PRETORIA, South Africa, 20 February, 2012 - Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa (FMCSA) has ranked highly in CAR's Top 12 Best Buys competition with the all-new Ranger emerging as SA's Best Double Cab contender alongside a number of other Ford accolades.

The editorial panel at CAR magazine noted the all-new Ranger's spacious layout and comfortable cabin among its best features. As the first bakkie ever to score a five-star EuroNCAP crash-test rating, the all-new Ranger stood out from the rest of its class contenders.

"We are thrilled to receive this accolade for the all-new Ranger," commented Jeff Nemeth, president and CEO FMCSA. "Built at our Silverton assembly plant in Pretoria the all-new Ranger is suited to local conditions and CAR's endorsement of the Ranger bears testament to this."

Ford also walked away with the Technical Innovation of the Year award for its inflatable seatbelts. Ford and Key Safety Systems (KSS) have developed the world's first inflatable seatbelt. In the event of an accident a signal prompts the seatbelt to fill using a cold-gas inflator. The inflated belt expands to roughly five times the width of a standard seatbelt, after deployment, ensuring the crash-force energy is distributed over a wider area.

"The Technical Innovation of the Year award is a particularly prized one for us," continues Nemeth. "Ford is at the forefront of pioneering technology and this is one example of the smart and exciting things to come for the brand in the future."

Ford also collected runner-up accolades in the Best Budget Car category and the Best Compact Saloon category for the Figo and the Focus respectively.

Lastly Team Ford Racing's Gary Formato claimed the CAR Challenge prize for the most class wins in the 2011 Bridgestone Production Car Championship. The Ford Focus ST pilot claimed the Class T title in 2011 by securing a spate of class victories.