Last September I was considering buying a new automatic petrol Tourneo Connect and a local Ford Main Dealership told me the earliest Ford could deliver an auto was January, a five month delivery.

I declined the offer and have been checking regularly and no petrol or automatic Tourneo Connects have appeared at the dealer in the three months since.

So are we to assume that although the model has been listed in Ford's brochure for more than a year, the January supply will be the first RHD petrol autos produced and do Fords not realise that such long deliveries are the kiss of death for any demand there might be for the car.