The chairman of Ford of Europe has written to all its franchised dealers to reassure them that the Blue Oval has not been caught up in Volkswagen’s emissions cheating.

James Farley has done so in acknowledgement that “when a major company in our industry has this type of issue, it can raise questions about the entire industry”, he said.

“Our customers, our teams and all other stakeholders understandably want to know where Ford stands.

“So let me be absolutely clear. We do not used ‘defeat devices’ and we do not deliberately mislead the public, regulators or investors.

“Our award-winning vehicles and engines meet all the applicable emissions standards in Europe.”

Farley issued the letter from his office in Cologne, Germany, and pointed out that Ford was recently named in Ethisphere Institute’s 2015 list of World’s Most Ethical Companies, the only carmaker to feature.

“As a valued dealer partner, you can be proud to represent a company that is committed to doing business the right way.

“You can be assured that we will continue to accelerate our progress on building a vibrant, exciting and successful brand in Europe whilst maintaining the highest standards,” Farley concluded.