Ford is inviting digital influencers to participate in the inaugural global test drive of the next-generation Ford Focus

• Selected participants in the Ford Focus Global Test Drive will travel to Madrid, Spain, to be the first customers to test drive the next-generation Ford Focus. This event will take place Feb. 18-20, 2011
• The National Institute for Aerospace Technology (INTA) near Madrid will be the host facility for the first-ever Focus Global Test Drive, giving participants a range of driving surfaces to experience the new Focus
• Participants in Focus Global Test Drive – a unique test drive opportunity for social media mavens – are slated to test their skills at the versatile INTA facility

DEARBORN, Mich., Nov. 11, 2010 – Consumers ready to join the Ford Focus Global Test Drive should get ready to start something more in Madrid, Spain.

Ford has selected the National Institute for Aerospace Technology (INTA), near Madrid, as the home base for the Focus Global Test Drive. An aeronautical research facility, INTA and its varied surfaces make an ideal location for dynamic driving events as participants take on the unique role of test drivers, before the new Focus reaches the showroom.

“Based on what we have learned with the Fiesta Movement and other social media launch efforts, we chose this unique location to give consumers and bloggers a very special experience,” said Jim Farley, group vice president of Global Marketing, Sales & Service. “Our guests get a unique, once-in-a-lifetime experience behind the wheel of the all-new Focus, within a world-class proving ground facility.”

INTA offers more than 10 surface areas, allowing participants to enjoy a broad range of testing exercises and experiences.

At the three-day event, Feb. 18-20, 2011, consumers and bloggers will be able to experience the Ford Focus in a unique new manner. Each challenge and course will highlight the driving dynamics and technologies in the vehicle. And throughout the entire event, local charities will benefit.

To participate in the Focus Global Test Drive, friends and fans from around the world are invited to submit simple video applications explaining why they should be included in this unique behind-the-scenes event. The application process invites prospective test drivers to “start more than a car” by generating the market equivalent of $10,000 (U.S.) for a specific charity of their choice from the categories of hunger, education and environment/sustainability.

Details of the Focus Global Test Drive application are now available on the “Global Drive” tab at http://facebook.com/fordfocus. Participants for the Global Test Drive event will be selected based on a range of criteria including their individual creative content, social networking vibrancy and volume of votes they receive.

With the Focus Global Test Drive, there is something for everyone. Ford engineers will get rapid feedback from interested customers and prospects; drivers get a first look at the new car before it goes on sale; friends get to come along for the ride of a lifetime; and deserving charities will benefit in a big way.

All-new Ford Focus
The all-new Ford Focus is the result of a global product development program bringing together Ford’s best engineers and technologies from around the world. Focus will be nearly identical in all 122 world markets in which it will eventually be sold, with 80 percent parts commonality.

Focus will be manufactured in Ford plants around the world, from Asia to Europe to North America. Consumer availability for the all-new Ford Focus begins in early 2011. For more information on Focus, go to http://www.newfordfocusmedia.com/.

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About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 163,000 employees and about 70 plants worldwide, the company's automotive brands include Ford, Lincoln and Mercury, production of which has been announced by the company to be ending in the fourth quarter of 2010. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford's products, please visit www.ford.com.