Pretoria – 28th July 2008 – Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa (FMCSA) once again demonstrated the efficiency of its Ford, Mazda and Volvo products at this year’s annual TOTAL Economy Run. In addition to taking numerous class wins Ford took top honours in the overall diesel consumption category while Mazda was the winner in the overall petrol efficiency category. In addition, The Ford Ikon 1.4 TDCi consumed the least fuel throughout the event with a total of 44.04 litres.
The 32nd annual TOTAL Economy Run took place over the weekend of July 26. The event which spanned 1 050kms of both tar and dirt roads in the Mpumalanga area revealed South Africa’s most frugal cars.
“With the price of fuel continually in the spotlight, this year’s TOTAL Economy Run was more than ever an important opportunity for us to showcase the frugality of our vehicles,” says Ben Pillay, Ford Marketing Manager. “We achieved victory in almost every class we competed in and took home numerous trophies in the overall results.”
Stuart Greig and Wynand Gerber took top honours in Class B in their Mazda2 1.3-litre, ahead of Gavin and Bernadette Noeth in the 1.4-litre Ford Fiesta. Greig and Gerber also took second overall ahead of the Noeths in the final results by consumption – petrol.
Harry Young and Riette Wannenburg (Ford Ikon 1600) secured victory in Class C while Roger Hills and Gordon Stewart (Ford Fiesta TDCi) took the diesel Class I win. Economy Run stalwarts Philip Hull and Willie du Plessis clinched victory in Class D with the Mazda6 2-litre, the pair also claimed victory for Overall Efficiency – Petrol.
Roger Rouessart and Johan Seiling (Ford Ikon 1400 TDCi) claimed victory in Class H while Martin Steyn and Van Aardt Schoeman in a similarly prepared Ikon 1400 TDCi finished in third place. Rouessart and Seiling also achieved the lowest fuel consumption for a diesel, with Roger Hills and Gordon Stewart following suit in second place.
Volvo’s two entries in this year’s event was a team effort between the Lazaras Motor Company and Volvo Car South Africa, and the outstanding results – a class win for the Volvo V50 D5 and second in class for the S40 2.0D with the new Powershift gearbox, rewarded the efforts. “It is important for Volvo to show that it has fuel-efficient vehicles that live up to one of the company’s core values, which is care for the environment. We have achieved excellent fuel-economy figures – both in real consumption and the fuel-efficiency index – against tough competition,” said Michelle Naudé, marketing manager of Volvo Car SA.
Vehicles, which participate in the Total Economy Run, are standard with no alterations or additions added to assist in fuel efficiency. Vehicles are monitored and scrutinized to ensure that all rules are adhered to, while the driver and navigator of each vehicle is accompanied by an assigned observer to ensure that all road and competition rules are complied with.
“We’re delighted with the results of the event,” continues Pillay. “Both Ford, Mazda and Volvo took numerous trophies home. We were also able to achieve victory in both petrol and diesel categories showing the depth of efficiency in all the brands.”
“Ford Motor Company would once again like to thank Lazarus Motor Company for their hard work and preparation ahead of the event. The Centurion based dealership has a great deal of experience in the competition and this was acknowledged when they were awarded the trophy for best dealer on the event,” he concludes.
AWARDS:
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Class B, 1st Place – Mazda2 1.3 = 5.78ℓ / 100km
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Class C, 1st Place – Ford Ikon 1.6 = 6.41ℓ / 100km
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Class D, 1st Place – Mazda6 2.0 = 6.36 ℓ / 100km
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Class H, 1st Place – Ford Ikon 1.4TDCi = 4.44 ℓ / 100km
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Class I, 1st Place – Ford Fiesta TDCi = 4.66 ℓ / 100km
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Class J, 2nd Place – Volvo S40 2.0D = 5.69 ℓ / 100km
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Class K, 1st Place – Volvo V50 D5 = 6.16 ℓ / 100km
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Overall Efficiency – Petrol: Mazda 6 2.0
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First Automatic Diesel: Volvo S40 2.4 D5
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Lowest Fuel Consumption Diesel: Ford Ikon 1.4 TDCi
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Best Dealer: Lazarus Motor Company
