NEWS

FORD’s Focus ST hot hatch will take centre stage next year in a new film blockbuster - The Sweeney. The Blue Oval’s executive design director Martin Smith told Car Dealer in September Ford was preparing six Focus STs to be used by stunt drivers, but he couldn’t name the film. Ford has now revealed the film [...]

Ford is hoping to increase the number of Focus Estate sales with a new, cool-looking version. JAMES BAGGOTT tries it out. WHAT IS IT? It’s the estate version of the Focus offering more practicality and versatility over its hatchback equivalent. That car has already sold 10,000 units since its debut in March, while the estate [...]

WHAT with all of the adverts and the posters, you probably know by now that Ford of Britain is 100 years old. So what you’re probably thinking? There always seems to be some kind of celebration for something in the UK. 60 years of that, 125 years of this, and one year on since the [...]

FORD has not ruled out increasing the length of its car warranties to five years, revealed the firm’s UK MD. With rivals such as Vauxhall moving to a lifetime warranty and Korean firms Kia and Hyundai offering seven and five years respectively, Ford is in danger of being left behind. However, Mark Ovenden, Ford of [...]

FORD decided against unveiling its new Transit concept at Frankfurt to prevent it stealing the limelight. Car Dealer can reveal the Blue Oval was concerned the van would steal the show from the new Focus ST hatch and estate and Fiesta ST concept – three cars Ford was keen to give full billing on its [...]

FORD blacked-out the windows on its Fiesta ST Concept  to prevent previewing the new Fiesta’s interior. Speaking exclusively to Car Dealer, Ford’s executive design director Martin Smith said he and his team tinted the windows on the Frankfurt show car to prevent giving the game away. A re-freshed Fiesta is set to be introduced soon with [...]

A CAPRI badge may never make it on to the back of another Ford, revealed the Blue Oval’s new UK chief. Ford of Britain managing director Mark Ovenden told Car Dealer that despite car fans pinning their hopes on the Frankfurt Evos concept car becoming the next Capri, he says it’s ‘highly unlikely’. ‘If you [...]

THE all-new Ford Focus ST will have a staring role in a blockbuster movie Car Dealer can exclusively reveal. Ford’s executive design director Martin Smith told us that his team have already built five new Focus STs to be used by stunt drivers in a forthcoming film. Smith gave no indication as to the movie’s [...]

FORD has given the best glimpse yet of its forthcoming Fiesta hot hatch with the Fiesta ST Concept. Unveiled alongside the Focus ST and Evos concept car at the Frankfurt Motor Show, the fiery Fiesta uses the firm’s 1.6-litre EcoBoost engine delivering 178bhp and 240Nm of torque. Outside the Fiesta ST Concept receives similar treatment [...]

FORD has wowed Frankfurt Motor Show-goers by unveiling an estate version of its new Focus ST model. The car offers the ST driver more space and practicality while still delivering the hatchback ST’s lightening performance courtesy of a 2.0-litre EcoBoost engine. Meanwhile the hatchback was also unveiled and remained largely unchanged from the concept car [...]

FORD has officially unveiled its Evos concept – and you should expect its deisgn to appear on a Ford model soon. Although the Evos is a concept, Ford revealed that design elements of the Evos will be appearing on a new Ford model in the next four months. ‘The Evos is a simplification of kinetic [...]

One-in-six large cars in the UK is a Mondeo. Now Ford has given it a make-over. JAMES BATCHELOR reports WHAT IS IT? It’s a refreshed-looking Mondeo with new engines to make the car as competitive and as desirable as ever. WHAT’S UNDER THE BONNET? As you’d expect from Ford, Mondeo Man has plenty of choice. [...]

FORD has given its strongest hints yet that an RS badge could grace the rear of a potent Fiesta again in the future. In an interview with Car Dealer, Ford of Britain’s product marketing manager Steve Humbles refused to rule out a fire-breathing Fiesta to hark back to the RS Turbo of the early nineties. [...]

FORD has secured the top two places in the best-sellers list for July, the latest SMMT data reveals. Family-favourite, the Fiesta, once again holds onto the top spot with 6,695 cars sold in July, followed by the Focus with 6,235 cars sold to its name. The Vauxhall Corsa’s and Astra’s third and fifth places respectively [...]

MOTABILITY Operations has awarded Ford Retail ‘Dealer Group of the Year’ for the sixth consecutive year. The prestigious award recognises Ford Retail as the best dealership group for its sustained commitment to assisting disabled drivers. It’s Europe’s largest Ford dealer group owning 47 dealerships across the UK, and from senior management to the shop floor, [...]

MITSUBISHI is the latest car manufacturer to react to the News of the World phone hacking allegations. The Japanese firm said that it will donate the money it would normally spend on advertising in the tabloid newspaper to charity. On the social media site Twitter, the manufacturer said that ‘Based on a Facebook user suggestion, [...]

FORD of Britain’s managing director Nigel Sharp has elected to retire after 39 years spent with the firm. Mark Ovenden has been appointed as Sharp’s successor, and the announcement marks Ovenden’s return to the blue oval’s operations in Britain. Ovenden, currently managing director and president of Ford Russia, returns to the UK after an assignment [...]

THE builder’s favourite load lugger, the humble Ford Transit van, is top of the car thieves’ most-wanted list. A survey by the ACPO Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (AVCIS) says the dependable motor was the most stolen vehicle in the first quarter of 2011, proving it’s “not just owners of high-end vehicles who need to be [...]

FORD is increasing its Valencia plant’s line-speed to meet consumer demand for the all-new C-MAX. Both the C-MAX and Grand C-MAX are surpassing the firm’s sales expectations, recording more than 100,000 sales and orders since their launch late last year. This year through to May, UK sales of the Ford C-MAX and Grand C-MAX stand at 8,132 [...]

FORD is launching an accident management system for its customers which could shake up the industry. The Blue Oval will launch its new service on July 1 with the aim of channelling accident repair work into Ford Accident Repair Centres (FARCs). Owners will have access to a free helpline which will connect them to a 24/7 [...]