Product Development

In Ford's Global Product Development System, environmental objectives – including targets for fuel economy, vehicle emissions, the use of recycled and renewable materials, and restrictions on substances of concern – are defined at the outset of the design process for every new Ford vehicle. We track our progress toward these targets throughout the product development process. The targets are broken down from the vehicle level to the supplier or component level, and they enter into each contractual agreement signed between Ford and its suppliers.

As part of our ONE Ford global integration process, we are developing targets for a range of vehicle attributes, such as fuel economy, quality and safety, which will make our vehicles either leaders or among the leaders compared to competitor vehicles in the same segments. We develop these competitive vehicle attribute targets for every vehicle program, to deliver on key customer demands and Ford strategies, by using a range of consumer data, internal brand data and competitor vehicle data. Based on this process, in 2009 we committed that every all-new or redesigned vehicle we introduce will be the best in class or among the best in class for fuel economy in its segment. Since that time, we have followed through on this commitment with vehicles introduced in both the United States and Europe, and we will continue to do so in future product launches. For examples of 2010 and 2011 vehicles that meet this commitment, please see Delivering More Fuel-Efficient Vehicles.

In addition, we have identified global leaders and attribute teams who coordinate the development of global product attributes targets in key areas such as sustainable materials, recycling, materials of concern, vehicle interior air quality and vehicle life-cycle issues. These leaders coordinate the global implementation of our corporate sustainability strategies and support our ONE Ford strategy to harmonize product development across regions.

We use our Design for Environment (DfE) tool to bridge the gap between product development and environmental management. DfE uses simplified life-cycle assessments and cost calculations, substance restrictions, checklists and other tools to identify and reduce significant impacts. We are continuing to broaden the range of issues we consider in our product development process as we move from Design for Environment to Design for Sustainability (DfS). Ford of Europe's Product Sustainability Index is incorporating DfS principles, in order to improve each vehicle's environmental, social and economic performance.