ROYAL Mail announced a huge upturn in its fortunes earlier this month and chief executive Adam Crozier can thank the Ford Focus for helping his company make a whopping £537 million profit.
The firm offered employees the chance to win one of the cars - basic price £12,000 - in a prize draw if they had no days off sick over a six month period.
The offer sparked an incredible 10 per cent drop in absenteeism among the company's 170,000 employees, which helped increase productivity by record figures.
Last month, 37 of the sniffle-free mailmen and women took delivery of a brand a new Ford Focus - no doubt leaving other colleagues sickly-green with envy.
Ford must have been blown away by the free publicity for one of their top-selling motors, although sales success has shown its marketing strategy is already winning new customers.
The US car-maker has updated the Ford Focus inside and out for 2005 to give a welcome boost to its performance and style.
All the new models feature larger wheels, bigger brakes and thicker stabiliser bars as well as new headlamps, grille, front bumper, bonnet and front bumpers.
The Focus is now offered in four models: a three-door hatchback; a four-door saloon, a five-door hatchback and an estate.
I had the three door-hatchback 1.6 LX version for a week-long test drive and was quietly impressed with what I found.
The car came with additional specs like air conditioning, power windows, power locks, power mirrors and remote keyless entry.
You get few surprises with the Ford Focus - buyers should know you'll get a good-without-being-great looking car with a satisfying amount of power at its disposal.
The Focus offers excellent handing, improved by the extra length of the 2005 model, and a relatively quick turn of foot of 0-62mph in 11.9 seconds in the 1.6 litre test car.
Inside, the car is very comfortable, with nicely upholstered seats and an adjustable driving position. The dashboard layout is simple but effective and the CD player is, again, adequate without being overwhelming. Standard features also include front, side and curtain airbags.
All in all, you can see why the Ford Focus has been recognised as one of the best motors around by Car and Driver magazine. It is a car which delivers - just like our new and improved post service.
FAST FACTS
Ford Focus LX 1.6 3dr
Price: £12,745
Mechanical: 100bhp, 1,596cc, 4cyl petrol engine driving front wheels via 5spd manual gearbox
Max speed: 112mph
0-62mph: 11.9 secs
Combined mpg: 42.2
Insurance group: 6
CO2 emissions: 161g/km
BiK rating: 19%
Warranty: 3yrs/ 60,000 miles, 3yrs paint, 12yrs anti-rust