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Ford Maintains Sales Leadership in Ohio

3 April 2000

Ford Maintains Sales Leadership in Ohio

    CLEVELAND, March 31 According to R.L. Polk's 1999 vehicle
registrations, Ford had five of the top 10 best-selling vehicles in Ohio.  The
Ford F-Series maintained the no. 1 position as best-selling truck, while the
Ford Taurus ranked no. 2 as the best-selling car.  Ford F-Series trucks have
occupied the top spot nationally for 18-straight years, making it the best-
selling vehicle in 1999 with 869,313 sold (up 4 percent from 1998), the most
for any model in the U.S. in the past two decades.
    In 1999, Ohio drivers registered approximately 195,760 new Ford, Lincoln
and Mercury brand cars and trucks.  Ford Motor Company's Ford Division had
163,839 registrations, of which 58,021 were cars and 105,818 were trucks and
minivans.  Ford Division has 378 dealers in the state.
    Lincoln Mercury had 31,921 registrations in the state, of which 24,316
were cars and 7,605 were trucks and minivans.  Lincoln Mercury has 115 dealers
in Ohio, some of which are shared with Ford Division.
    Known informally as Ford's second home, Ohio has the largest number of
Ford employees outside of Michigan.  Ford is one of Ohio's largest private-
sector employers.  The company last year paid its 18,471 Ohio-based employees
over $1.5 billion in salaries and wages.
    Ford has a diverse workforce with employees at 11 manufacturing facilities
and additional administrative offices in the state.  Manufacturing and
assembly facilities are in Lorain, Avon Lake, Walton Hills, Maumee, Lima,
Sharonville, Batavia, Sandusky and Brook Park.
    In the past year, Ford significantly contributed to Ohio's economy in
several other ways.  The company paid the state more than $30.8 million in
real estate and personal (machinery and equipment) property taxes.  In
addition, Ford spent over $4 billion for production components from
approximately 209 Ohio-based suppliers.
    As a consumer-focused company, Ford's activities include the sales of
vehicles, auto parts and auto services, financial services, steel and plastic
stamping operations, the production of iron castings, the manufacture of
engines of numerous configurations and displacements, the manufacture of
transmissions and the assembly of cars and trucks.
    In 1999, Ford continued construction on a new aluminum casting plant in
Brook Park.  The plant will produce aluminum cylinder blocks for a new engine
program.  It will use a natural-gas aluminum melting furnace, 10 core making
machines, two rollover pouring machines, a shot blast cleaning system, a
natural gas holding furnace and a sand handling system.
    In addition, Ford's Ohio plants have reported significant improvements in
energy use, waste minimization and recycling, water treatment and air
pollution.  The Sandusky plant uses recycled nylon resin to mold air cleaner
assemblies for most of Ford's North American vehicles.  The Ohio Assembly
Plant recycles drums and consolidates waste.  The drums are cleaned using a
cryogenic cleaning process, triple rinsed and crushed for scrap steel.  The
Cleveland Casting Plant melts the steel and recasts it into new engine blocks.
Also, Ford and AF Friedrichshafen AG produced an environmentally friendly
Continuously Variable Automatic Transmissions (CVTs) at the Batavia
Transmission Plant.  CVTs increase fuel economy by approximately 10 to 15
percent.
    Ford Motor Credit Company, the world's largest automotive financing
company, has 252 employees working in five branches in the state.  Ford Credit
has won more J.D. Power awards for customer satisfaction in automotive
financing than any other finance provider.
    Finally, Ford Motor Company Fund contributed more than $3.4 million to
state charities.  Ford and its employees contributed over $586,000 in 1999 to
56 Ohio institutions for programs to advance education.  Also, Ford
financially supported Ohio environment, arts and humanities, health and social
welfare, civic activities, and public policy initiatives.
    For the latest information about Ford Motor Company, click on the Internet
at http://www.ford.com .

    Top 10 Truck Nameplates            Top 10 Car Nameplates
    (In Ohio, CY 1999)                 (In Ohio, CY 1999)
    1.)  F-Series           34,670      1.)  Camry        22,123
    2.)  Silverado          21,948      2.)  Taurus       19,842
    3.)  Ranger             20,500      3.)  Cavalier     19,836
    4.)  Explorer           17,072      4.)  Accord       19,476
    5.)  S-10               16,903      5.)  Escort       18,076
    6.)  Ram                15,712      6.)  Grand Am     15,775
    7.)  Caravan            14,620      7.)  Civic        15,766
    8.)  Blazer             13,503      8.)  Malibu       12,939
    9.)  Windstar           13,254      9.)  Corolla      11,248
    10.) Grand Cherokee     12,653      10.) Century      10,134

    Top 10 Car & Truck Nameplates (in Ohio, CY 1999)
    1.)  F-Series      34,670
    2.)  Camry         22,123
    3.)  Silverado     21,948
    4.)  Ranger        20,500
    5.)  Taurus        19,842
    6.)  Cavalier      19,836
    7.)  Accord        19,476
    8.)  Escort        18,076
    9.)  Explorer      17,072
    10.) S-10          16,903