Ford Focus named Best Fleet Car 2004

Ford's famous small car was the centre of attention at the 2004 Fleet World Honours held at the Automobile Club in London. Ford Motor Company was also named Best Fleet Manufacturer at the event.

The tremendous appeal of the best-selling C-segment car, which launched in Europe back in 1998 to instant acclaim, has also struck a chord with Middle East customers.

Focus sales in the GCC for the first quarter this year are up 6 per cent compared with the same period last year, and the vehicle is winning an increasingly significant share of Ford's growing fleet market in the region. The Focus has made up nearly two thirds of fleet sales in the Gulf so far this year.

Commenting on the Ford Focus' fleet award, Brion Gopigian, Government and Commercial fleet sales manager, Ford Middle East, said: "Focus is helping the Ford brand make major gains in the regional market, and it is proving an unbeatable fleet player.

"The secret of its success is low cost of ownership, great engineering and driving enjoyment, and excellent small car safety. The Focus has won more than 50 industry awards, including most recently a Lifetime Achievement Award from Autocar magazine. Astonishingly, it is also the only car in the automotive industry to win Car Of The Year titles in both Europe and North America."

Testimonials from valued fleet customers represent another important vote of confidence in the Focus and Ford's extensive product range. With a fleet of more than 5,000 vehicles and clients including DHL and Saudi Aramco, HANCO Rent-A-Car is one of the largest hire car operations in Saudi Arabia and around a quarter of its vehicles are Fords.

Shehzad Ali, general manager of HANCO, said: "The Ford Focus is a proven performer and its specifications are ideal. The quality of engineering and the overall capability of the vehicle are higher than you would expect for a car in this segment, and that means great value for money. We replace a third of our vehicles each year and roughly 25 per cent of our fleet is made up of the Ford Focus, along with the Ford Mondeo, Crown Victoria, Explorer and Expedition."

For 2004, the Ford Focus is available in the GCC in the entry-level Ambiente and sportier Trend trims, and features the 1.6-litre Sigma and 2.0-litre Zetec engines with either manual or automatic transmission. Three body styles are available: five-door hatchback, four-door sedan and station wagon.