Ford Declared a Fleet Hero by Energy Saving Trust

BRENTWOOD, UNITED KINGDOM - November 20 2009: Ford won the innovation prize for its fuel saving technologies at the 2009 Fleet Hero Awards run by the Energy Saving Trust.

Ford topped the Innovation in Car and Van Manufacture category for its low-carbon ECOnetic diesel vehicles and EcoBoost petrol range.

Ford's ECOnetic derivatives, which now span the Fiesta, Focus, Mondeo and Transit ranges target customers whose overriding priority is to minimise their environmental impact. With CO2 emissions under 100g/km, the current Ford Fiesta ECOnetic and Ford Focus ECOnetic on sale next year are exempt from road tax and return over 74mpg.

The Ford EcoBoost engine announced this year delivers fuel consumption and emission reduction of 20 per cent compared with conventional petrol engines, thanks to direct injection, turbo charging and and variable valve timing. This Bridgend-built engine will carry the SCTi (Sequential Charge Turbo injection) badge on production vehicles.

Ford's Fleet Hero Awards entry also included details of the Ford Focus ECOnetic Smart Driving Challenge, which highlighted how driver behaviour influenced fuel economy. The 500 drivers involved in Ford's Smart Driving Challenge improved their miles per gallon by 33.4 per cent and associated CO2 fell by 22.5 per cent.

Kevin Griffin, Ford of Britain fleet director, said: "Ford's latest economical car and commercial vehicle range offers unique choice and value to our fleet and corporate customers. From the compact Ford Ka to long wheelbase high roof Transit – all come with potent green credentials. Ford's broad range multiplied by huge sales volumes make us a fleet hero for businesses across the UK."

Philip Sellwood, Energy Saving Trust chief executive, said: "Congratulations to Ford for winning the Energy Saving Trust Fleet Hero Award for Innovation in Car and Van Manufacture. The Fleet Hero Awards highlight those who have not only taken steps to help the environment, but also to save money and resources. This is a great example for others to follow."