Ford's exclusive supply agreement with AA Driving School has been extended to the middle of 2017, with the school's franchised instructors taking delivery of around 2,000 new Ford models annually.

With fuel economy a key priority for the instructors, the models powered by the frugal 1.0-litre EcoBoost engines are expected to be the top choice.

"We will be offering them the new Focus EcoBoost for the first time and we expect that it, and the Fiesta EcoBoost, will get the biggest take-up because they offer such fantastic fuel economy," said Sarah Millward, the AA's head of fleet.

"We are very pleased to be continuing this long-standing agreement with Ford for a further three years. We are constantly competitively benchmarking and Ford always comes out as the manufacturer with the best model range, the cars most suitable for tuition purposes, and with the most competitive pricing."

James Powell, Ford's direct sales business manager, added: "This is not only great news for Ford in terms of the large number of new models being delivered to the AA Driving School over the coming three years. It means also that thousands of newcomers will learn the art of driving at the wheel of a Ford, and that in turn means a Ford will be their natural choice when they pass their test and buy their first car."

The new Focus is available with Ford's 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol engine, which last year was chosen by a third of Focus customers and this year was named International Engine of the Year for an unprecedented third year in a row.

From early next year the 125PS Focus 1.0-litre EcoBoost will also be offered with a six-speed automatic gearbox.

New Focus will continue to be offered as a 1.0-litre EcoBoost version delivering 99g/km CO2, the previous version of which became the first non-hybrid petrol family car in Europe to offer sub-100 g/km CO2 emissions earlier this year.

 

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