Ford Motor Co.

New requirement to win is good rating for protection in rollovers

ARLINGTON, VA — Nineteen cars and 8 SUVs earn the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's Top Safety Pick award for 2010 For the first time, good performance in a roof strength test to measure protection in a rollover is required to win. Top Safety Pick recognizes vehicles that do the best job of protecting people in front, side, rear, and now rollover crashes based on good ratings in Institute tests.

Winners also must have electronic stability control, which research shows significantly reduces crash risk. This is the second time the Institute has tightened criteria since announcing the first recipients in 2005.    » read more »

Shows Nearly 200 Models Available That Achieve 30mpg Or More On Highway

November 5, 2009 -- According to the recently released Department of Energy-Environmental Protection Agency Fuel Economy Guide, for 2010 there will be 193 models available that achieve fuel economy ratings of 30 miles per gallon or greater on the highway. This signifies a 47 percent increase over 2009 and further underscores automakers’ commitment to bringing cleaner, safer and more fuel efficient vehicles to consumers.    » read more »

Ford, Lincoln and Mercury October U.S. sales totaled 132,483, up 3 percent versus a year ago and 21 percent higher than September

DEARBORN, Mich., Nov. 3, 2009 – Ford, Lincoln and Mercury October U.S. sales totaled 132,483, up 3 percent versus a year ago and 21 percent higher than September. This marks the third time in the last four months Ford sales have increased.

“Consumer demand for our new high-quality, fuel-efficient products is driving Ford’s market share gains,” said Ken Czubay, Ford vice president, U.S. Marketing Sales and Service. “Ford vehicles are among the ‘freshest’ available by any automaker – with more than 80 percent of our sales in October coming from our new 2010 models.”    » read more »

Cash Flow Turns Positive; North America Profitable

DEARBORN, Mich., Nov. 2, 2009 – Ford Motor Company [NYSE: F] today reported net income of $997 million, or 29 cents per share, in the third quarter as strong new products, structural cost reductions and improved results at Ford Credit lifted the company’s results despite continued weak global economic conditions. This is a $1.2 billion improvement compared with the same period last year.    » read more »

Transit Connect BEV is the first production vehicle from accelerated electric vehicle strategy

DEARBORN, Mich., Oct. 30 – Ford Motor Company announced today that Azure Dynamics Corporation (TSX: AZD) has joined in a collaborative effort to deliver a pure battery electric Ford Transit Connect van for the United States and Canadian markets in 2010. Azure will integrate its Force Drive ™ battery electric drive train in the Transit Connect van for commercial fleet and retail use.

The collaboration with Azure Dynamics for the Transit Connect BEV will build on the existing business relationship between Ford and Azure as well as their shared experience with battery supplier, Johnson Controls-Saft.    » read more »

October 15, 2009 -- DETROIT—A federal indictment was unsealed late yesterday in Detroit charging Xiang Dong Yu, aka Mike Yu, 47, of Beijing, China, with theft of trade secrets, attempted theft of trade secrets and unauthorized access to a protected computer, announced Terrence Berg, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan. Yu was arrested on Oct. 14, 2009 at the Chicago O’Hare International Airport upon entering the United States from China. Berg was joined in the announcement by Andrew G. Arena, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI.    » read more »

Ford Motor Company’s year-to-date hybrid sales are 73 percent higher than the same period in 2008, fueled by the introduction of hybrid versions of the 2010 Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan

DEARBORN, Mich., Oct. 14, 2009 – Ford Motor Company’s hybrid vehicle sales have risen 73 percent this year in sharp contrast to a 14-percent decline in hybrid sales across the industry.

The fuel economy and durability of hybrid versions of Ford Fusion and Escape, Mercury Milan and Mariner also are winning over large numbers of conquest customers, many of whom are previous import owners. Through September, Ford has sold 26,016 hybrid vehicles, up 73 percent versus the same period in 2008, according to figures from Autodata Inc.    » read more »

Statement of Joe Hinrichs, group vice president, Global Manufacturing and Labor Affairs, Ford Motor Company.

