A BID to make up lost ground on market share has prompted Ford to unveil a raft of special-offer deals on most of its passenger car range.

Only weeks after causing a storm with £3,000 discounts on 1998-build Mondeos, the company has announced a massive plan to cut on-the-road prices of dozens of models. Substantial additional funding is being made available to allow dealers to offer price cuts of up to £2,000 as the market leader attempts to recover business lost earlier in the year.

An extra £500 of marketing support allowance on the Ka line-up means the entry-level version is now priced at £6,995. With £400 off the Fiesta range, the Finesse costs just £1,000 more at £7,995 - and a £505 Escort discount brings the drive-away cost of the Flight to £9,995. Maximum support of £2,000 goes to the Explorer, Ford's top US-built 4x4 model, and even the recently-introduced Cougar is included in the money-off 'summer sale' programme, with some 2.0-litre examples ranking for discount of £1,000 while a £500 discount is being made available on some 2.5-litre models.

A spokesman said: 'There is nothing unusual about this. We run marketing programmes all the time, just like our rivals.' However, documents made available to sister title Fleet News show that, in the last two months, a number of dealers have told the company that sales would be boosted if key retail price points could be introduced on the Ka, Fiesta and Escort.