Dealers

As the public face of Ford within our communities, our dealers are key employers and contributors to local economies. Dealers are an important part of our product-led strategy. Our new product introductions will be of mutual benefit to Ford and its dealers, and will help strengthen our relationships.

We are working to expand our network of dealers in markets where we have growth opportunities. In China, for example, we added 66 new dealerships in 2006 and 2007 to keep up with the growing demand for our vehicles. The Ford dealer network in South America has been strengthened in recent years with an exciting product lineup, a stronger brand and growing local industry. And in Russia, where we opened a new parts depot in 2005, we added 14 new dealerships in 2007.

Dealer satisfaction is measured in various ways, including the bi-annual survey of the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA), as well as day-to-day interaction with our dealers. Progress is also evaluated through numerous meetings with our National Dealer Councils and other Dealer Advisory Boards. A record number of dealers (60 percent) provided feedback through the Winter 2008 NADA survey process, which showed notable improvement in the areas of product quality, people and consideration of dealer input. In fact, the scores in these categories were at or above record highs for Ford Motor Company.