THE car that came to define a whole voting class in Britain, helped pioneer standard airbags and was even taken for a run by James Bond is celebrating its 20th anniversary.

The Ford Mondeo has enjoyed sales of more than 4.5 million in Europe and 1,400,000 in the UK over the past two decades.

It was so popular it even became part of the English language, when Tony Blair coined the phrase "Mondeo Man" to define a new voting class in the early part of the last decade.

And to mark the milestone Ford has released a new internet video with voiceover by actor Ray Winstone, star of movies like The Sweeney and The Departed.

The Mondeo was introduced in 1993 following a five-year, £3 billion development programme and was named Car of the Year in 1994.

It has made advanced features available for UK customers, the first generation providing a standard driver's airbag, an optional passenger airbag and offered traction control, adaptive damping, ABS and power steering.

In 1996, a revised, restyled and lighter weight Mondeo delivered optional side airbags, which were standardised two years later together with four-channel ABS.

In 2000, Ford launched the second generation Mondeo with Ford's Intelligent Protection System, which used a network of sensors to calculate the most effective safety features to deploy in an accident.

This Mondeo made heated rear seats, automatic headlamps and rain-sensing wipers available for the first time.

The third generation Mondeo arrived in 2007 following a silver screen cameo as a Bond car in the movie Casino Royale and included technologies like Adaptive Cruise Control and Ford Easy Fuel system to prevent misfuelling.

Mondeo was again updated in 2010, adding Ford EcoBoost petrol engine technology and safety and convenience features such as Lane Departure Warning, Driver Alert and Auto High Beam.

Recent powertrain enhancements result in CO2 emissions from 119g/km and fuel consumption of 62.8mpg from the top-selling 2.0-litre 163PS Duratorq diesel.

The all-new Mondeo will arrive in the UK late next year and engines will include Ford's 1.0-litre EcoBoost and a petrol Hybrid Electric Vehicle powertrain.