DEARBORN, Mich., Oct. 13 – Ford and the United Auto Workers union have reached a tentative agreement on additional modifications to the 2007 UAW-Ford national labor agreement, which would help Ford improve its current and long-term competitiveness in the United States.

The tentative agreement, which covers approximately 41,000 UAW-represented employees in the United States, is subject to ratification by the active UAW-Ford membership. We will not discuss details of the agreement until after the ratification process is complete.

Source: Ford Motor Co.

Ford Motor Company's joint-ventures and wholly-owned entities in China delivered record sales of 119,338 units in the third quarter, an increase of 79 percent from a year ago

SHANGHAI, Oct. 13, 2009 – Ford Motor Company continued its record growth in China in the third quarter, with sales of its joint-ventures and wholly-owned entities increasing 79 percent over the same period last year, to 119,338 units. Through the first nine months of the year, its sales rose 32 percent to 316,639 units.    » read more »

GM is investing more than $230 million in four greater Flint, Mich. plants to support production of the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze and Volt

2009-10-13 -- FLINT, Mich. - General Motors Company is investing more than $230 million in four GM plants in the greater Flint area to support the production of the fuel-efficient 2011 Chevrolet Cruze and Volt, representing more than 500 jobs. The four GM plants include Flint Engine South, Flint Metal Center, Flint Tool & Die and Grand Blanc Weld Tool Center.    » read more »

Ford achieved a market share high of 10.1 per cent in September in its 19 European main markets – the best share for any month for Ford of Europe since September 2001

COLOGNE, October 12, 2009 – Ford achieved a 10.1 per cent market share in September 2009 in its 19 European main markets – the best share for any month since September 2001 and a 0.8 percentage point increase on the same month 2008.

A total of 51,400 new Ford Fiestas were registered in Europe last month – the best September for Fiesta since 1994.    » read more »

BRENTWOOD, Essex, 6 October 2009 – Ford car sales were up by over 22 per cent in September, compared with the same month in 2008. This is twice the size of the market increase after a busy month of new "59" plate and "scrappage" registrations.

Over 54,500 new cars left Ford dealerships – 22.2 per cent more than during September 2008.

The market leader, Ford, took 14.8 per cent of all car sales and 15.7 per cent of the total UK vehicle market last month once commercial vehicle registrations are factored in. In either case, Ford's share is around a percentage point higher than a year ago.    » read more »

Ford, Lincoln and Mercury U.S. third quarter sales increased 5 percent versus a year ago and U.S. market share increased 2 points

DEARBORN, Mich., Oct., 1, 2009 – Ford, Lincoln and Mercury third quarter sales were 5 percent higher than a year ago in the U.S., making Ford the only full-line manufacturer to report a sales increase in the period.

In September, Ford sales were 6 percent lower than a year ago. This followed a 2 percent increase in July and a 17 percent increase in August, marking the first time in four years that Ford is reporting a quarterly sales increase.

Ford estimates it gained over 2 points of market share versus last year in September and the third quarter. September marked the 11th time in the last 12 months Ford has gained retail market share.    » read more »

Third-quarter results mark a 26% increase in sales: best quarterly sales increase since 2003

OAKVILLE, Ontario, October 1, 2009 – Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited saw sales increase 24.3 per cent compared to last September marking the company's fourth consecutive month of year-over-year sales gains.

Strong car sales led by the all-new Ford Taurus, Fusion, Focus and Mustang resulted in more than half of all vehicle sales for Ford of Canada. September also marked the eleventh month of market share growth for the company and rounded out the highest quarterly sales increase since 2003 with a 26 per cent increase.    » read more »

The most recent and most complete research shows that distractions that take drivers’ eyes away from the road for an extended period of time are a factor in nearly 80 percent of accidents

DEARBORN, Mich., Sept. 25, 2009 – The vast majority of U.S. drivers believes handheld texting while driving is very dangerous and should be banned nationwide, according to a new national survey released today.    » read more »