Ford Motor Company and insurer Norwich Union Insurance have signed to supply Ford drivers with genuine Ford parts when their car requires repair.

Ford will work with NUI on work being authorised by Ford repairers to further reduce the amount of time a Ford vehicle is off the road.

John Cooper, director of Ford Customer Service Division, says: "We are delighted to see Norwich Union embrace the twin concepts of using genuine parts for all Ford repairs and refer more Ford owners to our network.

"This partnership will enable us to achieve higher levels of satisfaction for our mutual customers and we look forward to working with Norwich Union to ensure successful implementation."

Simon Machell, NUI's customer service director, says: "We are particularly pleased to announce this agreement as it represents a further significant step forward in Norwich Union's delivery of its parts supply strategy, as well as continuing to develop our strategic relationship with Ford."