FORD wants to mess with our brains and destroy the whole family-friend image it has sought to cultivate for itself over the last century of motor manufacturing.

It could do irreparable damage to the brand and mean the Mondeo Man image is well and truly buried forever.

The manufacturer, best known for its Fiesta and Focus models, has launched a new marketing campaign –dubbed Unlearn – which is intended to challenge out-of-date pre-conceptions about Ford and encourages customers to reconsider the brand in the light of today’s high-tech, innovative and attractive reality.

The manufacturer is brave enough in its publicity blurb to state “Unlearn is a disruptive concept”.

“By rejecting familiar but limiting beliefs (such as Mondeo Man), Ford is asking people to open their minds to new ways of moving forward.”  
 
The campaign unveils a new look at the brand, which scheduled to be a major departure from the image we are all so familiar with.

The campaign, which launches today (Wednesday), will see a bold new look to its iconic script, which now sits outside of the famous blue oval logo and features splashes of colour in place of the traditional white font.

A new TV advert, aired for the first time during tonight’s National Television Awards, will feature an array of images and closes with an emotional shot of a new-born baby intended to remind people they all have the ability to Unlearn.
 
Created for Ford of Britain by Blue Hive UK, the work has been designed to drive reappraisal of Ford as a brand committed to driving innovation and progress to meet the nation’s changing needs when it comes to getting around.
 
“The campaign is about taking a fresh look at the familiar and anyone in the UK who takes a fresh look at Ford may be surprised by what they find,” said Andy Barratt, Chairman and Managing Director of Ford of Britain.
 
“We now have a line-up of vehicles that demonstrate our performance prowess and innovation, from the Ford GT which will race this year at Le Mans, to our new flagship SUV, Edge, which is laden with driver-helping technology.”
 
As well as the TV commercial, filmed by production company 2am, the Unlearn campaign is amplified with an influencer programme, featuring some of the UK’s best-known online personalities who will be sharing their own Unlearn experiences.
 
Ford’s Marketing Manager, Richard Beard, said: “Unlearn is about casting aside preconceptions, having another think about Ford, and reappraising. It’s about not being held back by limiting beliefs.”
 
Bryn Attewell, Creative Director, Blue Hive said: “Unlearn is a big, bold idea that demonstrates Ford isn’t – and has never been – afraid to cast aside limiting beliefs in order to make progress.
 
“We think people will be surprised by what Ford are up to. They’re not just building amazing cars like the GT and Mustang, they’re changing the way people interact with their vehicles and looking at every aspect of how the world gets around.
 
“That’s why we’re asking people to let go of any preconceptions they might have about Ford. And maybe at the same time we can all Unlearn few things about ourselves and the world around us.”

A lot of advertising hype – or simply a gimmick to coincide with the launch of right-hand-drive version of the brand’s historic Ford Mustang.

Make your own mind up!
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New Mercedes E Class available to order in the UK

FAR too sensible to let style triumph over substance, Mercedes-Benz has announced that its new E-Class Saloon is now available to order in the UK.

Priced from £35,935 OTR, the car features two trim levels; SE and AMG Line, and two engines, the E 220 d and E 350 d.

First deliveries are expected in May.

The UK range starts with the E 220 d SE, priced from £35,935, with the E 220 d AMG Line from £38,430. The E 350 d SE starts at £44,930, and the E 350 d AMG Line at £47,425.

The E 220 d uses an all-new four-cylinder 2.0-litre bi-turbo engine producing 195 hp and 400 Nm, with the nine-speed 9G-Tronic automatic gearbox that is standard on all new UK E-Class Saloon models. As well as helping to create seamlessly smooth shifts, the 9G-Tronic gearbox also contributes to the E 220 d’s low 102 g/km CO2 rating and high 72.4 mpg economy.

By comparison the previous-generation E 220 CDI Saloon, launched in 2009, produced 170 hp from its 2.1-litre engine, and returned a then-impressive 53.3 mpg and 139 g/km of CO2. Acceleration from 0-62 mph in the new E 200 d takes just 7.3 seconds – 0.4 seconds faster than the outgoing E 250 CDI.

First deliveries of the six-cylinder E 350 d are due in the summer. This produces 258 hp and 620 Nm; making for 0-62 mph in 5.9 sec, while emitting 133 g/km and returning 55.4 mpg. These are improvements over the previous-generation E 350 CDI Saloon of 27 hp; 80 Nm; 0.9 sec; 48 g/km and 14.5 mpg.

