Diversity of Customers and Business Partners

Our customers are increasingly diverse. Our Insight program helps dealers better understand and serve minority customers. The program includes Web-based cultural training, in-dealership workshops and assistance in developing comprehensive multicultural strategies.

As part of our multicultural efforts, we have launched a new multi-language Asian-American Web site. Meanwhile, our integrated Spanish Web site – Ford's "Mi Negocio" (My Business) – is one of the most comprehensive of its kind in the auto industry, offering a one-stop resource and outreach services in key Hispanic markets.

Ford continues to lead other automakers in its percentage of minority-owned dealerships – with 320, or 6.9 percent of our 4,631 U.S. dealerships. Ford has expanded its Leadership Education for Automotive Dealerships (LEAD) certificate training program at Arizona State University to several Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Hispanic-Serving Institutions. LEAD is designed to provide students with the qualifications necessary to enter high-level positions within the automotive industry. Minorities who have dedicated themselves to a career in automotive retailing often are eligible for funding from Ford. Through our Dealer Development Investment Program, Ford continues to fund up to 90 percent of an eligible candidate's investment capital – the seed money that's needed to purchase a dealership.

We are also committed to increasing the diversity of our supply base. Our Supplier Diversity Development Office works with business leaders, trade associations and community-based organizations to create opportunities for businesses owned by minorities and women. In 2007, we purchased $4.2 billion in goods and services from more than 300 minority-owned suppliers and more than $1 billion in goods and services from more than 200 women-owned businesses. Financial commitments like these have earned us a seat at the "Billion Dollar Roundtable," an exclusive group of 13 companies that spend a minimum of $1 billion annually with diverse suppliers. Despite considerable headwinds, Ford's commitment is to incremental year-over-year percentage increases in sourcing from diverse suppliers. We encourage similar actions across our supply chain. In 2007, more than 400 of our largest suppliers purchased more than $2.1 billion from minority- and women-owned enterprises in support of Ford business.