13 June, 2007

COSTLY MISTAKES FUELLING FRUSTRATION AT THE PUMPS

It’s every motorist’s worst nightmare: filling your car with the wrong type of fuel. Misfuelling affects nearly 150,000 people annually according to a report by the AA, wasting enough fuel to fill 150 petrol tankers every year. Repairs can be costly, and in the worst case, requires the engine to be changed.

A recent survey conducted by Motorpoint, the UK’s largest car supermarket, echoed this disturbing national trend with 70% of people admitting to having put the wrong type fuel into their vehicle. At the heart of this common mistake, is the fact that most cars are manufactured with fuel nozzles that are capable of accepting either petrol, diesel or even E85 bio-ethanol fuel, which is available at a growing number of petrol stations. When not paying attention, this makes it very easy to make the wrong choice.

Help is at hand, as Motorpoint will be the first car supermarket in the UK to retail the newly-launched Ford Mondeo, which featured in the recent James Bond film ‘Casino Royale’. The new model, available this summer, is fitted with a sealed fuel filler cap which replaces the conventional screw-on cap. The filler neck also comes complete with a mechanism that can recognise whether the nozzle is supplying petrol or diesel to prevent incorrect filling.

Commenting on the findings, David Shelton, Managing Director of Motorpoint explains: “Most people know someone that has been in a rush, and made the error in their selection of fuel. With the introduction of more sophisticated fuelling systems, this will help prevent motorists to avoid motorists incurring unnecessary costs. We are always therefore looking for models, such as the new Ford Mondeo, that will provide customers with the best value and very latest technology, and this is just one of many examples.”

For information on the latest deals at Motorpoint, refer to www.motorpoint.co.uk

Ends.

 Notes

Founded in 1998, Motorpoint has five car supermarket locations across the UK in Derby, Burnley, Glasgow, Newport (South Wales), and Peterborough, the latest outlet on a 5 acre site close to the A1 Motorway.

In the first six months of 2006, the group increased sales by 5% bucking the national trend and sold a car to a customer in every post code in the UK

With projected annual sales of 47,000 units, Motorpoint has helped to change the face of car retailing in the UK offering motorists a vast choice of new and nearly new cars – almost all makes and models – at unbeatable prices.

Motorpoint made it into the Sunday Times Top Track 250 list in 2006 coming in at 110. The Top Track lists the biggest private companies in the UK.

For further press information please contact:

Chris Wakley or Simon Wittenberg, Marco Ferrari, Automotive PR, Tel: 020 7494 8050 Fax: 020 7437 7966 Email: cwakley@automotivepr.com swittenberg@automotivepr.com  mferrari@automotivepr.com