Ford - Flying the Flag For Fashion

Certain brands, names and suchlike will never go out of fashion, regardless of how time's withered claw defaces them; let me give you a few examples. You will never be mocked for listening to the music of the Rolling Stones, the Sega Master system will always provide hours of genuine 8-bit entertainment and denim jeans will always be in fashion. Not the same can be said for everything though, which is why it pays to pick your investments. When choosing your long term investment, a car for example, it is beneficial to have some degree of foresight which will allow you to choose a vehicle that won't leave you looking like a plonker a year down the line. Not everyone has soothsaying abilities, so my recommendation for all of you out there worried about a car that will leave you embarrassed in the not too distant future would be to play it safe. In other words, go for the car brand that has consistently manufactured great looking and great performing cars for years. Yep, you guessed it; get a Ford.

It matters little which Ford car you pick, as in recent years the flagship models (Ka, Fiesta and Focus) have all gone under the surgeon's knife and come out looking sleeker, sexier and a whole lot more eye-catching. Every design change has got the automotive world talking thanks to the influence Ford has over the industry. The introduction of the Ford Ka brought about an automotive revolution, where upon every single manufacturer brought out small, round, bubble-esque models. The recent reinvention of the Ford Fiesta has also got tongues wagging thanks to its sportier body shape and bold colour scheme. It seems that whatever comes out of the Ford production line is certified fashionable and remains so until Ford themselves decide otherwise and release a newer model.

Ford have a unique position within the car industry as the 'taste-makers', or the opinion formers. This is the equivalent of one particular fashion-house, record label or vineyard decide what the public should wear, listen to, or drink. Yes dear reader, Ford appears to have built up a 'fashion monopoly' over the competition and it doesn't look like there is much anyone can do about it.

Let's take the New Ford Fiesta as an example: The Vauxhall Corsa came close to rattling Ford's cage, with a similar desire to create a sporty but affordable hatchback. The Corsa's only downfall was that it failed to match the extremely high build and ride quality that the Fiesta displayed. The VW Polo also looks the part and feels the part, but the elevated tag price means that a sizeable proportion of the target demographic (who can barely afford to eat properly every night, let alone spend £12,000 on a new car) were dissuaded from the German supermini.

Ford certainly doesn't look like relinquishing its stranglehold on the automotive world in terms of fashion stakes for any time in the foreseeable future. So with that said, it's very difficult to know exactly how any opposing manufacturers plan on stealing the Fashion Crown off Ford.