“While Ford’s own role is far from clear, Mr Mulally said that more cars are certainly not the answer to cities’ problems of pollution, congestion and the associated economic impact,” Daniels says.

“A combination of legislation, public opinion and hard commercial realities will mean that only those car companies who tackle this head-on, will survive in anything like their current form,” he adds.

“Those car companies who recognize that they have a potential role in the provision and delivery of transport as a service and in mixed-use, multi-modal solutions, will come out on top.

“It’s not simply about protecting their current position, but leading the way in the multi-trillion dollar global future-cities sector.”

And the evidence to support his views could be found in Madrid.

While most assume our love affair with the car is continuing to climb, the Spanish city’s government reported a 2.5 per cent reduction in car use during 2012. The writing appears to be on the wall…