Ford South America

Ford’s principal markets in South America include Brazil and Argentina; we are the fourth-largest automaker in both markets. Brazil’s economy and demographics – with growing per-capita income, low vehicle ownership rates and a young population – have helped its automotive market to more than double since 2002. These favorable factors are expected to continue to contribute to growth in vehicle sales in Brazil.

2012 Performance Highlights

In the past year:

• Ford South America received a total of 29 awards for our Company and our products (see below section), in part due to new global product launches in the region.

• We also improved our corporate reputation in Brazil, according to the research firm DYG, Inc., reaching 74 percent in the Overall Positive Impression ranking – a full 10 points higher than in the last analysis. This ranking puts Ford in second place.

• We began to export the global 1.6L Sigma engine to Europe.

• We presented the new Ford EcoSport to the world in a public event at Farol da Barra, a famous tourist spot in Salvador city (Bahia state, Brazil). The event brought together nearly 100,000 people and generated more than 12 million Twitter posts.

• Ford Argentina unveiled the new Ford Ranger, which is being produced at the Pacheco plant in Buenos Aires.

• Ford Venezuela celebrated its 50th anniversary as an assembly operation in the country; it was the first assembly plant to be established in the Valencia Industrial Zone. A book was published to commemorate the anniversary.

• Ford Venezuela also incorporated a full line of robots in the Valencia plant’s paint system, becoming the first automotive plant in the Andean region to include this level of automation.

• For the fourth-consecutive year, Ford Venezuela gave out a Henry Ford Environmental Award to a worthy recipient in the community. This year’s award went to “Fundacion Tierra Viva” for a project recycling vegetable oil in a rural community.

Awards

• Ford was chosen as one of Argentina’s Top 10 Best Companies to Work For by Apertura Magazine, one of the country’s premier business magazines.

• We were also recognized as one of the top 10 most prestigious brands in Argentina at the Prestige Awards, which are sponsored by the business newspaper Ambito Financiero and the Public Opinion Research Centre. We were the only automaker in the top 10.

• Ford won in five out of eight categories at the Brazilian Car of the Year Awards sponsored by Autoesporte magazine. The Ford EcoSport won SUV of the Year, the Fusion EcoBoost® 2.0L won Premium Car of the Year, the Fusion Hybrid won Green Car of the Year, the Ranger earned Pickup of the Year, and our Duratorq 3.2L engine won Engine of the Year (for 2.0L engines and above).

• Quatro Rodas, a Brazilian auto magazine, named the new EcoSport the Year’s Best Choice.

• In the Top Car TV Awards, the new Ranger was named Best Pickup and the New EcoSport earned Best SUV.

• Ford won five categories of the Abiauto Awards, which are sponsored by the Brazilian Association of Automotive Press. The EcoSport won Best SUV; the Fusion was named Best Imported Vehicle; the New Ranger earned Best Pickup; the EcoBoost 2.0L won Best Engine (1,401 cc to 2,500 cc); and the Duratorq 3.2L was named Best Diesel Engine (2,000 cc to 3,500 cc).

• Ford Argentina ranked 10th in Apertura Magazine’s Corporate Image Research. This survey asked 200 trendsetters – including businesspeople, consultants and journalists – to consider several attributes for each analyzed company, such as: reliability of products and services; ethics and transparency applied to doing business; economic and financial solvency; employment generation; presence in the country; management quality; investment and production in the country; corporate social responsibility; advertising and communication activities; and consumers’ attention.

• For the eighth-consecutive year, Argentinian consumers selected Ford as the most trusted automobile brand. With this recognition, Selecciones magazine honored Ford with its “Trusted Brand” award.

• For the second time, the Ford Fiesta Kinetic Design was named the Safest Car in Argentina in the B class, by CESVI Argentina (the Center for Experimentation and Road Safety). The Fiesta Kinetic Design was the first car in its segment to introduce advanced safety equipment, which is normally found only in luxury vehicles in Argentina.

• The all-new EcoSport and new Ranger were chosen as Best SUV and Best Commercial Vehicle of 2012 by the Argentina Automotive Industry Journalists.

• Our public relations strategy for the new EcoSport launch, known as EcoSport Parade, won the Public Opinion Award from São Paulo’s Public Relations Regional Council. The award aims to identify and honor the best public relations activities in eight categories.