MARCH 11 FORD E-NEWS

Listen to this report as a soundclip (right-click to download - 7.3 Mb - 3:58 time) March 11, 2009
 
Ford Rolls 100,000th Hybrid Off the Line at Kansas City Plant
Ford Motor Company’s 100,000th hybrid SUV rolled off the line this week at the Kansas City Assembly Plant. The Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner Hybrids – the world’s first hybrid SUVs – continue to be the most fuel-efficient hybrid SUVs on the planet at 34 mpg city driving. The Kansas City Assembly Plant, which employs 4,100 people, has been the hub for Ford’s hybrid SUV production since 2004 when the first Ford Escape Hybrid rolled off the line. Ford also is doubling hybrid production with the introduction of the 2010 Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan hybrids – America’s most fuel-efficient midsize sedans at 41 mpg city driving.  more...
Jennifer Moore  |  jmoor186@ford.com  |  313-248-2335
 
2010 Escape Builds on Leading Crash Ratings with New Technologies
The 2010 Escape and Escape Hybrid will feature five new safety and driver-aid technologies, including Integrated Spotter Mirrors, MyKeyTM, Rear View Camera System and Active Park Assist. The Escape, which Kelly Blue Book editors recently named one of the “2009 best New Family Vehicles,” also is the only compact SUV to offer AdvanceTrac® with RSC® (Roll Stability ControlTM) and a Safety Canopy® side curtain air-bag system as standard. Building on Escape’s 5-star and top safety pick crash-test ratings, these new technologies will help take the 2010 Escape to the next level of safety and driver distraction.  more...
Wes Sherwood  |  wsherwoo@ford.com  |  313-390-5660
 
Safety Touted in New Ads for Award-Winning 2009 Ford F-150
A new television ad begins airing around the country this week touting the unparalleled safety features that make the 2009 Ford F-150 America’s Safest Truck. The new ad continues the straightforward, no-nonsense campaign launched last fall, narrated by actor Denis Leary, and purposely is void of corny gimmicks and flashy stunts. The F-150 is the only pickup to earn the government’s top 5-star rating and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s “Top Safety Pick” award – and has more standard safety features than any other half-ton truck.  more...
Anne Marie Gattari  |  agattari@ford.com  |  313-323-7809
 
Ford Offers Fans Opportunity to Tour with Superstar Toby Keith
Superstar Toby Keith is teaming up with America’s best-selling – the new 2009 F-150 – to offer fans an experience they will never forget: a rare opportunity to be one of Toby’s “roadies” for a weekend. Toby Keith fans have until March 31, 2009 to enter the Built Ford Tough Biggest & Baddest Sweepstakes at www.BiggestandBaddest.com for a chance to win the prize package, as well as a new 2009 Ford F-150 truck. The winner and three guests will receive an all-expense paid trip to join Toby for one weekend on his 2009-2010 concert tour, riding in their own private tour bus which will caravan with Toby’s bus from show to show.  more...
Anne Marie Gattari  |  agattari@ford.com  |  313-323-7809
 
F-150 SVT Raptor Comes to Life Online with New Web Page
With a look born in the desert, the new Ford F-150 SVT Raptor Web page is a place enthusiasts can immerse themselves in the experience of driving a truck built to excel in the most extreme conditions. The new Web page – www.fordvehicles.com/f150raptor – highlights the expansive features of Ford’s new high-performance off-road truck. Unique applications on the site, like a 360-degree view, give consumers a thorough perspective of the truck and allow them to get a closer look at the features and functions that make it such a capable off-road vehicle.  more...
Patrick Hespen  |  phespen1@ford.com  |  313-206-3902
 
’08 Cobra Jet Featured in Ford Racing Outreach Program
Ford Racing is providing an in-depth look at the Cobra Jet at ten selected NHRA events. The outreach allows for sportsman racers to see the Cobra Jet and talk with representatives from Ford Racing about the vehicle and Ford Racing’s offerings for the sportsman racer. The first event will kick off Thursday, March 12 at the Tasca Racing Motorcraft/Quick Lane hospitality in the NHRA Pro Pits, and is open to all sportsman racers who hold a competition license. Visit www.FordRacing.com for updated time and location for each of the ten events.  more...
Alan Hall  |  ahall32@ford.com  |  313-594-3744
 

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About 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 automotive 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.