A Fiesta for Ford

Earlier in the year Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London announced a revision to the exemption rule for the London Congestion Charging Zone. Vehicles with CO2 emissions of 100g/km or less, which also meet the Euro 5 standard for air quality, would be exempt from the charge. This is good news for many Ford owners who have ECOnetic models. This new rule is not just for new cars bought from 2011, this rule applies to all cars, so owners of the cheap Ford Fiesta and versatile Fiesta van ECOnetic models can enjoy free entry to London from the 4th of January 2011. Jon Wellsman, sales director, Ford of Britain, said: "Ford offers a large range of cars and commercial vehicles and I am delighted that they include vehicles which will be exempt from the London Congestion Charge. Even more exciting is the introduction of our zero-emission Transit Connect Electric in 2011 and Focus Electric in 2012." The free entry into London for models like the Fiesta is guaranteed until at least 2012, at which point the Mayor will re-evaluate the Congestion Charge discount criteria. Finding a used Ford Fiesta shouldn’t be that difficult as they are very popular and Ford has been producing them since 2009. The Fiesta ECOnetic model produces just 98g/km of CO2 and uses Ford’s 1.6 Duratorq TDCi engine with the addition of a diesel particulate filter. But it is not just the engine that helps the Fiesta achieve such good environmental credentials, the Fiesta’s weight and aerodynamic efficiencies have helped too.