FORD will not follow the lead of Peugeot and Rover in offering three-year warranty cover on its cars, despite giving the new Transit model a three-year guarantee. The company announced at the Commercial Vehicle Show that Transit buyers will receive a three-year/100,000-mile warranty package - the first time such cover has been offered on a Ford vehicle in the UK.

The move coincides with the new Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, the Transit's closest rival, being offered with a three-year/unlimited mileage package.

However, Ford has said the move does not mean it is reversing its policy on extended warranties and claims its market research shows car customers do not see extended warranties as a 'high priority' and the company 'remains firmly convinced that customers are better off with competitive specifications and pricing, and the option to pay additionally for extended warranty cover'.