The new Docklands location for the British International Motor Show has been a great success for Ford. Throughout the Show at Excel in London, Ford stand staff struggled to keep up with requests and questions from enthusiastic visitors. At peak times, Ford staff were recording potential new customers at a rate of one a minute.
Fortunately, Ford had equipped the stand appropriately for this onslaught and as people headed to the Ford stand in their thousands, they were able to help themselves to complimentary ice lollies. By the time the motor show closed at the end of the hottest July on record more than 110,000 lollies had been handed out from a purpose-built bar made of ice on its stand.
On the first day of the Show Ford was in the spotlight when chairman Roelant de Waard pulled the (insulated) wraps off a full-size Ford Focus Coupé-Cabriolet, also carved from ice. The bioethanol-liveried replica demonstrated the pure and sustainable credentials of the renewable transport fuel, which can be produced in this country from wheat or sugar beet.
The new Ford Focus Coupé-Cabriolet was shown in Britain for the first time, flanked by Ford’s new S-MAX and Galaxy people movers.
Roelant de Waard said: “The British Motor Show at Excel was excellent for Ford – not surprising as the venue was local to our bases in Dagenham and Essex. Visitors to our stand saw for themselves why Ford is market leader and on track to clock up 30 years as number one car brand this year. We look forward to the show receiving full industry backing in two years’ time.”
