“The new 180PS diesel will be available in three different versions: six-speed manual front-wheel drive, plus four-wheel drive and a front-wheel drive version with the Powershift transmission.

“Auto transmission mix will be higher than for the standard manual on Mondeo, as they’re going to be business users, making a conscious choice.

“Despite so much equipment as standard on the Mondeo Vignale, I think some options will still be popular. I think the heated steering wheel at £150, the power adjusted steering column with memory at £200, privacy glass at £200 and a power tailgate for similar money are what we’re expecting the highest take up on. On estate models, we’re expecting people to go for the power tailgate. I also expect take up to be high on the panoramic roof and the 19-inch alloys which change the whole look of the car.

“Mondeo Hybrid is expected to account for 2% of the standard sales and the Vignale version will be much the same. Executive transport is something where the Mondeo Vignale could really appeal – the hybrid particularly.

“Through June and July we’ll be planting the seed with corporates and SMEs about Vignale and we’ll have the first UK cars in August, or September at the latest. We can get these around those interested customers and key fleets, that’s the next task.

“I’d like to hope that at least 30% of Mondeo Vignale sales are from conquest buyers, which would be a good measure of success. That sounds like a lot, but that’s 30% of 3,000 cars and remember that BMW sells 50,000 3-Series models a year in this segment. I think we’re being modest in our predictions for the Mondeo Vignale.”