Ford Credit is mounting an aggressive, finance-based campaign aimed at keeping current customers 'in the family' and targeting existing Vauxhall owners with special deals.

The special finance packages, which all Ford dealers have been told to promote, offer extra incentives over and above the advertised special offers which are running until the end of June. Current Escort drivers switching to Focus could receive up to £1,200 part exchange allowance on their old car while old Mondeo drivers could receive up to £1,500 to switch to the new model.

Vauxhall Astra or Vectra owners are being courted with similar deals. There is £1,200 part exchange allowance for anyone switching to a Focus Ghia, with £750 on the table for a mid-range model and £500 for the entry-level Focus CL.

Along with the extra part-exchange allowance, existing customers can take advantage of special rate finance including nil-deposit on both hire purchase and Options PCP schemes. Interest rates are as low as 7.9% APR on selected models.

The Ford Credit campaign is tagged Renewal and a complex series of deals are available depending on the type of customer being targeted. The offers are only available to retail customers and do not apply to fleets, though small businesses would still be eligible.

The dealer-based finance programmes come at the same time as a cut in finance rates on the Ford website, fordjourney.com. Buyers looking for a Focus 1.6 Zetec will find it priced £745 cheaper than in the showroom and available on hire purchase at 9.9% APR – rates which match almost exactly the renewal offers. However, the internet site does not offer a PCP calculation.

James Pennell, Ford Journey manager, said: “We have made buying from the site even better value and look forward to seeing how the changes in prices and APR rate affect the number of visitors and buyers we get.”