Fleet favourite Ford claims it has taken a lead on the standard fitment of anti-skid control because, according to UK boss Roelant de Waard, “many fleet operators won’t pay for safety features”.
Crash test and safety specialist Euro NCAP claims up to one in five European road deaths could be prevented if anti-skid control were fitted as standard on every car.
The facelifted Focus features the ESP safety system as standard on every model, mirroring the status of the larger Mondeo and S-max, and it’s a decision that leaps ahead of Peugeot’s new 308, which offers the system as standard only above a certain trim level.
“Option take-up was completely negligible,” said de Waard. It was the same with ABS, and now it’s a given. We think it will be the same for ESP.”
“We made a call that it’s not a priceable feature,” said de Waard, adding that fitting options such as ESP helps protect residuals, as buyers will have increased expectations in three years, when the cars come up for sale.