lamps and Ford Power starter button.

Ford Focus Zetec S interior

The four engine options are as follows;

• 1.6-litre 180PS EcoBoost petrol (0-62mph in 7.9 seconds, 139g/km of CO2 and a top speed of 138mph)
• 1.6-litre 115PS TDCi ECOnetic
• 1.6-litre 125PS Ti-VCT petrol
• 2.0-litre 163PS TDCi

Anthony Ireson, Ford Britain marketing director, said,”Zetec S models have always been popular with UK customers and so we are delighted to welcome our new Ford Focus Zetec S to the range. With sporty exterior body styling and impressive performance and economy, this latest addition is set to be another showroom hit”. Ford contract hire is on the site now.

Ford 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine

Ford has unveiled their new 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine that will debut in the UK in the all-new Ford Focus next year, giving the Focus class-leading fuel economy and low CO2 emissions. The new 1.0-litre,  three-cylinder EcoBoost is Ford’s smallest petrol engine and delivers 125PS with 114g/km CO2 with turbo-charged direct injection plus this unit returns 56.5 combined mpg.

The same engine, with 100PS and 109g/km CO2, will feature in the all-new Ford Focus, Ford C-MAX, Grand C-MAX and the new B-MAX which enters into full production in the middle of 2012.  The new engine will be built in Craiova in Romania, and capacity for Europe will be up to 700,000 units per year with annual production of up to 1.5 million worldwide. 

The 1.0-litre EcoBoost delivers a performance  more akin to a 1.6-litre engine but with significantly improved fuel economy and lower CO2 emissions. Stephen Odell, Ford chairman and CEO Ford of Europe, said,”The new 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine is a true collaboration from start to finish, with expertise from Ford specialists  across Europe leveraged in designing both the engine and the cutting-edge facility in which it will be produced”.

Mr Odell went onto to say,”This will be reflected in the class-leading European CO2 emissions of the new 1.0-litre EcoBoost Ford Focus when it debuts in early 2012; low emissions that will be achieved alongside the spirited and refined performance that customers expect from Ford”.

Ford Fiesta

Ford has extended its market share in October as the UK’s overall sales leader in car sales (compared to October 2010) as the latest car and van registration sales data is released by the SMMT (Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders). Total car sales year-on-year for the overall market were up 2.6% at 134,944, however Ford’s car share was 13.7%, selling 18,476 units in October.

Ford Transit

The Ford Fiesta was the UK’s best seller in October and the Fiesta and Ford Focus were the number 1 and 2 best sellers, year-to-date. Ford also topped the UK commercial vehicle (CV) sales with the Transit, capturing 21.7% of sales in the medium CV sector in October and 24.8% for the year to date sales position. Ford’s whole product range also performed well with strong sales reported for the C-MAX, Ford Kuga and Ford Galaxy as well.

Mark Ovenden, Ford of Britain managing director, said,”Ford comfortably beat the positive trend in the UK car market in October, which is a great credit to our strong dealer network. Against intense competition our best-ever vehicle range is helping to strengthen Ford’s continued UK market leadership. Particulary pleasing is the success of our most recently launched models such as the Focus and C-MAX, which are boosting customer appreciation of the distinctive attributes of the blue oval brand”.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has just released the new car registrations data for September 2011 which saw 332,476 new cars registered, down 0.8% on last year. The main growth in the new car sector came from “Fleet” registrations (companies who have a fleet of vehicles greater than 25 vehicles) which grew by 7.3%, while private registrations were down by 9.3%. 

Business (sub-25 fleets) also reported a 13.4% growth year-on-year from 18,266 units in 2010, to 20,707 in 2011. The SMMT expects the full new year car market to end 5.3% lower than 2010, at around 1.92 million units. Average new car CO2 emissions also fell by 4.0% to 138.5g/km and the top car models sold in September were as follows;

1. Fiesta – 15,647
2. Focus – 14,754
3. Corsa – 14,339
4. Golf – 10,628
5. Astra – 10,462
6. Polo – 8,607
7. Insignia – 7,323
8. MINI – 6,903
9. 3 Series – 6,352
10. Qashqai – 6,068

1.0-litre EcoBoost engine for Ford Focus

Ford has just announced at the Frankfurt Motor Show that its Ford EcoBoost 1.0-litre engine will go into full production and will feature in the European Focus car range first, then the C-MAX followed by the all-new Ford B-MAX.

This 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine is the smallest Ford engine on offer and features advanced turbo-charging technology, improved twin variable camshaft design and intelligent technology, to deliver the same performance as larger engines, yet still offer lower fuel consumption.

Ford intends to launch two versions of the 1.0-litre engine in the Ford Focus range by early 2012 offering a 100PS (5-speed) and 120PS (6-speed) option. The 1.0-litre, 3-cylinder EcoBoost engine in the Focus and C-MAX, will also come with Ford Auto-Stop, Active Grille Shutter and Ford Smart Regenerative Charging. The car should emit less than 120g/km of CO2 yet still drive like a 1.6-litre petrol engine.

Ford Fiesta

The latest Society of Motor Manufacturers (SMMT) July 2011 new car registrations data has been released showing new car registrations fell by 3.5% (compared to July 2010) to 131,634 units. However Ford increased its market share for the month of July to 15.5% for the month and for the year-to-date position, to 15.4%.

Ford’s introduction of the latest all-new Ford Focus has helped boost their sales and the Focus is now catching up on the Ford Fiesta which is still the UK’s best selling car. The Ford Fiesta Van also performed well with 16.7% of the market but it was the Ford Transit that led the way in the commercial vehicle sector as the UK’s best selling van, with 28.5% of the market share.

Ford of Britain managing director, Nigel Sharp, said,”Ford’s best ever vehicle range demonstrated the breadth of its appeal by helping the company to increase share in all the key market sectors in July. Our latest, the new Ford Focus Studio, priced at under £14,000, will help us maintain this momentum as we and our dealers gear-up for the September sales rush”. Ford contract hire  on all the range (cars and vans) is on the site now.

Click for the £214.94+VAT offer

Ford Lease, one of the partners on Comparecontracthire.com, has just loaded their second quarter pricing with some great new offers available on Ford business car leasing. Two that really are stand out as great value for money are as follows:

1. Ford Mondeo 1.6 TDCi Eco Zetec 5-door with Start Stop from only £214.94+VAT (CO2 114g/km and combined mpg 65.6)
2. Ford Focus 1.6 TDCi Edge 115bhp 5-door from £209.32+VAT (Co2 109g/km and 67.3 combined mpg)

Both offers are based on 4-year contracts, 10,000 miles per annum, rental payment terms of 3 in advance  followed by 47 rentals, on non-maintained car leasing. Other terms are available and as usual, free metallic paint is also on offer.