The petrol-electric hybrid E 350 e (279 hp; 600 Nm; 6.2 sec; 49 g/km; 134.5 mpg) joins the UK line-up later in 2016.

Standard specification on the SE includes: Garmin Map Pilot navigation system with 8.4-inch display; Parktronic parking sensors with reversing camera and Park Pilot self-parking system; Collision Prevention Assist Plus autonomous emergency braking system; Pre-Safe anticipatory safety system (including Pre-Safe Sound, which helps prevent damage to hearing); 64-colour selectable LED interior lighting; two-zone automatic climate control; three-spoke multifunction steering wheel with dual touchpads; leather upholstery with heated front seats; LED headlights and taillights; electrically folding mirrors and 17-inch wheels (18-inch on the E 350 d).

AMG Line models come with AMG exterior styling including unique bumpers and side skirts; 19-inch alloy wheels; perforated front brake discs; three-spoke AMG steering wheel; and Artico leather and Dynamica microfiber upholstery with seat comfort package.

All E 350 d models come with Air Body Control multi-chamber air suspension as standard, as well as COMAND satellite navigation with 12.3-inch display and remote online services.

Two options packages – Premium and Premium Plus – are available, as well as a host of individual options, colours and trims. Premium (£2,795) includes panoramic glass roof, Keyless Start and a front-seat memory package; and Premium Plus (£3,895), which adds to these features with a 13-speaker Burmester Surround Sound System with 9-channel amplifier and 590-watt output and the Multibeam LED Intelligent Light System. This uses 84 individually controlled LEDs to provide unsurpassed illumination, with the Active Light System switching individual LEDs on and off to provide maximum lighting without dazzling other road users.

Next-generation driver assistance systems include a Lane Tracking Package (£595) that includes Passive Blind Spot Assist and Active Lane Assist, and the more comprehensive Driving Assistance Plus Package (£1,695).

The Driving Assistance Plus Package includes Drive pilot, which combines Distance Pilot Distronic – which can maintain the vehicle at a set distance behind other vehicles – with new functionality that allows it to follow the vehicle in front. In combination with Comand Online navigation, the system also has Speed Limit Pilot, which can adjust the vehicle’s speed to camera-detected limits or those logged in the navigation. Also included are: Active Brake Assist with cross-traffic function; Evasive Steering Assist; and Pre-Safe Impulse Side. If a lateral impact has been detected, this last system inflates a chamber in the side of the backrest to move the driver or front passenger further from the danger zone.

Comand satellite navigation with 12.3-inch widescreen display is standard on E 350 d models and £1,495 on the E 220 d. The accompanying 12.3-inch widescreen cockpit display is £495.

Want a Jaguar XE – you’re in safe hands

WHILE Jaguar has picked up the plaudits for the performance and cutting-edge technology featured in its new XE, the impressive car has now scored what could conceivably be its most important accolade to date.

Scoring a major victory over its rivals, the XE has been rated the safest Large Family Car on sale by crash safety testing body, Euro NCAP.

During Euro NCAP’s stringent crash safety procedures, the XE was consistently strong, scoring maximum points in the side barrier impact test for adult occupant protection, giving the XE an impressive 92% overall in the category.

Jaguar said the rating was testament to the inherent strength and stiffness of the XE’s innovative lightweight aluminium structure.

With an array of active safety technology fitted as standard, including Autonomous Emergency Braking, the XE also performed extremely well in the safety assist, pedestrian protection and child occupant protection categories.

Michiel van Ratingen, Secretary General, Euro NCAP, said: “Euro NCAP gives top honours to the Jaguar XE which offers the highest levels of occupant protection and avoidance technology, and rewards the XE as Best in Class of 2015 in the large family segment. Euro NCAP particularly congratulates Jaguar for making all important Safety Assist features standard equipment.”

Jeremy Hicks, Jaguar Land Rover UK Managing Director, said: “The Jaguar XE has already been widely praised by the world’s media and by our customers as being a benchmark model for its design, handling and low cost of ownership figures, and we’re thrilled to now add Euro NCAP rated best-in-class safety to that list. The Euro NCAP tests are extremely thorough, and the competition in this class is formidable, which makes this latest accolade an outstanding achievement.”

Goes without saying – Drive Safely.