2021 saw the end of Ford’s 43-year reign as the UK’s leading car brand. It took over the number one spot in 1977 as British Leyland crumbled, and despite occasionally bullish promises from Vauxhall, it was never really threatened by its Luton rival. Indeed, a decade ago, the-then Ford MD said privately, “I have told my team to stop worrying about Vauxhall. It is Volkswagen we need to watch.”
Those words turned out to be prophetic.
