Investor News

• Kelley Blue Book today named Ford Motor Company winner of the 2009 Brand Image Award for the “Most Rugged Truck Brand”
• The Brand Image Awards are based on consumer data collected from more than 12,000 shoppers on Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com
• The 2009 Ford F-150 is America’s best-selling vehicle and the country’s safest full-size pickup truck

DEARBORN, Mich., March 13, 2009 – Kelley Blue Book today announced that Ford Motor Company is the winner of the 2009 Brand Image Award for the “Most Rugged Truck Brand.”

The 2009 Brand Image Awards are based on consumer data collected from Kelley Blue Book Market Research’s Brand Watch study, which surveys more than 12,000 shoppers on Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com who are in the market for a new vehicle.

“The winners of this year’s Brand Image Awards exemplify automotive brands that are on the right track, making a great impression with consumers not just on a specific model level, but across the entire brand lineup,” said Jack R. Nerad, executive editorial director and executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book and kbb.com.

When people think of Ford trucks, they automatically think of the all-new 2009 Ford F-150, which continues to make a strong impression on consumers and critics alike as America’s best-selling vehicle and the country’s safest full-size pickup truck.  The vehicle has received a host of prestigious awards and accolades, including 2009 North American Truck of the Year, 2009 Motor Trend Truck of the Year™ and “Truck of Texas” by the Texas Auto Writers.

“What experts think of your brand is very important, but what shoppers think is equally important,” said Nerad.  “These awards, which are the direct result of opinions given by shoppers who are in the market to buy a new vehicle, are a great honor and something for which your company should be very proud.

“In a vehicle segment where ‘best’ often equates to ‘toughest,’ it would be difficult if not impossible to maintain that kind of track record without building the most rugged truck around,” Nerad said.

There is no doubt about the toughness of the F-150, says Doug Scott, Ford Truck Marketing manager.

“We have more trucks on the road with 250,000 miles or more than any other manufacturer,” he said.  “That’s one of the proof points of Built Ford Tough, and it certainly speaks to the ruggedness, durability and quality of the vehicle.”

To be rugged, a vehicle also must be capable, says Scott. 

“We’ve raised the bar in capability with the new F-150, delivering best-in-class trailer tow and payload across all cab types,” he said.  “The 2009 model provides class-leading towing capability of 11,300 pounds and hauling capacity of 3,031 – a combination no other competitor can match.”

The new F-150 also delivers more horsepower and unsurpassed fuel economy. 

The 2009 F-150, which is built at Ford’s Dearborn (Mich.) Truck Plant and Kansas City Assembly Plant, also has earned the following honors and awards: 

• 2009 North American Truck of the Year
• America’s safest full-size pickup with 5-star frontal and 5-star side-impact crash-test ratings, the highest possible scores, in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) tests.
• Motor Trend 2009 Truck of the Year Award™
• Top honors as “Truck of Texas” as well as “Best Luxury Pickup” for the 2009 F-150 King Ranch from Texas Auto Writers Association
• Finalist 2009 North American Truck of the Year (with 2009 Ford Flex for Car of the Year)
• Playboy’s 2009 Best Pickup
• 2009 Best Redesigned Vehicle from Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com
• “Best Overall Half-Ton Pickup” from PickupTrucks.com
• “Automotive Excellence” award in the Workhorse Category from Popular Mechanics
• Detroit Free Press Truck of the Year
• Detroit News Truck of the Year
• “Top Safety Pick” from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety for its standard safety technology:  Safety Canopy side curtain air bags and AdvanceTrac with Roll Stability Control
• “Residual Value” award from Automotive Leasing Guide (ALG) for retaining the highest percentage of its original price among 2009 full-size light duty pickups at the end of a conventional three-year lease, based on ALG projections
• Motor Trend's Truck Trend Top 5 Trucks from Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) for 2009 Ford F-150 Heavy Duty DeWalt Contractor Concept
• “Accessory-Friendly Truck” Design Award from SEMA
• F-Series is best selling vehicle in America for 27 consecutive years; best-selling truck for 32 consecutive years

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Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 213,000 employees and about 90 plants worldwide, the company’s wholly owned brands include Ford, Lincoln, Mercury and Volvo. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company.  For more information regarding Ford’s products, please visit www.ford.com.

Kelley Blue Book (www.kbb.com)
Since 1926, Kelley Blue Book, The Trusted Resource®, has provided vehicle buyers and sellers with the new and used vehicle information they need to accomplish their goals with confidence.  The company’s top-rated Web site, www.kbb.com, provides the most up-to-date pricing and values, including the New Car Blue Book® Value, which reveals what people actually are paying for new cars.  The company also reports vehicle pricing and values via products and services, including software products and the famous Blue Book® Official Guide.  According to the C.A. Walker Research Solutions, Inc. – 2008 Spring Automotive Web Site Usefulness Study, kbb.com is the most useful automotive information Web site among new and used vehicle shoppers, and half of online shoppers visit kbb.com.  Kbb.com is a leading provider of new car prices, car reviews and news, used car blue book values, auto classifieds and car dealer locations.   No other medium reaches more in-market vehicle shoppers than kbb.com.