I name this ship....

We've launched.

Find us at www.ford.ie, www.ford.de and www.ford.co.uk.

It's been a long and winding road, and actually the road is never ending but we are there.

Ireland

Ireland are our pilot market and I'm there now, having taken them through the 'where we are now' presentation which also starts to touch on the what we need to do next and planning for next year.

The term pilot market seems to be quite adventurous, quite exciting, quite daring.

And alternative term, and one I've encountered today is the concept of Ireland being guinea pigs. Now this has an altogether less glamourous feel. Being a guinea pig almost implies an element of being a victim. I wonder if the terminolgy reflects the level of nervousness being felt right now - the fear of the unknown. Maybe I need to work on improving confidence and a measure of my success in this regard might be to look at the terminology used.

If Ireland view themselves as adventurous pilots in six months time, I will have succeeded.