INCREASING levels of specification on bread and butter volume cars should be encouraging drivers to re-think their choice of vehicles, according to Godfrey Davis director of marketing Nigel Underdown. He admits there are few signs of drivers shifting away from prestige marques in favour of well-equipped volume brands, but believes all that could be about to change.

'The advent of features such as air conditioning, now virtually standard across the upper medium segment, should be making drivers re-think the value of status marques against better equipped volume brands,' said Underdown.

'One would like to think that company car drivers are considering, in much greater depth, exactly what they are getting for their money and look at how a well-equipped Mondeo, Vectra or 406 compares to a sparsely-equipped German import.'

The message, however, does not yet appear to have reached the drivers. Godfrey Davis's order book is considerably higher than at this time last year and, of this volume, the status brands and models represent a much higher proportion than in the past. But Underdown believes that there are a number of factors at work which may persuade drivers to follow their heads rather than their hearts when choosing vehicles.