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FORD FOCUS JOINS THE LPG LINE-UP

BRENTWOOD, 12 August, 2003 – Britain's favourite car, the Ford Focus, has a new addition to the range, Focus Bi-fuel. Priced from £15,000 on-the-road, this latest model offers great fuel economy and has created a lot of interest with London motorists as it is exempt from the congestion charge.

"Current demand for LPG is around four per cent of overall sales for commercial vehicles and around two per cent of all car sales. With our factory produced LPG models, covered by comprehensive warranties and dealer back up, we are well placed to grow with this emerging segment," said Peter Fleet, marketing director, Ford of Britain.

"Focus Bi-Fuel went on sale in June this year. It's set to account for around 1.5 per cent of overall Focus sales in the UK. Ford dealerships within the M25 are already seeing lots of customers interested in Bi-Fuel," he said.

Ford Focus Bi-fuel

The 1.8 115PS Petrol/Bi-fuel engine delivers 117PS and 115Nm torque @ 4400rpm. The LPG tank has a useable capacity of 45 litres and the petrol tank 55 litres. The Focus Bi-Fuel can run for around 710 miles using both tanks.

Focus Bi-Fuel has an insurance rating of 7E and fuel economy comparisons make it easy to see why customers choose it

Focus Bi-Fuel is a £2000 (including VAT) option which attracts a 70 per cent Powershift grant (net of VAT) equivalent to of £1,191.

Ford Transit & Transit Connect LPG

Ford Transit and Transit Connect bi-fuel, petrol/LPG models are also on sale. LPG is a £1,800 option available on all petrol derivatives, that's 31 Transit and three Transit Connect models. This cost is dramatically reduced with the 70 per cent Powershift grant that Ford LPG models attract and makes LPG a viable business option compared to diesel.

Durability credentials

What sets Ford LPG vehicles apart from the rest, and enables them to reap maximum benefits, is the fact that they have been fully engineered from the outset, rather than resulting from an after-market LPG conversion. All Ford LPG vehicles are production-line built. They are crash-tested, to meet new safety criteria, climate-tested and durability-tested to 100,000 miles before sign off – just like every Ford vehicle.

This durability is emphasised in Ford’s entire approach to its LPG vehicle range. It is why all three new vehicle lines have unique bodies fully crash-tested with the dual-fuel systems, engines designed specifically for petrol/LPG, unique instrumentation, and in the case of Focus, improved rear seat strength. This latter feature is to counter the possibility of luggage intrusion into the passenger compartment on impact, as a result of the LPG version’s slightly raised load compartment floor. After-market LPG conversion companies would not have the funding or resources to carry out such in-depth vehicle testing and re-engineering, but it is this sort of attention to detail that could become crucial in the event of an accident.

Ford engine research revealed that petrol engines running on LPG require hardened valve seats to avoid premature wear, with an accompanying loss of performance and increased emissions. All Ford LPG vehicles incorporate hardened valve seats. Similarly, Ford spent $250,000 developing a new, twin-injector inlet manifold to provide optimum fuel delivery for each Bi-fuel engine. The spark plugs are unique to the LPG engines, as are the ignition coils on Transit, which offer a 25 per cent increase in spark energy. Regular maintenance has not been overlooked either, as Ford LPG vehicles have a plug-in diagnostic facility that allows qualified dealer technicians to quickly and accurately highlight any potential problem.

The inside story

On the inside, Ford LPG vehicles receive unique instrument clusters with twin fuel gauges on Transit models and dual functional fuel gauge on Focus and Transit Connect. A fuel sel