Diesel Sales Double For Ford Fiesta

Diesel models of the Ford Fiesta have proved so popular that sales have doubled so far this year, averaging at more than 1000 1.4 TDCi Fiestas being sold in each month of 2003. With Fusion diesel sales at 2,500 this year, it means that Ford is currently taking 19 per cent of the small car diesel market in Britain.

The demand for diesel-powered cars has exploded in the last five years, creating a highly competitive and technology-led marketplace. Historically, diesel has been found in the larger car segments but today's small car customer is looking for power, economy and the refinement of contemporary diesel engines.

"These spectacular sales figures show that the punchy 1.4 TDCi engine has proven its quality already. Fiesta drivers get the economy of diesel with excellent refinement. You can drive from London to Inverness on one tank of fuel with the 1.4 TDCi engine. With current offers on Fiesta, such as one year free insurance and free air conditioning on Fiesta LX and Zetec, we expect to see even more diesel Fiestas on British roads this summer," said Peter Fleet, marketing director, Ford of Britain.

"The Ford diesel story goes way beyond small cars. With 93 models available, sales of Ford diesel cars in July this year were up 24.9 per cent on the same month in 2002, a 14 per cent share of the diesel market. Leading the entire diesel market in July was Mondeo with 2578 sales. So far this year, we have sold more than 50,000 diesel models.

"The market is growing and we are ensuring that retail customers and fleets get a contemporary diesel line-up from Ford so that we can remain strong and grow in the diesel market," he added.

The Fiesta and Fusion 1.4-litre Duratorq TDCi is a compact, lightweight, aluminium, turbodiesel engine featuring second generation common-rail injection technology. Delivering 68 PS and 160 Nm of torque, this new drive-by-wire common-rail diesel is engineered for small-car driveability, excellent economy and new levels of refinement. Combined fuel consumption rating is an impressive 62.8 mpg and CO2 emissions are equally impressive at 119 grams per kilometre.