Saturday, January 18th, 2020
FORD SIGNS OFF 2019 WITH RECORD AWARDS HAUL
- Ford amassed over 40 awards for 10 different vehicles this year, a 20% increase from 2018
- Important Ford initiatives supporting mental health, promoting STEM subjects and women in engineering widened their reach in 2019
- Ford milestones reached in 2019 include the 90th anniversary of the Dagenham plant and its production of the 1,000,000th EcoBlue engine
DUNTON, Essex, 18 December, 2019 –This year has seen Ford of Britain receive a record number of awards for both its industry-leading vehicles and its forward-thinking campaigns on mental health, STEM education and employment diversity.
Ford of Britain has enjoyed 41 product award wins in 2019 – an increase of 20% from 2018 – with 10 different vehicles being recognised as best on the market. The Fiesta, the UK’s best-selling car for more than a decade, scooped 10 accolades including Small Hatchback of the Year at the Honest John Awards and Supermini of the Year at the Auto Express Awards. Commercial Vehicles enjoyed similar success, with a unique 1-2 win at the International Van of the Year Awards for Transit Custom Plug-In Hybrid and Transit Hybrid respectively. The Ranger Raptor was named the Sunday Times’ Adventure Car of the Year.
Ford of Britain has continued to lead on social progress and positive change. Three employees were singled out by Autocar at their Great British Women awards, with engineer Emma King crowned overall winner from hundreds of entries. Ford’s dedication to mental health has remained a priority, with 114 mental health first aiders and ambassadors trained this year and an increased number of paternity workshops offered following research in to post-natal depression in new fathers.
Ford’s commitment to the future of the automotive industry has been illustrated by both products and programmes. New hybrid options and battery-powered vehicles such as Puma, Kuga and Mach-E were revealed this year. Future-led initiatives such as Greenpower and Primary Engineer have helped to encourage more young people than ever to consider a motor industry career by studying STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) subjects.
As the Ford of Britain team settles in to its new headquarters on the Dunton Campus also comprising designers and engineers, manufacturing milestones have been celebrated. Dagenham engine plant celebrated its 90th anniversary, while production of the plant’s latest EcoBlue diesel engine reached the million mark.
The press office is closed from December 21 to January 1 inclusive. John and Oliver below will be available throughout in case of breaking news, but not for press vehicle, Christmas present exchange or UEFA Champions League ticket requests, which will have to wait until 2020.